Provisions for Extremist Offenders and Those of Concern; facilitating desistance & disengagement.

Carys Keane - National Specialist Lead for Extremism -Intervention Services, HMPPS

HMPPS Interventions Services – Extremism Team

• Work in partnership with the Joint Extremism Unit (JEXU)

• Responsibility for the design, development, implementation, oversight and evaluation of extremism-related assessments and interventions within Her Majesty’s Prison Service and the National Probation Service

• No single explanation

• Psychological processes involved in engagement/radicalisation are similar across various forms of extremism

• Many of the processes that interest and engage individuals in an extremist group, cause and/or ideology are not abnormal

• Individuals disengage through a process not dissimilar to that of engaging – by means of a gradual series of steps and commitments

• Identity is key to the work around understanding why individuals engage and disengage from extremism

• In terms of theory regarding extremist offending, there is a focus on the interaction between personal attributes, contextual factors such as social and political influences, which is in certain aspects distinct from other types of offending

• Reflection, creating and exploring doubt, reviewing commitments, promoting positive aspects of identity all encourage desistance/disengagement

• Changing ideology alone is unlikely to work

What does the evidence say in relation to Extremism?

Assessment

• Extremism Risk Guidelines (ERG)

Terrorist Offenders

Those of serious Concern

Who, When & Where?

• Extremism Risk Screening (ERS)

Those of Concern

Those for which only intelligence exists

Who, When & Where?

Ajzen & Fishbeins

(2005), Bjorgo &

Horgan (2009),

Roberts & Horgan

(2008))

ERG Assessment Approach • Considers 22+ factors (+ suffix accounts for other significant factors) which may contribute to

extremist offending

• Factors grouped in 3 dimensions; Engagement, Intent and Capability

Some people may engage (and sometimes be motivated to offend) but may be unwilling, prepared or intend to act illegitimately or harmfully

Some people may be engaged with a group, cause or ideology, but may not truly identify with it*

Some people may be willing to commit an offence but may not have the capability to do so

• Case formulation/Structured Professional Judgement

• Needs analysis

• Risk Management not prediction

• Intended to inform risk management strategies and decision making

• Intended to inform multi-disciplinary decision making processes

• Collaboration where possible

• Assessors must be HMPPS trained Psychologists or Probation Officers

© Crown Copyright -

National Offender

Management

Service, 2011

Purpose of the ERG • Assess the extent to which an individual is engaged with an extremist group, cause and/or ideology, and

are motivated to offend on their behalf

• Assess the extent to which they are ready, willing and prepared to offend

• Assess the extent to which they are capable of carrying out an extremist offence (particularly acts of terrorism which cause serious and significant harm)

• Inform judgements about an individual’s likelihood of contributing to or committing an extremist offence • Inform sentence planning, intervention and risk management

ERG Background• In 2009/2010 the Structured Risk Guidelines (SRG) designed - informed by casework with extremist

offenders, an extensive international literature review and an expert advisory group

• An independent process evaluation undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research (2010)

• From the recommendations of the evaluation, the growing body of casework and following peer review, the SRG became what we know today as the ERG

• The Extremism Risk Guidance was rolled out across HMPS and NPS in September 2011

• ERG currently being reviewed – studies looking at psychometric properties, profiles, utility etc

Engagement & Identification

OFFICIAL

Engagement Identification

• The stronger someone’s identification, the more likely they are to behave or express themselves in ways which reflect their growing commitment to that group, cause and/or ideology (e.g. through their actions, appearance, activities etc).

• Engaged but not identified - These individuals typically involve themselves in the activities of an extremist group or cause, but do not truly buy-in or subscribe to the beliefs/values and/or ideas of that group or cause.

Pathways into Extremism [non-criminal]

Engagement

Intent

Capability

A process whereby inhibitions against offending/causing harm are gradually overcome, “socialisation into terrorism”

Pathway predominantly taken by religiously, politically and/or ideologically motivated individuals

Risk/Vulnerability factors to engagement may include amongst others need to redress injustice, need to defend against threat, political/moral motivation

Pathways into Extremism [criminal]

Capability

Intent

Engage-ment

Pathway predominantly taken by those motivated by self-interest, criminality and/or violence

Risk/Vulnerability factors to engagement may include amongst others desire for excitement, comradeship and adventure, opportunistic involvement and need to dominate others

Extremism Risk Screen• Derived from the Extremism Risk Guidance (ERG)

• The ERS is used for those individuals for whom concerns have arisen; for those that there is evidence that they are becoming, or are already engaged, identified with, or involved in extremism

• Designed to assist prison and probation staff in assessing information about an offender’s possible involvement or interest in an extremist group, cause, and/or set of ideas

• Reviewed in 2014/2015 - now considers 5 rather than 3 dimensions; the 3 dimensions; engagement, intent and capability, as well as now; the dimensions identification and context

• The ERS is NOT a risk assessment; it is an assessment of information to help identify from behavioural indicators those at risk/or vulnerable to becoming involved in extremism, and if an individual is at risk/or vulnerable, it assists in decision-making and signposting

• Can be non-disclosable in certain circumstances where based on intelligence alone

Interventions

•Healthy Identity Interventions (HII) Terrorist Offenders

Those for whom an ERG has been Completed

•Developing Dialogues (DD) Those of Concern

Some TACT offenders

Those for whom an ERS has been Completed (and an ERG in certain circumstances)

•Other Interventions

•Desistance & Disengagement Programme (DDP)

HII Background

• HII designed and developed in 2008 based on a range of different sources, theories, models and data

• At the time, there was no existing psychosocial intervention for extremist offenders

• Underpinning the design of the intervention are principles and models that we already know works in addressing offending behaviour e.g. R-N-R principles, GLM, desistance literature

• Aspects of the intervention have however been designed to accommodate some of the unique features of extremist offending e.g. theories of engagement/disengagement, identity theory

• HII was piloted across prisons and probation, and a process evaluation undertaken in relation to it

• Rolled out across prisons and probation in 2011

• Aims to target the social and psychological drivers of extremist offending

• Offenders convicted of all forms of extremism

• One-to-one

• Delivered by trained Chartered Psychologists/experienced Probation Officers

• Addresses most ‘non-criminal pathway’ factors identified in the ERG

HII aims to encourage and facilitate its participants to:

• Fulfil needs legitimately

• Develop supportive attitudes, beliefs and thinking

• Increase emotional tolerance and acceptance

• Increase personal agency

• Express values and pursue goals legitimately

Key Features?

Key Features

• One of the key concepts addressed in HII is identity, or aspects of identity. Identity and issues associated with vulnerabilities to identity found to be important in explaining why individuals got involved in extremism, and also why they chose to desist. Why?

- Horgan’s (2008) description of the life-cycle of extremism

- Barrelle, 2015

- ‘Identity needs’ (e.g. the need for a sense of self-worth and belonging)

• Another key concept - Disillusionment is the factor most commonly cited in literature as being associated with desistance and disengagement from all forms of extremism e.g. Dalgaard-Nielsen, 2013. Research shows that once disillusioned, other factors such as having a family or a career become attractive and act as vehicles to further facilitate desistance and disengagement (Bryan, 2016; Barrelle, 2015)

• HII consists of a number of modules which can be used flexibly, including: personal and group identity, group conflict, self-image, managing threat, seeking political change and moving on

• HII is not ideologically focused or intended to re-educate participants in a particular set of beliefs or doctrine. Indirectly however, HII does provide a space for individuals to reflect on their commitments, beliefs and values

Where we are now?

• 280 ERGs have been completed

• 90 offenders have completed HII; 18 are currently taking part

• There are still limited extremism-specific interventions with which to compare HII

• Anecdotal feedback from Andrew Silke in relation to research he is doing is positive, and has had individuals describe HII as ‘transformational’

• Seeking Correctional Services Accreditation and Advisory Panel (CSAAP) accreditation for HII

• Impact and Outcome evaluation of HII underway in preparation for CSAAP

Developing Dialogues• A Toolkit developed by the NPS and HMPPS

• To facilitate and support constructive discussions with individuals identified as being vulnerable to becoming interested in,or engaged with an extremist group, cause or set of ideas

• Can be used with individuals convicted of extremist offences who are not considered suitable for other more intensive interventions like HII

• Should be the recommendation of an ERS, possibly ERG

• Designed to be Preventative

• DD contains 44 ‘discussions’ within 5 modules

• Designed to be sequential but delivered flexibly

• Based on the evidence underpinning HII and other existing interventions

DD is made up of sequenced discussions that help to facilitate a dialogue with an individual, to:

1. Explore what led to an individual becoming interested in, or engaged with a particular group, cause or set of ideas extremist in nature,

2. Encourage individuals to question their interest and/or involvement, and to reduce this where it is deemed potentially problematic or harmful, and

3. This is then balanced with exploration around the individual’s strengths, attributes, values, relationships and opportunities that may divert them from potentially continuing down a pathway towards extremist activity or offending.

Other Offender Behaviour Programmes

• Violence reduction programmes

• Thinking skills programmes

• Identity Matters (Gang-focused intervention)

The Desistance & Disengagement Programme (DDP)

• Administered in conjunction with HMPPS (currently piloting within the community with Terrorist offenders)

• Added resource to facilitate desistance and disengagement

• Suite of interventions

• 4 areas of support (mentoring, theological input, family support, practical and personal support)

18

Intelligence/Information to the notice of Prison/Probation

Staff

If significant concerns, ERG completed

HII may be recommended

Other offender behavior programme

Theological/ Ideological/ Political Intervention

Possible Interventions to facilitate

desistance/disengagement and to manage risk

DDP

Developing Dialogues

1-to-1 Psychology Work

1-to-1 Imam Work

Signposting to other services e.g. mental health

Possible Management Actions to facilitate

desistance/disengagement and to manage risk

Wing/Prison transfer

Adjudication processes

Segregation

Information assessed – if concerns

Police informed depending on where an individual is in

custodial sentence

Process within Prison/Probation where radicalisation suspected (very simplistic representation of process):

Questions?

Carys Keane

Carys.Keane@noms.gsi.gov.uk

Interventions_businessenquiries@noms.gsi.gov.uk

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