Prisons: Their Role in Creating and Containing Terrorists

Chapter summary

The chapter reviews literature on how prison structures may create terrorists and the various ways that terrorists are confined when in prison. Results suggest that while many prisoners convert to different religions in prison few go on to commit terrorist acts. Prison overcrowding and prison gangs may be associated with radicalization. Societal contexts affect prison structures and resulting prisoner behavior. A discussion of theoretical and methodological issues involved in prison radicalization studies is included.