In the previous article, we established that Rehabilitation and Reintegration are essential elements in disrupting deradicalisation and even violence. Once done, this will open the door to positive peace. This article will discuss strategies for determining effective Rehabilitation and Reintegration processes.
Key Strategies
The first strategy is to enhance communication and collaboration among institutions to create networks among law enforcement, experts and mentors, social services, NGOs and civil society organisations, and other community support and resources (Lowry, Shaikh, and Lewis, 2024). These actors are the spearheads in deradicalisation, and they must work harmoniously.
Law enforcement must be strengthened. Jailers are not enough. We must have Probation and Parole Officers skilled in interviewing offenders, building rapport, analysing and assessing offenders’ behaviours, and providing services to them. These Probation and Parole Officers are responsible for the disengagement process in which offenders withdraw from contacts and activities related to extreme ideology (Lowry, 2018).
During deradicalisation, offenders must be accompanied by experts who will provide them with physical and psychological treatments. Mentors are needed to guide offenders and often as “friends” whom they can turn to. Social services, NGOs, and civil society organisations help prepare offenders to reintegrate. They achieve this by assessing the community into which offenders will be reintegrated and planning, implementing, supporting, monitoring, and evaluating the process. Community support, aka trust, is shown through the willingness to accept offenders to be part of the community again and by assisting or collaborating in their new lives.
To ensure success, these individuals must undergo training and receive continuous education on extremist ideologies and radicalisation. Their competencies must also be standardised so there will be an unnecessary gap among them when treating offenders.
The second strategy is to combine the work done by law enforcement (counterterrorism units, courts, Probation and Parole Officers), practitioners (experts, mentors, NGOs, civil society organisations), communities, and researchers and academicians to develop best practices (Lowry, Shaikh, and Lewis, 2024). That being said, coordination among these actors is non-negotiable.
The last strategy is to ensure sufficient budgetary resources and staff at all appropriate levels (Lowry, Shaikh, and Lewis, 2024). All deradicalisation activities must be done correctly. The spearheads must have specific knowledge and skills, including education and training. The data-gathering process and data analysis need advanced technology—daily operations in the penitentiary call for adequate logistics and staff. On top of that, once rehabilitated, ex-offenders would need financial assistance for Reintegration.
Success Stories
Success stories come from two ex-terrorists: Toni Togar and Marwan, aka Wak Geng. Toni Togar was part of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and was responsible for a church bombing, several assassination attempts on local priests, and a fa’i robbery in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Toni Togar was associated with Imam Samudra and Hambali, two notorious terrorists. He was captured in 2003 and sentenced to 26 years in prison. He was released in 2015 after serving for 12 years (BNPT TV, 2023).
Toni Togar was imprisoned in several facilities, including Nusakambangan and Mako Brimob (Medan). Repentance finally came to him in Mako Brimob when he was close to his wife. He contemplated his actions and understanding of Islam (JPNN, 2018).
Upon his release, Toni Togar returned to society as an entrepreneur. He quickly realised a business opportunity and started learning how to make dish soap and detergent. He expanded the business to selling natural honey. Toni Togar was “lucky” as he attained some help from a particular figure in the National Counter Terrorism Agency of Indonesia (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme/BNPT Republik Indonesia) for product licence and administration (BNPT TV, 2023).
Marwan, aka Wak Geng, was the brain of the CIMB bank robbery in 2009, also in Medan. The money was used to fund a terrorist organisation. In 2011, he was sentenced to 12 years, which he fully served (Kompas, 2011).
Unlike Toni Togar, Wak Geng understood that he had been a victim of radicalisation while in Nusakambangan. He learned more about Islam and finally understood that there is more than one way to go to heaven other than to kill or be killed. Moreover, during his time in Sentul, East Java, he received some training for the Reintegration process (BNPT TV, 2024).
After his release, Wak Geng was supported by BNPT Indonesia and law enforcement. He managed to build a shrimp pond, grow a cornfield, and even open coffee shops. One of his coffee shops is in front of an Indonesian Army office in Medan. Some of the officers are his regulars (BNPT TV, 2024).
Toni Togar and Wak Geng are now actively mentoring imprisoned offenders and ex-offenders.
Both stories show how Rehabilitation and Reintegration are multi-faceted processes that must be approached with articulate strategies. Toni Togar and Wak Geng were helped by government institutions (BNPT, Indonesian Army, and penitentiaries) in their Reintegration. In Rehabilitation, Toni Togar received support from his family, while Wak Geng found guidance from religious figures.
We must admit that neither story reflects the complete vital strategies. Once fully implemented, imagine the number of success stories we will have. As the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, once said, “It takes a village to turn an extremist idea into a peaceful one” (Kemlu, 2023).
References
- BNPT TV. (2023, December 9). Kisah Eks Napiter Toni Togar Menata Hidup untuk Kembali ke Masyarakat dengan Merintis Usaha Sabun. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMYV6RnmcQw
- BNPT TV. (2024, January 14). Wak Geng: “Membuat Teror di Indonesia Saya Rugi Tak Dapat Pahala”. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqWHANb9Ke8
- JPNN. (2018, November 13). Tony Togar Mengalami Titik Balik saat di Penjara Mako Brimob. JPNN. https://www.jpnn.com/news/tony-togar-mengalami-titik-balik-saat-di-penjara-mako-brimob
- Kemlu. (2023, September 21). Menlu RI Berbagi Tiga Upaya Indonesia dalam Rehabilitasi dan Reintegrasi Mantan Teroris di Indonesia. Kemlu. https://kemlu.go.id/portal/id/read/5277/berita/menlu-ri-berbagi-tiga-upaya-indonesia-dalam-rehabilitasi-dan-reintegrasi-mantan-teroris-di-indonesia
- Kompas. (2011, August 2). Marwan, Perampok CIMB Divoni 12 Tahun. Kompas. https://regional.kompas.com/read/2011/08/02/15065260/~Regional~Sumatera
- Lowry, K. (2018). Responding to the Challenges of Violent Extremism/Terrorism Cases for United States Probation and Pretrial Services. Journal for Deradicalization, (17): 28-88. https://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/article/view/175/130
- Lowry, K. D., Shaikh, M., & Lewis, R. A. (2024, June). Research and Practitioner Perspectives on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremists. NJJ Journal, (285): 1-10. https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/306129.pdf
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