“People who have been convicted for terrorism, usually don’t relapse.”
Researchers on terrorism Bart Schuurman and Liesbeth van der Heide (Institute of Security and Global Affairs) studied the files of 159 persons convicted of terrorism in the Netherlands during 2012-2017. Their main question: how effective is the special reintegration project for this type of delinquents run by the Dutch National Probation Service?
Out of the 159 cases, roughly 4 per cent of the convicts relapsed: four convicts travelled to conflict areas and three convicts relapsed into criminal behaviour. In comparison: the average number of recidivists for all criminal offences is approximately 50 per cent.
The researchers confirmed that the approach by the special terrorism taskforce of the Dutch National Probation Service contributes to a low number of recidivists, but not without reservations. The number is based on a relatively short period of time. It is still unknown how many convicts will return to their old habits in the long run.
You can read the full article (in Dutch) on ‘EenVandaag’.