Probation services can play a very important role when it comes to the prevention of radicalisation. Through probation, convicted individuals can attend different programmes. Some countries, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden give cities an important role as coordinator in these multi-agency programmes.

With the PREPARE project Efus wants to develope an innovative multi-agency de-radicalisation, disengagement and rehabilitation programme that includes local authorities in the process. First of all, they will identify the needs in the field. This will help them with drawing up fitting recommendations for the local authorities. Efus wants to strengthen their capacities in working with multi-agency prevention of radicalisation projects and bring together European local authorities that are willing to address radicalisation through release and probation.

The three stages

The PREPARE project consists of three different stages:

The first stage will be the research stage. Efus and parner organisations will compile existing examples in Europe of multi-agency partnerships that involve local authorities. This first phase will allow to identify the different forms in which local authorities are involved in strategies to work with released inmates or individuals under probation throughout Europe, as well as to identify the main challenges and topics to be addressed during the project meetings that will follow.

The second stage will exist of four project meetings that are based on the research and the common thematic areas of interest that are identified with local authorities and experts. This second phase will enable partners, cities and experts to exchange and learn from concrete experiences related to PREPARE’s thematic field.

The third and final stage will exist of technical assistance and local activities. This stage runs parallel to the project meetings. Local authorities will be able to mobilise experts who will assist them in the development of activities in the field of de-radicalisation, disengagement and rehabilitation in release and probation scenarios. This third phase of project will be, as the rest of the activities, a tailored one, meaning that the content of the technical assistance and subsequently developed local activities will be defined according to the specific context of each recipient regarding issues of radicalisation (7 partner local and regional authorities), their specific needs and the activities they already develop to prevent radicalisation or de-radicalise.

Partners

PREPARE will gather two types of partners, expert organisations and local authorities:

● Local authorities: City of Malaga and Generalitat of Catalonia (Spain), Rotterdam and The Hague (Netherlands), Rennes and Bagnolet (France) and Vilvoorde (Belgium).

● Organisations: Violence Prevention Network and Denkzeit (Germany), Fryshuset (Sweden), European Forum for Restorative Justice (Belgium) and Fondation Agir Contre l’Exclusion (France)

The Confederation of European Probation is associated partner of the project.

The project will be completed in september 2019.