Freed: Ripples of the Convicted and Released Terrorist in America

Abstract

The release of convicted terrorists from American prisons is inevitable. This thesis frames and initiates discourse about this unexplored phase of the terrorism continuum. Utilizing a grounded theory approach, we arrive at four findings: (1) we do not yet know to what extent convicted and released terrorists pose a threat; (2) convicted terrorists are treated no differently from an administrative or social standpoint from most other criminals; (3) the American public knows very little about convicted and released terrorists; and (4) there is no defined entity responsible for convicted and released terrorists. We then extrapolate the political, social, and legal implications of these findings, including whether our theoretical or structural frameworks are adequate to the threat. How might such a threat be measured or determined, by whom, and with what policy consequences? We look at existing models ranging from sex offender registries to megacommunities and existing sociological theories of terrorism as potential tools with which to address this complex and interdisciplinary issue.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA543917

Entities

People

  • Michael A. Brown

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Criminals
  • Criminology
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Health Services
  • Homeland Security
  • Human Population
  • Judiciary
  • Management Personnel
  • Medical Personnel
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Policy
  • Recreation
  • Societies
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design