Publications

Radicalisation and propensity to violence in right-wing extremist and Islamist circles pose a direct threat to public safety and the free democratic basic order in Germany. State intervention alone through criminal prosecution or surveillance is insufficient to ensure long-term disengagement from extremist circles.
Germany has an internationally unique model of cooperation: civil society expertise is systematically linked to state security practices. Advisers working in the field of disengagement and exit programmes offer authentic and low-threshold access and build stable working relationships with clients. Security authorities ensure that measures are taken in accordance with the rule of law, that risk assessments are carried out and that access to persons posing a threat is provided. Close cooperation enables early detection of risks, targeted interventions and sustainable exits – thereby preventing crime in the long term, enabling social (re)integration and making efficient use of social resources.

This policy paper advocates for the preservation and further expansion of cooperation structures between civil society and government actors in disengagement and exit work. It highlights the opportunities offered by cooperative approaches, identifies conditions for successful cooperation and formulates recommendations for action for prevention actors and political decision-makers. Particularly when working with non-intrinsically motivated, dangerous extremists, it is important to build on existing successful multi-agency formats and procedures and to transfer viable structures.