The Ethics of Using Formers in Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism
Location
Littlefoot A Room 124A
Start Date
22-4-2023 1:00 PM
End Date
22-4-2023 2:15 PM
Publication Date
2023
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Law | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
After 9/11, the academic study of the terrorism flourished as more government resources were focused on counterterrorism efforts. As the focus slowly shifted towards P/CVE, more and more articles lauded the potential benefits of including Formers. The idea behind that was that experience equals expertise. Formers have been valuable data sources as research participants. However, the current trend has seen Formers leave that role and take on far more complicated and sophisticated roles, such as deradicalization experts, claiming to help people leave extremism. This policy paper focuses on the evidence, specifically the lack of evidence, to support the prevailing assumptions regarding the effectiveness of Formers and dissects the ethical issues arising from their involvement in P/CVE. The paper ends with policy recommendations to shift P/CVE activities and research towards a more empirically-grounded model and why the rise of the professional Former is unethical.
Description Format
html
Recommended Citation
Papatheodorou, Katerina, "The Ethics of Using Formers in Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism" (2023). International Conference on Hate Studies. 66.
https://repository.gonzaga.edu/icohs/2023/seventh/66
Full Text of Presentation
wf_no
Media Format
flash_audio
Session Title
The Experience of Hate Crime Survivors and the Ethics of Using Formers in Countering Extremism
Type
Panel
The Ethics of Using Formers in Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism
Littlefoot A Room 124A
After 9/11, the academic study of the terrorism flourished as more government resources were focused on counterterrorism efforts. As the focus slowly shifted towards P/CVE, more and more articles lauded the potential benefits of including Formers. The idea behind that was that experience equals expertise. Formers have been valuable data sources as research participants. However, the current trend has seen Formers leave that role and take on far more complicated and sophisticated roles, such as deradicalization experts, claiming to help people leave extremism. This policy paper focuses on the evidence, specifically the lack of evidence, to support the prevailing assumptions regarding the effectiveness of Formers and dissects the ethical issues arising from their involvement in P/CVE. The paper ends with policy recommendations to shift P/CVE activities and research towards a more empirically-grounded model and why the rise of the professional Former is unethical.