When conflicts threaten to escalate or a radicalisation process is imminent, situation-specific and context-specific, professional intervention measures are required. In addition to counselling and support services for relatives of extremist youth, Violence Prevention Network offers intervention services specifically tailored to the needs of prisoners. The intervention is based on group training lasting several months for extremists or ideologically motivated violent offenders. The measures combine political education work, anti-violence training as well as the processing/critical reflection of action, justification patterns and motives.
A successful intervention measure not only solves the current conflict, but also provides those involved with unprecedented communication, relationship and conflict resolution resources for independent participation in society without violence and prejudice. Since 2001, more than 1,300 juvenile violent offenders at risk of extremism have completed the evaluated programme, whose original target group (right-wing extremist violent offenders) was expanded in 2006 to include teenagers at risk of being influenced by Islamist extremism, and in 2011 to adult offenders with terrorist background.
In 2015, the BMFSJ commissioned Violence Prevention Network to develop structural measures for deradicalisation in correctional facilities. In partnership with the cooperating entities, Violence Prevention Network is coordinating the joint development of nationwide standards and quality criteria for radicalisation prevention and deradicalisation in correctional facilities and the probationary system.