The prevention of jihadist radicalisation in prison in Italy

Dr. Alessandro Negri
Università degli Studi di Milano

Moderation: Dr. Burkhard Hasenpusch
DPT - Deutscher Präventionstag gGmbH

Abstract:
Faith always constitutes an essential aspect of prison life and its relevance in the European scenario has been emphasised in recent times because of the religious pluralism that characterises the current prison population. In this context, the rise of jihadist terrorism has shed light on the problem of radicalisation in prison, already known and studied by the experts, which poses new challenges for policymakers, prison staff, and detainees. In Italy, Prison Administration has been focused on religious freedom, its boundaries and its relationship with religious extremism and has already adopted some measures to combat and monitor jihadist proselitism in Italian prisons. The lecture will provide an overview of these anti-radicalisation strategies in prisons, highlighting unresolved issues. In particular, these include the lack of an integrated plan with regards to prevention of radicalisation and de-radicalisation, not limited by the prison context. The lecture will further highlight the challenges in devising policies that address security concerns without sacrificing religious freedom and diversity, as provided for by the Italian Constitution.
Dr. Alessandro Negri
Dr. Alessandro Negri

In 2015 I graduated in Law at University of Milan, with a final mark of 110/110 with laude: my thesis was entitled "Sharia Courts. Islamic Tribunals in UK" and my supervisor was Prof. Fabio Basile, full professor of Criminal Law. In March 2015 I visited Islamic Sharia Council in Leyton, London.
After graduation, I immediately started my legal training in "Studio legale Saponara e Nardo", a well-established law firm specialized in criminal law (in particular, white collar crimes) in Milan. During that period, which lasted almost 2 entire years, I acquired the skills that helped me pass the bar exam in November 2018.
Nevertheless, I continued to develop my interest in relationship between law and religion, particularly Islam, in Europe. So, completed my legal training, in 2017 I applied for a Ph.D. position at University of Milan in Ecclesiastical and Canon Law and I obtained a student grant: my research project is entitled “Jihadist radicalisation in prison. Counter-terrorism strategies between secularism and religious freedom”.
During my first Ph.D. year, I already gave some lectures, in particular about cultural crimes, Sharia courts and Constitutional principles of Ecclesiastical Law, and focused on "Simurgh"project: a project led by University of Milan which aims to know and manage religious pluralism in Lombard prisons.


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Datei (PDF, 392 KB) English
21. Mai 2019
09:00 - 09:45 Uhr
Internationales Forum
Raum: Raum Paris
Raum Paris