Understanding Reintegration Experiences of Youth Returning from Terrorist Groups Through the Lens of "Guilt"

• In Event: EXTR7 Crime-terror nexus and terrorist networks

Abstract

The working paper is an ongoing research and draws from previous publications of the author, exploring holistically the experiences of youth who have previously been associated with armed groups and terrorist groups, and are returning to civilian lives. In doing so, it explores the concept of guilt in shaping post-return reintegration experiences from the perspective of individual, institutional and community perceptions.
Guided by Agnew’s General Strain theory on Terrorism, the paper highlights an inverse relationship between individual guilt and young returnees’ perception of strain or victimization, including but not limited to material deprivation, exposure to high degree of harm and the inability to achieve certain goals through legitimate means. Socially, young returnees’ guilt is contingent upon a range of factors such as community’s own acceptance of the terrorist group, or community proximity to either the group membership (greater acceptance) or to experiences of loss or insecurity caused by the group (greater distance). Finally, mechanisms such as blanket amnesties, peace agreements and deradicalization programmes superimpose institutional labeling of guilt depending on the young returnees’ participation to, and avoidance from, these processes, without adequate reference to individual experiences.
The research is presently set in Colombia, but shall make comparisons with other contexts with similar reference to youth reintegration.

Author

• Arpita Mitra, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam