continuously

In France, 430 people are currently detained for acts of terrorism, including 385 for Islamist terrorism. Among them, 96 are women. “Before 2016, female jihadists who participated in terrorist acts were sentenced to alternative sentences to prison,” recalls Leïla Medjelet, prison director of integration and probation and coordinator of the mission to combat violent radicalization in the Great West. “We found extenuating circumstances for them. They were “in love with a terrorist” or “mother under the influence”. But since the attacks committed or foiled on French soil, the courts have been much more severe. Radicalization prevention units (QPR) have therefore emerged in French prisons, to take care of jihadists arriving from the Iraqi-Syrian zone.

In the West, a neighborhood for men was created in Condé-sur-Sarthe (Orne) in September 2018. Another at the women’s prison in Renne, in September 2021. A wing of the remand center was therefore transformed into a high security district. 16 cells were installed. Today, 13 inmates are incarcerated there. D

In the coming months, the Rennes QPR will double its reception capacity. To do this, the prison administration is playing a game of musical chairs. “Before the summer, we will install the remand center in wing D of the detention center, to free up space,” explains Aude Wessbecher, director of the Rennes women’s prison. Thus, our remand center will increase from 16 to 47 cells. At the start of the school year in September, work will begin to transform the old cells. QPR will therefore have 29 places in 2025.”

Back to school

The principle ? Create a completely sealed wing from other neighborhoods to avoid proselytism and work with women so that they distance radical ideas and introduce nuance into their way of thinking. “Our goal is not to stigmatize a religious practice,” adds Leïla Medjelet. On the contrary: religion is a structuring tool. We must deconstruct the indoctrination of the Islamic State and recontextualize history. »

To allow a distancing from radical ideas, a multidisciplinary team is at work. There are educators, psychologists, and a religious mediator, responsible for ensuring that religious texts are faithfully studied. Many external partners, notably teachers, lead workshops to develop the ideological construction of inmates. Radicalized women take courses on the history of the Middle East, on the Kurds, on conspiracy, on the media and how to obtain information.

The thorny question of the bond with children

“What is specific to this audience is that all radicalized women have had traumatic childhoods. All. There are no exceptions, emphasizes Leïla Medjelet. They started their lives suffering physical, psychological or sexual violence. Some explain to us that this veil is a protection against rape…”

Another specificity of these women locked up for terrorism: they all have children. “The hardest part, often, is renewing family ties,” adds Aude Wessbecher. They were taken from their children who are often placed in care. There is also work to recreate links with guardian services. If they are not calm with their children, their minds are parasitized. They are also a great motivator for them to plan an exit. »

Average duration of support: 18 months

Women incarcerated at the QPR in Rennes spend an average of eighteen months there, with renewals every six months. They return there after a 12-week evaluation which takes place at Fresnes prison. “The prison administration assesses whether they can be receptive,” says Leïla Medjelet. But it should be noted that, often, women are much more “compliant”, docile and adaptable than men. They are less in the balance of power. They rebel less. If there is really no receptivity, then they are directed to solitary confinement to avoid proselytism. If after a few months with us, they have progressed well, they can move into normal detention areas. »

2024-04-08 15:58:46
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