Justice and risk assessment: the subjectivity of pre-emptive screening of radicalisation processes

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the fight against (violent) extremism has focused more on anticipating the threats that they pose. Therefore, early detection of undemocratic ideas by local professionals has become an important part of the preventive approach in counter terrorism radicalisation. Frontline workers who operate in the arteries of society are encouraged to identify processes toward violent behaviour at an early stage. To date, however, little is known about how these professionals take on this screening task at their own discretion. The analysis of 55 interviews with youth workers, municipality civil servants, and community police officers, show that they tended to be insufficiently equipped in general to detect radicalisation towards (violent) extremism at the local level in the Netherlands. Firstly, this is due to varying contents and qualities of training courses which are not suited to building up solid expertise. Secondly, and most importantly, the recognising of deviant behaviour is presumably carried out with a one-sided focus on personal norms and values rather than structured judgements about pathways towards risky behaviour. Various value systems seem to influence the norm for early detection, which means that there is, in practice, a lack of clear indicators.

KEYWORDS:

• Radicalization
• local professional
• risk assessment
• potential threats
• early detection

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 We use Lipsky’s work (1976; 1980) to define frontline workers as professionals having some responsibility for the delivery of policy and public services at the local level and engaging with the community in their day-to-day work.

2 S. A. Blok, “Resultaten co-Voorzitterschap Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF),” (December 2, 2019) https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/detail?id=2019Z23794&did=2019D49201

3 https://www.internationalhu.com/research/access-to-justice.

4 A. Van de Weert and Q. A. Eijkman, “Subjectivity in Detection of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism: A Youth Worker’s Perspective,” Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression 11, no. 3 (2019): 191-214; A. van de Weert and Q. A. Eijkman, “Early Detection of Extremism? The Local Security Professional on Assessment of Potential Threats Posed by Youth, Crime,” Law and Social Change 73 (2019): 491–507; and A. van de Weert and Q. A. Eijkman, “In Every Artery of Society? How Dutch Community Police Officers Perceive Their Role in Early Detection of Violent Extremism among Youth,” Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice (2020). doi:10.1093/police/paaa038.

5 See: “Mededeling over ondersteuning ter voorkoming van radicalisering die tot gewelddadig extremisme leidt” (“Notice on Support for Preventing Radicalization that Leads to Violent Extremism”) Number Commission document COM 379 (2016, p. 3).

6 See: https://www.trouw.nl/nieuws/predikt-imam-fawaz-jneid-nou-wel-of-niet-de-jihad~b7bb555b/

7 Tijdelijke wet bestuurlijke maatregelen terrorismebestrijding (Temporary Law on Administrative Measures for Counterterrorism) (Explanatory Memorandum Parliamentary Papers 34,359, number 3)

8 For an overview see: Schmid, A. P. (2013).