Deradicalizing Detained Terrorists

Several studies have shed light on factors that contribute to radicalization. However, fewer studies have addressed the factors that contribute to deradicalization, especially with terrorist detainees as participants. The present study investigates the role of attitudes toward rehabilitation in deradicalization programs, and its role in predicting the outcome for these programs. We hypothesized that when terrorist detainees adopt alternative identities (identities alternative to their jihadist identity), their support for jihad as war will be lessened, even when they still hold jihadist ideology as their source of significance. To test this hypothesis, we obtained 89 interview profiles of actual terrorist detainees across 35 Indonesian prisons. We found that lesser support for jihad as war was predicted by a more positive attitude toward the deradicalization program, and this was mediated by the adoption of alternative identities. Further, the effect of the mediator on support for jihad as war was neither weakened nor strengthened by perceived significance of jihadist ideology. These findings suggest that even when a person possesses a strong ideological commitment to jihad, this may not manifest into violence when they adopt alternative identities and goals. These results were interpreted and discussed through goal systems theory and the multifinality account of radical behavior.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitude toward rehabilitation as a key predictor for adopting alternative identities in deradicalization programs: An investigation of terrorist detainees’ profiles

Milla

Hudiyana

Arifin

2019

“…As found by Webber et al. () in Sri Lankan prisoners, attendance in a rehabilitation program, which was delivered by government officials, could reduce terrorist detainees’ extremism. They did not specifically connect the finding to intergroup contact; however, such a measurement would indeed indicate that terrorist detainees had made some contact with an outgroup (i.e., government officials) during their rehabilitation programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

An investigation of an Expanded Encapsulate Model of Social Identity in Collective Action (EMSICA) including perception of threat and intergroup contact to understand support for Islamist terrorism in Indonesia

Yustisia

Shadiqi

Milla

et al. 2019

Although there have been many empirical studies of terrorism within the psychology literature, relatively few studies have theorized terrorism from the perspective of collective action theory. The present study aimed to understand factors that predict support for Islamist terrorism by using the Encapsulate Model of Social Identity in Collective Action (EMSICA) perspective. To extend previous studies, we added perception of threat and intergroup contact to the model. A correlational study using 66 terrorism detainees in Indonesia as participants found solid support for our expanded EMSICA. The models extending EMSICA with perception of threat and quantity of contact as predictors had improved fit indices and explained more variance in the dependent variable support for Islamist terrorism, as compared to the standard model. Social identity had a significant direct effect on support for Islamist terrorism and mediated the effect of intergroup contact, perception of threat, perceived injustice, and group efficacy on support for Islamist terrorism.

“…A more recent estimation based on 47 cases of terrorist attacks in Indonesia has suggested that this number is now higher, at 15% of the total convicted terrorists (Ismail & Sim, ). Terrorist recidivism, where released extremists are again implicated in new terrorist acts (Webber et al., ), is a serious problem in efforts to combat terrorism. Although the rates of terrorist recidivism in Indonesia appear to be low, many terrorism experts believe that they still pose a significant security threat considering their influence, capability, and militancy to perpetrate new terrorist attacks in the country (Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, ).…”

Section: Social Identity Perspective On Radicalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, those who are re‐arrested by the police are more likely to be placed in a maximum‐security prison that is accessible only by very few outsiders. Third, the terrorist recidivists tend to have strong suspicions toward outgroup members, including researchers who might try to interview them (see Kruglanski, Gelfand, & Gunaratna, ; Webber et al., ).…”

Section: Social Identity Perspective On Radicalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social context, interpersonal network, and identity dynamics: A social psychological case study of terrorist recidivism

Hakim

Mujahidah

2018

The existing literature on jihadist terrorism has extensively documented the importance of networks, yet the interpersonal element of the networks and how this links to the social identity dynamics of a mujahid have been scarcely explored. It also is still unclear how specific social contexts such as prison, neighbourhood, and home may play a role in the link between interpersonal networks and social identity dynamics. Drawing insights from the social identity perspective, this article examines the relationships between social context, interpersonal networks, and identity dynamics of a mujahid based on a single case of terrorist recidivism in Indonesia. Our analyses showed how transitions across social contexts were related to the subject's opportunities and constraints for the participation in different interpersonal networks that influenced the process of identity negotiation as a mujahid versus alternative identities of family member and belonging to a neighbourhood. It is argued that analysis of the dynamics of a mujahid's identity in local social contexts are an important part of assessing risks of their recidivism.