IPS hosts international training event on preventing radicalisation and violent extremism in prisons

Held in Lisbon from 25 to 27 February 2025, the event brought together more than 20 criminal justice professionals, with trainees from Poland, Norway, and Lithuania, including prison governors, security and probation officers, correctional service advisors, and ministry experts.

In the last decade, IPS has trained over 1,300 criminal justice professionals in preventing radicalisation and violent extremism. In this field alone, IPS has collaborated on over 20 European projects and provided services to the European Commission (including the former Radicalisation Awareness Network and the new EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation), the Council of Europe, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and INTERPOL. The company’s training methods, courses, and materials have been piloted and fine-tuned by prison and probation professionals in over 30 countries.

This three-day event was designed to equip participants with the latest strategies, practical tools, and cross-border learning experiences to tackle radicalisation and violent extremism in correctional settings.

A comprehensive training approach

The training programme followed a ‘prison-exit continuum’ model, covering:

Understanding Radicalisation: Experts provided key foundational knowledge on radicalisation dynamics, with sessions on Islamist, right-wing, left-wing, and single-issue extremism.
Risk Screening and Assessment: Participants engaged in hands-on training with the RRAP ‘Radicalisation Risk Assessment in Prisons’ Toolset, learning how to apply frontline behavioural observation, helicopter-view assessments, and individual radicalisation screening techniques.
Rehabilitation Strategies: The final sessions explored rehabilitation-oriented practices, featuring methodologies such as the Hope Mentoring Approach, Change Talks, and the Tree of Life to enhance reintegration and prevent recidivism.

Expert-led sessions and practical exercises

The event was led by an international team of experts with extensive experience in radicalisation prevention, offender rehabilitation, and prison security.

Pedro Liberado, Chief Research Officer and Coordinator of the Radicalisation, Violent Extremism, and Organised Crime (RAD/VE & OC) Portfolio at IPS, introduced participants to key concepts and the current EU terrorism and trends’ state-of-play, radicalisation process explanatory theories, how to implement an assessment continuum approach, and how to signal behavioural observational changes that can represent the externalisation of cognitive radicalisation. Alongside him, Vânia Sampaio, Head of RAD/VE & OC’s Security & Criminal Justice Cooperation Unit, and Margarida Damas, Head of RAD/VE & OC’s Unit for Community Inclusion and Social Development, guided discussions on extremist typologies, non-stigmatising approaches, and rehabilitation practices.

Among the invited trainers was David Hansen, a leading researcher on prison radicalisation and extremism, whose work at the University College of Norwegian Correctional Service has shaped national counterterrorism strategies. Magdalena El-Ghamari, a professor and security studies expert from Poland’s War Studies University, brought her deep knowledge of extremist ideologies and P/CVE interventions, providing a critical perspective on radicalisation and extremism in Poland.

The training also benefited from the expertise of Ondřej Kolář, a researcher at the Police Academy of the Czech Republic and a specialist in extremist symbols and prison radicalisation; as well as Serge Lukacs, a trainer from the Belgian Prison Service, who shared practical insights from the Belgian experience in implementing the Frontline Behavioural Observation Guidelines. Vítor Costa, a professor and researcher at BSAFE Lab of the University of Beira Interior, further strengthened the programme in the introduction of the risk assessment tools to support screening and intervention, while demonstrating how can the Individual Radicalisation Screening (IRS) – through its VR-based training – be implemented in the prison, probation, and community settings with individuals following different ideologies.

A highlight of the event was the study visit to Carregueira Prison, facilitated through the long-standing cooperation between IPS_Innovative Prison Systems and the Portuguese Directorate General for Reintegration and Prison Services (DGRSP). During this 3.5 hour-long visit, Jorge Monteiro, DGRSP’s Head of Unit of the Centre for Studies, Research and Planning, explained DGRPS’s role, objectives and next steps, providing first-hand insights into prison-based intervention programmes and the daily challenges (and opportunities) faced by prison staff and the prison population.

Looking ahead

The event concluded with a reflection on future collaboration opportunities. Participants expressed strong interest in applying the acquired strategies within their institutions and fostering ongoing international cooperation.

IPS remains committed to advancing knowledge-sharing, professional training, and cross-border learning exchanges to strengthen the fight against radicalisation and violent extremism in prisons.

IPS extends its gratitude to all speakers, trainers, and participants for their engagement and contributions to making this event a success.