The third installation of the Manchester Bombing Inquiry, that looked at Salman Abedi’s radicalisation, found that preventing extremist prisoners from radicalising people who visit them behind bars ‘cannot effectively be achieved’ under the current system. This builds on the findings of Jonathan Hall QC’s report into Terror laws in the UK which concluded prisons to be at particular risk from radicalisation. HJS investigations into materials being supplied to Prison Chaplaincies have since found that materials from a number of extremist organisations have been regularly provided to prisoners. Clearly, there is a significant problem here from a safeguarding and radicalisation perspective.

By kind invitation of Sir Robert Buckland MP, you are invited to join The Henry Jackson Society for an event that will explore the case of Salman Abedi, and also that of Usman Khan (the London Bridge attacker), to unpick the challenges facing prisons and the structural steps forward towards creating a more resilient prison system.

Steve Gallant is an inspirational figure who has dedicated himself to helping others on the path to rehabilitation. In August 2021, he was released early from a life sentence after receiving a Royal Prerogative of Mercy in recognition of his actions on London Bridge during a terrorist attack. He was subsequently awarded the Queen’s Gallantry Medal.

Since his release, Steve has been working for the Howard League for Penal Reform and is a co-founder of Own Merit CIC, a fledgling social enterprise that provides resettlement support for prison leavers. With his extensive experience of prison life and unique insights into the spread of extremism in prisons, Steve is an advocate for prison reform and strengthening the security framework of prisons. Steve’s book, The Road to London Bridge, is due for release in October 2023.

Jonathan Hall KC is an independent barrister who was appointed by the Home Secretary in 2019 as the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, and reappointed in 2022. As Independent Reviewer he has produced 4 annual reports on terrorism legislation (the most recent of which concentrates on online terrorism) and one on counter-terrorism sanctions, and commented widely on terrorism and law reform. Following the Fishmongers’ Hall attack, in 2020 he was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to report on the management of released terrorist offenders, and in 2021 he produced a standalone report on terrorism in prisons. His current annual report concerns Travel to Terror Zones, and he has recently published a paper on repatriation from Syria. All his reports and speeches are available on https://terrorismlegislationreviewer.independent.gov.uk and he tweets as @terrorwatchdog.

Charlotte Littlewood is a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. She is a PhD candidate in Arab and Islamic studies with the University of Exeter University. Her research focuses on minority within Muslim minority conflict in the UK, in particular the persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the extent to which the UK is able to support this community.

Charlotte started her career as a Prevent practitioner on behalf of the UK government, going on to be a Counter-Extremism Coordinator for an East London Borough. From this Charlotte went on to found her own community interest company with the aim of countering extremism and promoting equality. She developed and took projects that focused on women’s rights and tackling domestic violence to the West Bank, Palestine. Alongside this she consulted for Muslims Against Antisemitism, working towards greater tolerance and cohesion between communities in the UK.

Charlotte has a LLB in Law and MA in Security and Strategy.

This photo is a property of https://members.parliament.uk/member/4106/portrait

The Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC MP was Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice between July 2019 to September 2021. He was Secretary of State for Wales from July to October 2022, Minister of State for Prisons and Probation from May 2019 to July 2019 and Solicitor General from 2014 to 2019. He was elected The Conservate MP for South Swindon in 2010 and is a Senior Fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Centre for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School.

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EVENT SUMMARY

The Henry Jackson Society was pleased to host a discussion in the House of Commons on combating radicalisation within the UK’s prison system. Our panel was chaired by The Rt Hon Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC MP, and consisted of HJS’ research fellow Charlotte Littlewood along with Steve Gallant and Jonathan Hall KC, who offered their invaluable knowledge and experience of prison radicalisation. Charlotte Littlewood started the discussion by highlighting major recent developments in the UK, including the latest from the Manchester Bombing inquiry, the Prevent Review, and Collin Bloom’s report. Steve Gallant then provided an insight into his own experiences within prison and gave anecdotes detailing a growing presence of Islamist radicals who began to impose themselves on the other prisoners. He emphasised the limited presence of prison officers, and proposed that a failure in leadership from governors was partly responsible for the increasing radicalisation occuring inside prisons. Jonathan Hall KC explored instances where the government has been active in addressing this issue, including the streamlining of procedures to identify and separate radical individuals. He added that more still needs to be done in regards to officers receiving clear guidance and training to handle these issues. Sir Robert Buckland concluded by adding his thoughts based on his experience working with the prison system whilst in government.

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