ABSTRACT
The risk assessment of individuals who are convicted of terrorist and violent extremist offences is of increasing importance to corrections officials worldwide. Terrorists and other perpetrators of ideological violence are normal individuals who have conscious control of their actions. A terrorist incident is a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, in violation of the criminal laws of the United States, or of any state, to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. The violent extremist risk assessment (VERA-2) indicators are categorized into five domains: beliefs and attitudes, context and intent, history and capability, commitment and motivation and protective items. This provides for ongoing assessment of individual dynamic risk factors which include the response of the offender to the ongoing influence and association with other convicted terrorists, and exposure for many for the first time to a high-security prison environment.
