Exit and Rehabilitation of Former Extremists: How Projects and Interventions Differ

During recent years, a large number of “deradicalisation” or “reintegration” projects and initiatives have been established to facilitate disengagement and rehabilitation of (former) militant extremists and terrorists. This presentation will discuss how these various exit interventions differ and the consequences of these differences. It will address the following questions: • What is the main goal of the exit interventions – “deradicalisation” or “disengagement”? • Is the exit intervention a program, a project or a standard praxis within established agencies or preventive activities? • Who are the target groups for the exit intervention? Militant Islamists, returned foreign fighters, tight-wing extremists, gang members, etc. • Who implements the exit intervention? Is it prison authorities, the police, security services, municipalities or NGOs? • Where is the exit intervention implemented? Is it is a prison context or out in society? • What can the exit intervention offer the clients? It could be economic resources, housing, education and job training, social services, less restrictive prison conditions, treatment for traumas or addiction, or access to “normal” social activities and networks. • Is the exit intervention based on contract or trust? Some exit projects are based on strict conditions and monitoring, others on voluntary participation and trust. • Who fills the roles as mentors/coaches? They might be professionals, volunteers or former extremists. • How do we measure success (or failure)? How can such programs and interventions be evaluated?