Risk assessment tools against violent extremism : a valuable addition to Norway`s toolkit?

Abstract

Norway do not use risk assessment tools for violent extremism. What Norway use instead are a set of programs that aid to deradicalize people in prisons. While these programs work to deradicalize prisoners, they do not aid in finding and analyzing how great of a risk these people are at committing violent acts of extremism. This master thesis aim to finding out if implementing a risk assessment tool will benefit Norway and their deradicalization program. By using method triangulation, this master thesis was able to find data that will support the argument that adopting a risk assessment tool will aid the programs that Norwegian prisons systems use to deradicalize their inmates. Interviews and literature show that the program already being used, do not show if the prisoner actually have been deradicalized. By using an SPJ tool that use a form of interview to analyze just how radical a person is, will aid the deradicalization program. Based upon findings, this author will argue that adopting a risk assessment tool, and more specifically the VERA 2R tool, will benefits Norway`s counter terror work. The tool on its own do nothing to deradicalize but used together with a deradicalization program such as the mentor program, the risk assessment tool can more accurately analyze the effectiveness of deradicalization.