Answering an ever-growing need for radicalisation prevention training Silvia Bernardo December 15, 2021

Answering an ever-growing need for radicalisation prevention training

The R4JUST project’s training in radicalisation prevention is getting positive feedback from professionals.

All the work carried out so far in developing and providing quality training is the answer to an ever-growing need for radicalisation prevention in the prison, probation and judicial contexts. The most recent data on the engagement of trainees for the courses that the R4JUST project offers has been evaluated by project partners.

The results and feedback received so far, about the course ‘Radicalisation prevention in the prison context’, have been overwhelmingly positive. The programme has been training practitioners from all partner countries (Portugal, Italy, Germany, Poland and Romania).

Moreover, the planned National Seminars have been completed across all the countries of the project consortium, creating opportunities to promote debate amongst participants and allowing the project to raise awareness for the problems discussed. The seminars focused on the topics of “Data protection policies regarding persons suspected or convicted of terrorism-related crimes” and “Improving prison, probation, and judicial staff competencies within the topic of P/CVE: The pressing need to restructure the training curricula of criminal justice professionals”.

What’s next for the project?

The next events to conduct shortly include national roundtables, which aim to stimulate discussions across judicial professions about the problem of radicalisation and its implications.

In the training field, the project is delivering and preparing the piloting of further training courses such as those targeting judicial practitioners and relating to the effectiveness of exit strategies and programmes.

R4JUST 4th Meeting

Representatives of partner entities involved in R4JUST gathered in Poland and online for the project’s 4th Meeting.

The R4JUST (Radicalisation Prevention Competences’ Development Programme for Justice Professionals) project is exploring a multi-sectoral approach to enhance the competencies of staff in prison, probation and judicial settings to prevent and reduce the risk of radicalisation and violent extremism across the justice system.

This fourth project meeting was organised on the 14th and 15th of December, 2021 by the Polish Platform of Homeland Security, in Poznan, Poland. IPS_Innovative Prison Systems (Portugal) was in presential attendance represented by the Chief Research Officer & Radicalisation, VE/OC Portfolio Coordinator, Pedro Liberado and consultant Vânia Sampaio. The event had the participation of the project promoter BSAFE Lab – Law Enforcement, Justice and Public Safety Laboratory of Beira Interior University (Portugal), and all other project partners, namely, the Directorate-General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP/Portugal), the College of Public Administration Bremen (Germany), the  Bremen Senate of Justice and Constitution (Germany), Agenfor International (Italy), the West University of Timisoara (Romania), the Penitentiary Bucharest Jilava (Romania) and the ICPA Stichting Foundation office in Europe (The Netherlands). The project is funded by the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumer of the European Commission.

For more information about the R4JUST project, please visit its website.