Radicalisation still a threat in UK jails

The British government is still trying to get on top of the threat posed by so-called lone-wolf terrorist attacks and extremists in jail, it said.

Responding to questions in Parliament yesterday, Prisons Minister Lucy Frazer said the government trained 22 imams to run deradicalisation programmes for people in custody.

However, she said there needed to be more places in approved accommodation for those making the journey from prison back into society.

Ms Frazer said the government took the threat posed by terrorists seriously and pointed to an approach that included psychological, theological and mental-health interventions.

In the past eight months, three terrorist attacks in the UK were carried out by recently released prisoners.

After a stabbing in London in February by an extremist who left detention the month before, the UK brought in emergency legislation that scrapped the automatic early release of terrorist offenders halfway through their sentences. “We have 22 trained imams doing deradicalisation programmes in our prisons. But those aren’t just the measures that we are introducing,” Ms Frazer said in response to a question asking what improvements could be made to prevent such attacks.

“We have increased our training for prison and probation officers to deal with terrorism. We’re bringing in new national standards for managing terrorists on licence.

“We want more counterterrorism specialist staff and we want more places in approved premises as a transition from prison to the community.

“In addition, counterterrorism police funding is increased this year by £90 million [Dh413.4m],” she said. Under a new bill introduced by the government, people convicted of serious terrorism offences would spend at least 14 years in prison and be monitored for up to 25 years after their release.

Alex Cunningham, an MP for the opposition Labour Party, said there had been much discussion about “inadequate” deradicalisation programmes in jails and asked whether the government would undertake a serious review into them.

The shadow court and sentencing minister said more work would need to be done on the programmes if those convicted of terrorism offences were to spend longer in jail.

In response, Ms Frazer said: “We have increased the number of imams operating the deradicalisation programmes. We are looked at, and looked towards, by others internationally in relation to the programmes that we operate. Of course, we continually evaluate the programmes that we operate within our prisons.”

A report by the UK’s Commission for Countering Extremism released on July 9 found extremists had exploited the coronavirus pandemic to spread racist narratives through conspiracy theories.

We are looked at, and looked towards, by others internationally in relation to the programmes that we operate LUCY FRAZER Prisons Minister