The Dutch reintegration project

This reintegration project is for offenders on probation or parole who were, or were suspected to be, involved in jihadist extremism or terrorism. The project aimed to reduce the chance of recidivism among these offenders through specialised re-socialisation and aftercare. It also aimed to expand the Dutch government’s ability to monitor offenders after their release from prison through mandatory oversight.

A small group of staff, trained as specialists in the reintegration of clients with a jihadist extremist background, assisted offenders with finding work, schooling, income, housing, debt relief, psychological problems and reconciliation with family members. Cognitive interventions were also carried out by external consultants which aimed to make offenders critically examine their world view.

Key takeaways

An evaluation of the project found:

• The assumption of the project that disengagement may be sufficient for successful reintegration was largely realistic
• However, the evaluators felt that the prison staff working on the project focused too much on the practical aspects of reintegration and too little on bringing about cognitive change
• There was a lack of integration between different aspects of the project.