Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

By Jerome P. Bjelopera and Mark A. Randol
Congressional Research Service
December 7, 2010

Others are quick to point out, however, that while conversion to Islam and radicalization occur among incarcerated populations, the jump to terrorist plotting in the United States is rare.102 This is at least partly due to prison officials’ efforts to counter jailhouse jihadism, according to a study involving interviews with 210 prison officials and 270 inmates mostly from state correctional systems. 103 The Federal Bureau of Prisons acknowledges the possibility of inmate radicalization but “do[es] not believe that there is widespread terrorist-inspired radicalization or recruiting in federal prisons,” where between 5% and 6% of prisoners identify as Muslims.104Based on CRS analysis of the 43 violent jihadist plots and attacks since 9/11, only one involved radicalization in prison. A study of 117 homegrown jihadist terrorists from the United States and United Kingdom found only seven cases in which prison had a significant impact on an individual’s radicalization process.105

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Outreach may be most effective when U.S. Muslim communities initiate it and communitygovernment contact revolves around countering the extremist messages popular among homegrown violent jihadists.268 Marc Sageman suggests it would be more appropriate for local authorities, such as a mayor’s office, to perform the engagement role because they know these communities better than federal officials. An important role at the federal level is to lead efforts to combat discrimination against Muslim-Americans,269 an activity in which the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice is currently engaged.270

102 Brandon, “The Danger of Prison,” p. 4; Mark S. Hamm, “Prisoner Radicalization: Assessing the Threat in U.S. Correctional Institutions,” National Institute of Justice Journal, no. 261 (October 2008), p. 18, http://www.ncjrs.gov/ pdffiles1/nij/224085.pdf.

103 Bert Useem and Obie Clayton, “Radicalization of U.S. Prisoners,” Criminology & Public Policy, vol. 8, no. 3 (August 2009), pp. 586-587, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2009.00574.x/pdf. Hereafter: Useem and Clayton, “Radicalization of U.S. Prisoners.”

104 Gary Fields and Suzanne Sataline, “Bomb Case Raises Issue of Islam in Jails,” The Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2009; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124303841574048865.html.

105 Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Laura Grossman, Homegrown Terrorists in the U.S. and U.K.: An Empirical Examination of the Radicalization Process, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Center for Terrorism Research, Washington, DC, April 2009, pp. 14-15, http://www.defenddemocracy.org/downloads/ HomegrownTerrorists_USandUK.pdf. Hereafter: Gartenstein-Ross and Grossman, Homegrown Terrorists in the U.S. and U.K.

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269 Discussion with CRS, April 7, 2010.

270 DOJ Civil Rights Division, “Initiative to Combat Post-9/11 Discriminatory Backlash,” July 25, 2008, http://www.justice.gov/crt/legalinfo/nordwg_mission.php.

See the full report here.