The Nexus Between Crime and Violent Extremism in Kenya: A Case Study of Two Prison Complexes

Abstract

The link between crime and violent extremism (VE) has been the subject of increasing scholarly and political concern. While there is evidence to suggest a link between crime and VE, such evidence is particularly limited in developing countries. In an attempt to address this gap in understanding, Gayatri Sahgal and Martine Zeuthen conducted a study in a prison environment to investigate the relationship between criminality and VE in Kenya. The study finds a tenuous link between other types of crime and VE at the individual and organisational levels, with some indication of specific institutional patterns of recruitment and radicalisation within prisons.◼.