J-SAFE

The J-SAFE project aims to strengthen the judicial and penitentiary response to radicalisation across EU Member States by enhancing risk assessment procedures, promoting inter-agency cooperation, and ensuring the effective implementation of rehabilitation strategies. The project pursues two core objectives: 

1. To support judges in delivering informed sentencing decisions in radicalisation cases at all stages of criminal proceedings, through the use of appropriate risk assessment tools and the introduction of specialised “Legal Experts of the Court for Radicalisation Assessments”; 
2. To support prison and probation staff in the execution of sentences by establishing coherent rehabilitation programmes and facilitating integrated information flows—complementary to ECRIS—among multi-level and multi-agency stakeholders.
   

J-SAFE will be implemented through four main workstreams:

• WS1: Research activities and the development of a European Technical Platform to assess radicalisation risks;
  
• WS2: Drafting of handbooks, guidelines, and policy recommendations;
  
• WS3: Establishment of a European Resource Centre and the training of Legal Experts for Radicalisation Assessments;
  
• WS4: Dissemination and stakeholder engagement.
  

The project will directly benefit 552 legal professionals, including judges, prosecutors, and prison/probation officers, and indirectly reach over 1,000 additional practitioners across Europe.

Expected results include:

• Improved multidisciplinary management of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) and radicalised individuals across the judicial and penitentiary systems;
  
• Enhanced coordination of personalised rehabilitation strategies based on rigorous risk assessments and a balanced approach to security and fundamental rights;
  
• Alignment and complementarity with existing EU strategies in the field of counter-radicalisation and judicial cooperation.

J-SAFE will contribute to a more coherent, evidence-based, and rights-respecting approach to countering radicalisation within the EU justice and correctional systems.