Strengthening juvenile justice systems in the counter-terrorism context: capacity-building and peer learning among stakeholders

In this project, which was led by the Belgian organisation International Juvenile Justice Observatory, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR) acted as a national partner. Within the framework of this EU (DG justice) financed project, programs and measures for deradicalisation of juveniles within the juvenile justice sector – including programs for rehabilitation and resocialisation – have been identified and analysed. The focus was on measures to support juveniles who came in conflict with the law. Therefore the aim was to give these youths and young adults new future prospects after custody in order to show them ways besides their terroristic and/or extremist past. Alongside with the social reintegration within society, the overall objective was prevention and to protect young people in custody from radicalisation through other inmates. In particular there was a focus on programs which open up alternatives to imprisonment such as divisional measures.

The participating states identified, analysed and reported on their legal situation, programs and political measures and good-practice examples in the area of juvenile justice. In selected partner countries (Germany, Belgium and Netherlands) their good practice examples were presented and subsequently discussed in a two days seminar with the aim to analyse if and how these examples could be transferred to other countries. On the basis of these findings National Reports, including an Austrian National Report, a Regional Report (comparing the situation in six participating countries) and a White Paper on children’s rights in the context of violent extremism and terrorism were elaborated. These publications can be downloaded below. Furthermore an online community of practice on deradicalisation and measures have been developed. All reports can be found here.