Anti-radicalisation strategy lacks evidence base in science

Last updated: 03/09/16 12:37

We are concerned with the implementation of “radicalisation” policies within the UK Prevent strategy, internationally referred to as countering violence extremism. Tools that purport to have a psychology evidence base are being developed and placed under statutory duty while their “science” has not been subjected to proper scientific scrutiny or public critique.

Of particular concern is the Extremism Risk Guidance 22+ (ERG22+) framework that is being used as the basis for assessing risk of “radicalisation” and referral to the Channel programme. More than 500,000 public servants have been placed under a duty to implement the tool and several dozen children have been directly affected, through the courts, based on assessments using the tool. The impact is significant and cannot be emphasised enough.

We endorse the recent statement by the Royal College of Psychiatrists calling for publication of the ERG22+ study. We call on the Home Office to do so and further to invite debate by experts.

All those engaged in academic study should continue to serve the interests of society by remaining faithful to the ethical standards and science of their traditions. Where we play a role cooperatively with government policy, we should hold ourselves to the highest possible standards to ensure that we maintain the independence and transparency of our professions.

Signatures 

Signing with institution name is for identification purposes and not for institutional endorsement.

1. Karen Armstrong
2. Professor Marc Sageman
3. Professor Noam Chomsky Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4. Professor Humayun Ansari Royal Holloway, University of London
5. Professor David Miller University of Bath
6. Professor Arun Kundnani New York University
7. Professor Tariq Ramadan University of Oxford
8. Professor Tim Jacoby University of Manchester
9. Professor John L Esposito Georgetown University
10. Professor Catarina Kinnvall Lund University
11. Professor the Baroness Ruth Lister of Burtersett
12. Professor Andrew Samuels University of Essex
13. Professor David Whyte University of Liverpool
14. Professor Richard Jackson University of Otago
15. Professor Laleh Khalili School of Oriental and African Studies
16. Professor Adam Gearey Birkbeck College, University of London
17. Professor Vian Bakir Bangor University
18. Professor Ruth Blakeley University of Kent
19. Professor Robert Gleave University of Exeter
20. Professor Emeritus Philip G Cerny University of Manchester
21. Professor Piers Robinson University of Sheffield
22. Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya University of East London
23. Professor Vini Lander Edge Hill University
24. Professor Salman Sayyid University of Leeds
25. Professor Bill Bowering Birkbeck College, University of London
26. Professor Aziz Huq University of Chicago
27. Professor Jenny Hocking Monash University
28. Professor Eric Herring University of Bristol
29. Professor Julian Petley Brunel University, London
30. Professor Yasir Qadhi Rhodes College
31. Professor Raphael Salkie University of Brighton
32. Professor Jeremy Keenan Queen Mary University London
33. Professor Les Back Goldsmiths, University of London
34. Professor Robert W McChesney University of Illinois
35. Professor Stellan Vinthagen University of Massachusetts
36. Professor Susan Condor Loughborough University
37. Professor Dave Hill Anglia Ruskin University
38. Professor Edward S Herman University of Pennsylvania
39. Professor Elizabeth Shakman Hurd Northwestern University
40. Professor Bernadette Calafell University of Denver
41. Professor Barbara Harlow University of Texas, Austin
42. Professor Lara Deeb Scripps College
43. Professor Phillip Metres John Carroll University
44. Professor Ramon Grosfoguel University of California, Berkeley
45. Professor Khaled Beydoun University of Detroit, Mercy
46. Dr Tarak Barkawi London School of Economics and Political Science
47. Dr Narzanin Massoumi University of Liverpool
48. Professor Stephen Reicher University of St Andrews
49. Dr Leda Blackwood University of Bath
50. Dr Charles Figley Tulane University, New Orleans
51. Dr Bob Jeffery Sheffield Hallam University
52. Dr John Drury University of Sussex
53. Dr Alice LoCicero The Wright Institute
54. Dr Emma O’Dwyer Kingston University
55. Dr Shazad Amin Consultant psychiatrist, National Health Service
56. Dr Vivian L Vignoles University of Sussex
57. Dr Derek Summerfield Consultant psychiatrist
58. Dr Suman Fernando London Metropolitan University
59. Dr Sushrut Jadhav University College London
60. Dr Michael Gopfert University of Liverpool
61. Dr Rukyya Hassan University of Manchester
62. Dr Huseyin Cakal Keele University
63. Dr Winnifred Louis University of Queensland
64. Dr Philip Thomas Author and retired psychiatrist
65. Dr Lisa Hajjar University of California, Santa Barbara
66. Dr Nadine El-Enany Birkbeck College, University of London
67. Dr Charlotte Heath-Kelly University of Warwick
68. Dr Fahid Qureshi Canterbury Christchurch University
69. Dr Katy P Sian University of York
70. Dr Rizwaan Sabir Liverpool John Moores University
71. Dr Emma L Briant University of Sheffield
72. Dr Julia Welland University of Warwick
73. Dr Sadia Habib Goldsmiths, University of London
74. Dr Anisa Mustafa University of Nottingham
75. Dr Sarah Marusek Public Interest Investigations and Spinwatch
76. Dr Monish Bhatia Abertay University
77. Dr Paul-Francois Tremlett The Open University
78. Dr Heather Mendick Research consultant
79. Dr Jo Frankham Liverpool John Moores University
80. Dr Jane Essex Brunel University, London
81. Dr Abida Malik University of Nottingham
82. Dr William Jackson Liverpool John Moores University
83. Dr Jeffrey A Sluka Massey University, New Zealand
84. Dr Haitham al-Haddad Independent Scholar
85. Dr Feyzi Ismail School of Oriental and African Studies
86. Dr Fuad Ali University of East London
87. Dr Joseph Darlington Futureworks Media School (UCLan)
88. Dr Leena Robertson Middlesex University
89. Dr Steve Hanson Lecturer and writer
90. Dr Joanna Gilmore University of York
91. Dr Virinder S Kalra University of Manchester
92. Dr Jonathan Gilhooly University of Brighton
93. Dr Mark Carrigan University of Warwick
94. Dr Francis Farrell Edge Hill University
95. Dr Tina Managhan Oxford Brookes University
96. Dr Jeffrey Stevenson Murer University of St Andrews
97. Dr Tanzil Chowdhury University of Manchester
98. Dr Muhammad G Khan Ruskin College, Oxford
99. Dr Shamim Miah University of Huddersfield
100. Dr Vicky Duckworth Edge Hill University
101. Dr Louise Purbrick University of Brighton
102. Dr Emily Wykes University of Nottingham
103. Dr Rob Smith Birmingham City University
104. Dr Sivamohan Valluvan University of Manchester
105. Dr Heather Smith Newcastle University
106. Dr Patricia McManus University of Brighton
107. Dr Graham Smith University of Manchester
108. Dr Caroline Ruddell Brunel University London
109. Dr Carl Morris University of Central Lancashire
110. Dr Robin Dunford University of Brighton
111. Dr Shohini Chaudhuri University of Essex
112. Dr Necla Acik University of Manchester
113. Dr Bethan Harries University of Manchester
114. Dr Laia Becares University of Manchester
115. Dr Nadia Edmond School of Education
116. Dr Vicky Margree University of Brighton
117. Dr Doerthe Rosenow Oxford Brookes University
118. Dr Lesley Whitworth University of Brighton
119. Dr Les Levidow Open University
120. Dr Daniel Burrows University of Brighton
121. Dr George Tsekouras University of Brighton
122. Dr Paul Robert Gilbert University of Brighton
123. Dr Fatima Chrifi Alaoui San Francisco State University
124. Dr Nicole Tausch University of St Andrews
125. Dr Kesi Mahendran The Open University
126. Dr Hugh Middleton University of Nottingham
127. Dr Abayomi Al-Ameen Cardiff University
128. Dr Cüneyt Çakirlar Nottingham Trent University
129. Dr Thomas MacManus Queen Mary University London
130. Dr Lucy Ford Oxford Brookes University
131. Asim Qureshi Cage
132. Yahya Birt University of Leeds
133. Julie Ward MEP
134. Trevor MacFarlane Cultural Affairs, European Parliament
135. Hilary Aked University of Bath
136. Robin Richardson Insted
137. Bill Bolloten Education Not Surveillance
138. Liam McCann University of Lincoln
139. Phil Edwards Manchester Metropolitan University
140. Will McGowan University of Liverpool
141. Catherine Adams Nottingham Trent University
142. Milly Williamson Brunel University
143. Gary Riley-Jones Goldsmiths University of London
144. Dawud Walid Council of American-Islamic Relations, Michigan
145. Tait Coles Dixons ITT, Bradford
146. Jennifer Wates Retired policy analyst
147. Sarah Earnshaw Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
148. AbdoolKarim Vakil King’s College London
149. Haneen al Ghabra University of Denver
150. Ümit Yıldız Edge Hill University
151. Saira Weiner Liverpool John Moores University
152. Maggie Webster Edge Hill University
153. Karis Campion University of Manchester
154. Tom Hickey University of Brighton
155. Anne Mitchell Retired FE deputy principal
156. Lisa Redlinski College of Arts and Humanities, Brighton
157. Sam Cutting University of Brighton
158. Shaykh Abdalhaqq Bewley The Muslim Faculty of Advanced Studies
159. Dinah Rahman Imperial College London