Facts and Fictions About Islam in Prison: Assessing Prisoner Radicalization in Post-9/11 America

Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, January 2013

56 Pages Posted: 25 Jan 2013 Last revised: 2 Sep 2014

See all articles by SpearIt

SpearIt

University of Pittsburgh - School of Law

Date Written: January 24, 2013

Abstract

This report assesses the radicalization of Muslim prisoners in post-9/11 America. In the last decade, Muslim prisoners have been scrutinized for ties to terrorist and other extremist organizations, not to mention characterized as both a “threat” and a “danger” to national security, due to the influence of foreign jihadist movements. However, closer scrutiny shows that these fears have failed to materialize — indeed, despite the existence of an estimated 350,000 Muslim prisoners, there is little evidence of widespread radicalization or successful foreign recruitment, and only one documented case of prison-based terrorist activity. Nonetheless, some prison systems have implemented an aggressive posture toward these inmates and have made suppressive tactics their bedrock policy. This approach unfortunately overlooks Islam’s long history of positive influence on prisoners, including supporting inmate rehabilitation for decades. Moreover, Muslim inmates have a long history of using the court system to establish and expand their rights to worship and improve their conditions of confinement. Hence, a closer look at “life on the ground” turns the prevailing discourse on its head by demonstrating that Islam generally brings peace to inmates and that the greatest “threat” posed by Muslim inmates is not violence, but lawsuits.

Keywords: Islam, Prisons, Radicalization, Policy, Re-entry, Rehabilitation

Suggested Citation

SpearIt, Facts and Fictions About Islam in Prison: Assessing Prisoner Radicalization in Post-9/11 America (January 24, 2013). Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, January 2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2206583

SpearIt (Contact Author)

University of Pittsburgh - School of Law ( email )

3900 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
United States

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