EUTEx training

The EUTEx project developed the EUTEx framework - a new framework for the successful disengagement and better reintegration of terrorist, extremist and radicalised offenders in the area of right-wing and Islamist extremism, including returning foreign terrorist fighters and their families. This novel approach is now taught to practitioners working in the field:

Prison staff, particularly psychologists and social workers
Probation staff, particularly social workers
Staff members of community organisations, such as practitioners from non-governmental and civil society organisations who work with individuals in contact with the criminal justice system

The Problem

In their efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate violent extremist offenders (VEOs), prison and probation professionals encounter a myriad of practical challenges. Some of these challenges include, for example:

Identifying and working on the motivations that lead an individual to embrace violence for political or religious purposes
Addressing mental health issues related to radicalisation and the use of violence
Building a working alliance with such clients, after their first suspicions and concerns have been addressed
Generating the inner motivation for change that will lead them to initiate and maintain adherence during their rehabilitation
Adapting a number of cognitive behavioural therapy techniques to use in the rehabilitation of VEOs
Working with radicalised women and children associated with violent extremism
Including communities who are affected by this phenomenon into the solution

The Solution

In order to contribute to an adequate response to these challenges, the EUTEx course develops and reinforces specific and advanced competencies in European prison and probation professionals who work on the rehabilitation of jihadist and right-wing extremist offenders.

The three modules that make up the EUTEx course are specifically organised around three core axes:

Radicalisation and risk assessment
Rehabilitation and reintegration
Work with women, minors, and communities

With the intention of providing a comprehensive and well-rounded training, the EUTEx course adopts a competency-based approach that addresses the specific needs of professionals involved in rehabilitation and reintegration of this distinct inmate population. Therefore, it not only focuses on building a robust knowledge foundation, but also emphasises the cultivation of essential skills, and indirectly, the adoption of attitudes crucial for effectively working in this field.

Course Structure

The course has an online component and an offline, face-to-face component. In the virtual dimension of the course, learners access theoretical chapters through an electronic platform specifically developed for this course by several European professionals with extensive experience. The course benefits from a rich array of instructors who bring expertise from different fields (psychology, psychiatry, social work, criminology, political science, history, journalism). With instructors originating from diverse countries (Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Albania, Sweden, Portugal), the course ensures a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of violent extremism. It strives to capture the complex and ever-changing nature of this phenomenon in various national realities.

The acquisition of knowledge related to the course content is assessed at the end of each chapter through various exercises and tests. In this way, the course participant can see their progress. Furthermore, the in-person component of the course comprises three seminars and study visits, providing an opportunity to delve deeper into the topics covered in the online component. These sessions adopt a more practical approach, focusing on the development of skills and attitudes and the concrete use of methods. The course also includes the training in the use of the EUTEx risk and strength assessment tool (see more information below).

The course is taught in English. Each iteration of the course can accommodate a maximum of 25 students.

Training Modules

First Module - Radicalisation process & risk assessment

The online component of the course begins by establishing conceptual foundations around the phenomena of radicalisation, extremism, and terrorism. Then, the process of radicalisation is addressed, exploring the context in which it occurs, the motivations that lead to the use of violence for ideological purposes, and the needs that are often instrumentalised by recruiting agents or the role played by social ties. The relationship between mental health problems and radicalisation are also explored. Finally, the first module serves to familiarise students with the objectives and functions of the risk assessment tools, as well as to present the proprietary tool developed within the framework of EUTEx.

The first module is designed to include a face-to-face training environment for two days, and ideally study visits on a third day. In the 2023 edition of the course, the face-to-face sessions of the first module were held in Vienna and included a visit to the Josefstadt prison located in the city centre, as well as to the Ministry of Justice, where Austrian professionals working in assessment and rehabilitation presented the tools and programmes they implement.

The objectives of the face-to-face sessions in the first module are as follows:

To understand and differentiate the conceptual basis of radicalisation, extremism, and terrorism phenomena;
To consolidate and expand knowledge of the processes of radicalisation, considering their context, the motivations of individuals experiencing them, and how these are exploited by recruiters;
To explore the role of social connections in the processes of radicalisation leading to the support or use of violence, as well as the connection between radicalisation and mental health issues;
To review the main concepts of risk assessment in the field of radicalisation prevention and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) and understand their applicability in structuring rehabilitation efforts;
To comprehend the various dimensions and elements of the EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool;
To become familiar with the usage of the EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool.

Second Module - Key aspects of rehabilitation and reintegration

In the second module, the course provides knowledge and skills related to the particularities and specificities of dealing with cases of extremist prisoners in terms of building a working alliance, conducting motivational interviewing, and developing cognitive-behavioural therapy.

In the 2023 edition of the course, the face-to-face sessions of the second module were held in Stockholm and included a visit to the facilities of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service - Kriminalvården, where Swedish professionals working in rehabilitation and reintegration of extremist prisoners explained the cognitive-behavioural approach they apply in therapy with this type of inmate.

The aim of the face-to-face sessions in the second module is to apply practical concepts, tools and practical activities to foster the strategies of disengagement and reintegration. In the 2023 edition of the course, the following were the specific objectives of the face-to-face sessions:

To consolidate and expand knowledge related to the rehabilitation of violent extremist offenders, with a specific focus on disengagement and social stabilization;
To review and implement effective strategies for establishing working alliances with extremist offenders in the context of disengagement and reintegration;
To gain an understanding of how cognitive behavioural therapy is utilized for the purposes of rehabilitation and reintegration;
To familiarize oneself with the main components of the Entré Programme, which serves as an exit program for the Swedish Prison and Probation Service;
To comprehend the effective application of motivational interviews as a rehabilitative method for reintegration with violent extremist offenders.

Third Module - Working with women & children

The third module allows professionals to take into consideration other relevant aspects of working with extremist clients. In particular, the specificities of working with women and minors associated with violent extremism are addressed, specifically with regard to risk detection, disengagement, and reintegration. The module also focuses on working with local communities concerned by this issue.

In the 2023 edition of the course, the face-to-face sessions of the third module were held in Tirana (Albania). During the practical sessions, participants worked specifically on some techniques relevant to the work with women and children associated with violent extremism, including genograms, family maps, timelines, sculptures (family board with wooden figures / Playmobil figures), and resource teams. During the study visit, participants had the opportunity to learn first-hand about the work of Albanian civil society organisations in the field of rehabilitation and reintegration with individuals and communities affected by extremism.

The objectives of the face-to-face sessions in the third module are as follows:

To help participants understand the importance of community engagement in the reintegration process of returnees and former extremist offenders;
To assist participants in consolidating their knowledge on how to empower and cooperate with communities in the context of disengagement and reintegration;
To understand the specificities of women’s radicalisation and disengagement pathways and the role of children;
To familiarise participants with specific methods for the work with women for the purposes of rehabilitation and reintegration;
To familiarise participants with approaches that include the role of children in the rehabilitation and reintegration of adults.

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EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool

The Tool

The new EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool is an individual assessment tool. It aims to evaluate individuals’ degree of radicalisation and the influence of individual strengths on potential rehabilitation and reintegration measures, and considers the influence of contextual factors related to the individual per se (micro level) and to an individual's social environment (macro level). Amongst these, the model considers the impact of static and dynamic factors that can contribute to the individual’s rehabilitation.

The EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool follows a so-called Structured Professional Judgement (SPJ) approach. It represents a structured process to assist practitioners in making a twofold assessment:

Which and to which extent have static risk items (on a micro level) and dynamic risk items (micro and meso level) contributed to individuals’ radicalisation?
And, (in)dependently on the risk score: How can these (if any) reduce each risk item and to which extent can they predict a full or partial impact in risk reduction?

Although it uses numerical values throughout the whole assessment, the new tool gives the practitioner the lead role in deciding not only about the presence of risk and strength items but also how (and to which extent) these can influence the individual, besides the importance that should be given to each item. Therefore, the EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool should not be confused with an actuarial tool.

The tool comprises 39 risk items across seven dimensions, which can be separated according to their typology:

Static: History and capability (six items)

Dynamic:
- Motivation (seven items)
- Psychological environment (three items)
- Indoctrination and world view (five items)
- Networks (five items)
- In-group identification and perceived superiority (five items)
- Intention to act (eight items)

In addition to the risk items, the EUTEx Tool includes 20 strength items, which can (potentially) reduce each risk item to a certain extent (i.e., predicted full or partial impact in risk reduction).

The EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool follows an action-centred approach. Thus, the assessment’s risk score phrasing focuses on ‘what should be done’ (i.e., keep attentive, monitor, act) instead of a label/categorisation-approach (i.e., low risk, moderate risk, high risk).

By aggregating dimensions according to their context (micro vs meso) or type (static vs dynamic), the EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool allows practitioners to understand which sets of dimensions are posing an increased risk or, on the other hand, which strengths have potential to be used to structure rehabilitation efforts.

In addition, by enabling an assessment per dimension, practitioners may opt to draw intervention plans based on a set of items (per dimension) or dimensions (according to their context – micro vs meso; according to their type – static vs dynamic), and not based on an overall global risk level.

The Target Group

The EUTEx Risk & Strength Assessment Tool is targeted to be used by trained and certified professionals that received the necessary theoretical and practical training and, therefore, are fully aware of its application realm, strengths, and weaknesses. Preferably, trainees should have a degree in social, medical, or behavioural sciences, as well as previous experience with forensic populations (e.g., psychologists, social workers, probation officers). To avoid the misuse of this tool, inferences from the evaluator should be kept at minimum levels, giving priority to manifest data. The administration, scoring, and interpretation of the instrument by non-certified professionals are forbidden.

The target group under assessment are individuals who may be or have been sentenced for terrorism- or violent extremism-related offences, therefore being in prison, on probation, or accompanied by non-governmental or civil-society organisations.