The ticking terror time bomb in our prisons

This week saw the publication of an independent review into multi-agency arrangements that manage terrorist offenders released into the community. The report was ordered by the Government following the horrific murders committed by released Islamist extremist, Usman Khan in November of last year who was at the time subject to these arrangements and had convinced professionals he had given up terror. It provided a golden opportunity for radical proposals to overhaul a plainly broken risk management system. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a swing and a miss.

Risk assessment and threat management of ideologically motivated offenders is perhaps one of the most challenging tasks for criminal justice professionals. At the outset of his review, Jonathan Hall QC, our independent reviewer of terrorism legislation acknowledges this fact and it should not be underplayed. The price for total protection from the risk posed by terrorists in custody and on release would be the destruction of the liberal democracy they are trying to bring down.