Desistance, disengagement and deradicalization : how the research on quitting crime can inform the study of leaving violent extremism behind

Thus far, debates surrounding the subject of renouncing violent extremism have generally produced more heat than light. By contrast, desisting from crime, a process that is in many ways kindred to that of ending one’s involvement in violent extremist activities, is the subject of a much more mature research tradition. However, while the theoretical distance between both phenomena is fairly minimal, there have been few attempts to connect these two research domains in a systematic way. In this context, the present paper intends to trace the outlines of both bodies of knowledge, thereby effectively juxtaposing the cumulative insights on desistance from crime with the current academic work on giving up violent extremism. Drawing comparisons between these processes, then, should inform us on what aspects desisting violent extremist offenders might differ from or, alternatively, conform with their criminal counterparts. Tracking these theoretical similarities and differences most certainly bears implications for how the process of violent extremist discontinuation is to be understood and, ultimately, for how we should deal with this offender population.

Publication year:2019

Accessibility:Open