The Manifestation of Terrorism and Extremism in Prisons

Abstract

The paper deals with prison facilities from the perspective of the security threats of radicalization and terrorism. Prisons are continuously assessed as an ideal recruitment pool for extremist and terrorist organizations. Prison environment concentrates various persons with criminal past and with the tendencies to accept different ideological doctrines or radical interpretations of religions. Many of prisoners suffer from stress, lack of social and family support, uncertain future, depressions and frustration. Such factors could initiate or accelerate radicalization process in correctional facilities. This security problem is in contemporary days discussed in many European countries. All security experts and academic institutions came to the fact, that the crucial attribute of this issue is prevention and appropriate identification of the indicators of radicalization. The paper gives an overview of the most significant findings in this field, summarizes the experiences of Czech Republic and gives examples of good practices.