EXchange Brandenburg

Exchange Brandenburg is a joint project of Violence Prevention Network (VPN) with cultures interactive e.V. (CI). The project is carried out in Brandenburg prisons or in pre-detention areas.

Output: With the growing number of ideologically based criminal and violent acts, increasing imprisonment of corresponding perpetrators is to be expected. When dealing with people who display an affinity for extreme ideologies, a professional attitude and overt distancing from the ideologies they favor are indispensable. Therefore, offers for prevention and intervention as well as further training for employees of the penal system and the probation service are required.

The model project includes a comprehensive package of measures within the framework of possibilities, to react to cases of radicalization risk or radicalization in the correctional system in a demand-oriented and timely manner. EXchange Brandenburg provides the following measures in regards to this:

• Prevention (biography workshops/ youth-cultural-creative identity workshops for persons with affinity to extremist ideologies),
• Cross-phenomenon intervention/deradicalization/exit work in group and individual settings and
• Training for professionals and other multipliers in the penal system and probation services.

The "biography workshops"/"identity workshops" enable the processing of life-historical as well as socio-political topics, so that links between biographical and current political issues are established.

EXchange Brandenburg uses methodological synergies with federal model projects currently being carried out by CI, in particular with the procedures of the "We-among-us group" in the federal model project DisTanZ (Thuringia). This is also based on narrative biography, and the "narrative dialogue groups" in schools and youth clubs in the federal model project Fair*in. Further methodological synergies exist with CI's pedagogical-scientific monitoring of the Austrian government's pilot project on "Exiting Violent Extremism."

EXchange Brandenburg's group and individual training sessions are aimed at radicalized detainees and probationary service clients who are in the process of becoming radicalized. Methodologically and in terms of content, the design of the intervention or deradicalization process depends on the degree of radicalization.

Recognizing radicalization processes in prison and probation services

The training courses enable multipliers to recognize radicalization processes, to find a professional method of dealing with ideologized offenders and, if necessary, to call in external, specifically trained personnel for help.

To achieve the main objectives, the following goals of action are in the making:

• conduct biography workshops/young cultural identity reflection with at-risk detainees
• comprehensive case assessment and diagnostics in suspected cases of radicalization (as needed)
• implementation of specific group and individual trainings with ideologized persons in detention
• further training for professionals and multipliers in the field of detention and pre-detention
• demand-oriented consulting of prisons in dealing with ideologized prisoners

The following effects are to be achieved:

• Through the specific offers and trainings, ideologized thought patterns of offenders at risk of radicalization/radicalized offenders are questioned, changed or discarded. Empathy and tolerance are strengthened.
• The changed mindset also affects the target group's actions: Discrimination based on ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender role understanding or religious affiliation as well as violent actions in the penal system is reduced
• Prevention/intervention in the radicalization process and the interruption of the violent career significantly improves the living situation of the target group: In the short term, prison sentences can be reduced, and in the long term, new life perspectives and (professional) opportunities can result from leaving extremist scenes and groups.
• Recidivism rates of the target group are reduced, the re-integration of offenders is promoted and future ideologically motivated criminal and violent acts are avoided.
• In relation to the multipliers, this results in increased behavioral security in dealing with persons at risk of radicalization and radicalized persons.

Project duration

2017 - 2024