A new guide released today will help prison authorities manage violent extremist offenders.
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs David Coleman said the Compendium of Good Practices in the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders will assist corrections officers identify and address radicalisation and recruitment to violent extremism in prisons.
"The Compendium is an important resource that will assist managers in correctional services around Australia, and amongst our global partners, to make informed decisions on rehabilitation and reintegration options for convicted terrorists," Mr Coleman said.
"In July last year, Australia came together at the Five Country Ministerial with Canada,
New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States to reaffirm our commitment to work together to counter the spread of violent extremists.
"This includes the challenge posed by individuals incarcerated for terrorism related offences."
As part of that commitment, the Australian Government worked with the Global Center on Cooperative Security to produce the Compendium of Good Practices in the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders.
"We know that the prison environment can be a potential breeding ground for radicalisation and violent extremism, especially as we face growing numbers of extremist offenders across the prison network," Mr Coleman said.
"That is why this guide is so important. Being able to spot extremist behaviours early is critical in being able to manage and rehabilitate high-risk and terrorist offenders within prisons.
The Compendium complements other support the Australian Government provides to the States and Territories to address the issue of radicalisation in prisons.
"We have supported the States and Territories to address this issue in a number of ways, for example through rolling out training for frontline corrections officers to recognise and respond to radicalisation," Mr Coleman said.
"As we know not every offender will be rehabilitated, the Australian Government has also passed legislation establishing a post-sentence preventative detention regime for high risk terrorist offenders who continue to pose an unacceptable risk to community safety if released."
The Compendium is published as a Global Center on Cooperative Security (GCCS) product, available here: http://veocompendium.org/.
