Reveals the key to reducing prison radicalisation

New research from The ANU shows people imprisoned on terrorism offences stand a better chance of being rehabilitated when placed in general prison populations, than when kept in isolation or in a separate location with other terrorists. The study, which primarily looked at inmates in Philippine prisons over a 10-year period, challenges the traditional view that violent extremist offenders will spread their radical ideology amongst other prisoners. Researchers Dr Clarke Jones of the ANU Research School of Psychology and Dr Raymund Narag said the study conducted a comparison between incarcerated terrorists dispersed within the general prison populations versus those isolated and segregated. "We found when inmates interact with other inmate cohorts, you get a change of beliefs and sometimes behaviours over time," Dr Jones said. "If you isolate inmates and keep them together in their cohorts, they enhance their attitudes and come out worse." While policy differs from country to country and state to state, Dr Jones said many Australian states choose to keep terror offenders separated from general prison populations, in facilities such as the NSW Goulburn Correctional Centre known as the 'Supermax'. The study also showed conditions within a prison played a strong role in a terror offender's chance of rehabilitation. "The results showed the harsher the environment, the greater the chance of prison radicalisation, and the less chance of rehabilitation," he said.