“INTEGRA”: Radicalization Prevention project gets green light from the EU Silvia Bernardo July 27, 2017

The INTEGRA “Integrated Community, Probation and Prison Services Radicalization Prevention Approach” project has been announced to be supported by European Union funds until the year 2020.

INTEGRA is a far-reaching transnational project led by the University of Toulouse II (France) having IPS_Innovative Prison Systems (Portugal) as main concept designer and partner, along with the University of Brescia (Italy), CSD – Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria), KEMEA – Center for Security Studies (Greece), and lCPA – International Corrections and Prisons Association (The Netherlands).

This project strives to improve the transition process between prison and/or probation systems and the community for those at risk of radicalisation or who have been radicalized. Furthermore, it attempts to achieve its outcomes by promoting an holistic radicalisation prevention initiative, focusing on offenders’ skills development, and the competencies of front line staff and organisations.

Having a complementary approach to the existing R2PRIS and PRACTICIES projects, INTEGRA’s specific goals include the upscaling of practices and the understanding of their role in a holistic prevention of radicalisation and disengagement/de-radicalisation; the development of a skills-enhancement programme for frontline staff working with inmates throughout its transition back into society; the establishment of a local mentorship model to support ex-radicals and their families upon release; and the knowledge sharing and collaboration among the relevant authorities and organisations regarding people vulnerable to radicalisation or who have been radicalised, who are in prison and on their release.

With an overall budget of €424.019,00, the INTEGRA project has achieved the second best score in the very competitive 2017 call of the French Erasmus+ KA2 – Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices Strategic Partnerships for Adult Education, in which 60 projects were presented.

Associated partners of INTEGRA may include prison and probation systems and community organisations from the participating countries or other countries that may show interest to participate.