Desistance in the field of violent radicalization: what do individuals labeled as radicalized tell us?

Studies on violent radicalization and terrorism have multiplied in recent years. Even though the concept of "de-radicalization" is not clearly defined and is still debated, it emerged as a major and urgent issue for the interventions to be carried out. To date, there is no consensus on the definition of deradicalization: the term of disengagement from violence has been preferred by some authors considering that the objective of the intervention is at this level. Desistance is a concept that has been little mobilized in the field of radicalization. Yet, it is a process of exit from a trajectory of violent radicalization and/or the cessation of illegal conduct. The central questions are: how can a process of change and exit from these trajectories be engaged and supported, and what are the changes that support the desistance of an individual? This presentation focuses on a narrative approach and clinical analyses of the trajectories of juveniles tried for ‘acts of participation in an activity of a terrorist group’. This approach made it possible to identify processes of desistance and factors that these young people themselves have identified as supporting the process of desistance.