A prison regime suitable for the proper detainment and rehabilitation of VETOs goes further than only deciding whether to concentrate VETOs in a specific wing, or dispersing them among the ‘regular’ prison population. But do they need special treatment? Member States have different approaches and most provide at least some special treatment for VETOs.As such, participants stressed that VETOs are ‘just’ prisoners, and that practitioners also need to treat them as such.

What is more, a well-managed prison system in which the conditions are good for all prisoners and staff is also good for VETOs.  The rehabilitation of VETOs can be based on existing rehabilitation programmes, potentially with additional elements tailored to the needs of the offender.

Specialised risk and needs assessment tools focused on detecting signs of radicalisation and can be very useful, helping prison staff to properly assess the situation. It is important to properly train prison staff to be able to handle VETOs and detect radicalised offenders early. Education should be both theoretical and practical and should continue throughout a staff member’s career – their knowledge should preferably be updated every few years.

Several Member States have positive experiences with prison guards who are coupled with a limited number of detainees they ‘mentor’. In their daily work, they are still responsible for managing a larger group, but they have a closer relationship with their mentees. This way, prison guards will be able to detect minor signs of (potential) radicalisation earlier and take appropriate measures.