Understanding the Effects of Deradicalisation Mentoring Programmes in the UK: a Case Study of Former Channel Mentees

Channel, the UK’s deradicalisation mentoring programme, is a central and controversial component of Prevent, the government’s high profile and internationally influential strategy to prevent violent extremism. While the UK government claims it has contributed to turn more than 1,200 individuals away from violent extremism, critics argue such claims are based on problematic counterfactuals and that the programme represents a dangerous, discriminatory, and counter-productive extension of state power. To date, however, there is scant independent research enabling us to understand how, if at all, Channel works and the effects it has on mentees. This paper focuses on our initial analysis of life story narrative interviews with former Channel mentees who were referred to Channel due to far-right or AQ/ISIS-related concerns, tracing their trajectories into, through and after Channel. We explore the variance in the lived experience of the former Channel mentees, and how can we best explain this variance. More broadly, we consider what the experiences of the former Channel mentees tell us about the nature of the Channel programme and its effects on the lives of those it is intended to support.