Addressing Violent Radicalisation and Extremism: A Restorative Justice & Psychosocial Approach
Theo Gavrielides (2025) New York: Springer
Book's impetus & innovation
This groundbreaking book revisits the current model for preventing and controlling violent radicalisation and extremism. It proposes a new, evidence-based model, using restorative justice and positive psychology.
Using data collected through six international projects and pilots in several countries from 2017 to 2023, it presents the results of these pilots and recommends best practices that adopt successful and positive models for the prevention and control of extremist and hate attitudes. This book speaks to researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and human rights campaigners from around the world looking for a new approach that can better serve harmed parties, their families, and communities.
Table of contents
The book is structured around three parts. Part I aims to present the normative and philosophical framework within which the book’s objectives are found. Here, the failure of the current punitive model is exposed while the tools and ethos of restorative justice and positive psychology are critically analysed. Furthermore, Part I puts the book within the context of the power that influences world politics, crime prevention and control.
Part II is exclusively based on new, original data collected through six case studies and fieldwork. These international case studies act as pilots that used Gavrielides work and his RJiNEARJ positive model of building resilience against violent radicalisation and extremism.
Part III combines the normative and empirical approaches of the previous parts to achieve two objectives. First, it identifies the gaps and next steps for research, policy and practice, while producing two different practical guides for researchers and policy makers working in the prevention and control of violent radicalisation and extremism. Second, it encourages the reader to attempt a self-reflection by awakening feelings of responsibility, and by raising awareness of the role that we all have in accepting the powers that control the status quo that feeds into the divisive narratives that lead to inequality and injustices.
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To find out more about Gavrielides' work in this area follow the link
Preface: Written by a leading expert in the field (TBC)
Introduction & book’s impetus​
PART I: Setting and reviewing the foundations
Chapter 1: New wine in old wineskins and a new way forward
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Chapter 2: Positive Psychology and Restorative Justice for violent radicalisation and extremism
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Chapter 3: The RJiNEAR model of resilience – theory and practice
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Chapter 4: Power, inequality and injustice – finding the terrorist from within
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PART II: Evidence-driven practice: Case studies from across the world
Chapter 5: The Youth Empowerment and Innovation Project: Comparative findings from the pilots in the UK, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Sweden, Romania and Portugal.
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Chapter 6: Comparative findings from the Human Rights and Prevention of Violent Extremism project in Indonesia
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Chapter 7: The My Voice, My Future Project: Findings from the pilots in the UK, Southwark – London.
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Chapter 8: Findings from the RJ4All Youth Clubs+ programme
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Chapter 9: The Restorative Dialogue against Violent Radicalisation (RDaVR) project: Comparative findings from the pilots in Turkey, Spain, the UK, Romania, Ireland and Italy.
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Chapter 10: The Mobilising against Extremism through countering and diverting radicalisation of young people project (RADEX): Comparative findings from Germany, Cyprus, the UK, Greece, Belgium and France.
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PART III: New directions in research, policy & practice
Chapter 11: Gaps, next steps and a guide for research
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Chapter 12: Gaps, next steps and a guide for policy and practice
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Epilogue: Awakening the terrorist within​​
