COUNTERTERRORISMLived Experiences of Contact with Counter-Terrorism Policies and Practices
Actions taken by the U.K. authorities to prevent terrorism range from preventive action to counter radicalization to arrest and imprisonment for counter-terrorism offences. These activities are supported by counter-terrorism legislation, including the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. A new report explores empirical evidence relating to lived experiences of contact with counter-terrorism measures in the U.K.
A new CREST report, or “guide,” as the authors prefer to call it, explores empirical evidence relating to lived experiences of contact with counter-terrorism measures in the UK. Here are the guide’s “Introduction” and “Executive Summary”:
Introduction
The UK’s CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy consists of four workstreams: Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare. Activities related to these different workstreams – ranging from preventive action to counter radicalization, through to arrest and imprisonment for counter-terrorism offences – are supported by counter-terrorism legislation, including the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. These activities, and the legislation that supports them, may impact the public in different ways. Understanding how counter-terrorism measures impact the public is crucial to understanding their effectiveness.
By examining public experiences of different counterterrorism measures, policymakers and researchers will be able to identify whether these measures are delivering their intended effects, but also if they are producing any unintended, harmful, or counterproductive, effects. This guide reviews empirical research on how different elements of counterterrorism policy are experienced and perceived by those that come into contact with them, and outlines the implications of this research for those designing, delivering, and evaluating counter-terrorism measures
Executive Summary
This guide explores empirical evidence relating to lived experiences of contact with counter-terrorism measures in the UK. It updates a previous CREST guide examining public experiences of the UK counter-terrorism system (Lewis & Marsden, 2020) and focuses on research published since 2020 (i.e., since the previous guide was published). This guide identifies the key findings from contemporary research; discusses how this research aligns with the conclusions of the previous guide; and discusses the key implications of these findings for research, policy and practice. By examining the different ways in which individuals and communities might experience the counter-terrorism system, the authors highlight the importance of policymakers considering both the intended and (potential) unintended effects of different approaches when designing and evaluating different counter-terrorism measures.
