Root Cause Approach to Prisoner Radicalisation

Abstract

Prison radicalisation in Australia has become a key focal point for the subject literature on radicalisation. However, while attention has been directed at identifying and apprehending violent extremists, less consideration has been given to what could be done with these people when convicted. This paper applies the root cause model to prisoner radicalisation to investigate the environmental, social and individual influences that contribute to radicalisation in prisons. This examination took a holistic view of the prison radicalisation process that is based on causal factors rather than the traditional phase model approach. It is argued that this is an important step in gaining an understanding of the interplay of influences in the prison radicalisation process. It is posited that once such an understanding is gained, it is more likely that effective disruption of the radicalisation process can occur.