ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a theoretical construct around Violent Extremist Offender (VEO) management, by examining the inmate social system, inmate culture, offender adjustment, and how these relate to VEOs in various prison and jail populations. We emphasise that VEOs are no different to other offender cohorts, in that they must survive in, and respond to, the inmate cultures and prison environment in the correctional facility where they are housed. Regardless of the prison, all inmates face the immediate challenge of having to improve their personal safety and chances of survival during their term of incarceration. Inmates tend to respond to incarceration by developing adaptive solutions to regain or maintain personal integrity and to cope with the stressful conditions of imprisonment. In cases where the number of VEOs or the Muslim inmate population is small, inmates from these backgrounds may be forced to group with other non-Muslim groups to protect themselves from larger, more aggressive gangs. This usually involves the creation of new relationships, by bonding or grouping with like-minded prisoners, which often establishes regular patterns of new social interaction. From this new social interaction, inmates tend to develop similar social attitudes, values, loyalties and mutual interests. VEOs are not free from being affected by these new social interactions and, in most cases, prior loyalties, allegiances and friendships get disrupted.
