Calls Persuasion Of High Terrorism Convicts, BNPT Reminds Prison Officers To Be Vulnerable To Radicalism

JAKARTA - The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) reminded correctional officers to be vulnerable to exposure to radicalism and terrorism.

Director of Capability Development (Binpuan) Deputy for Enforcement and Capability Development of BNPT Wawan Ridwan explained that correctional officers have the potential to receive threats, both from terrorism convicts or convicts and groups around them.

"Powers are also vulnerable to threats to both individuals and those around them," Wawan said in a written statement, Wednesday, October 25, which was confiscated by Antara.

Wawan said correctional officers in providing coaching to prisoners had challenges that were not easy for them to escape from the snares of radicalism.

In the midst of the challenges that arise, such as demands to be able to implement a prisoner's coaching program to escape radicalism and be able to accept parties that are different from them. Even though this is not easy, considering that prisoners have different characters, backgrounds, mindsets, and typology," he said.

In addition to these two challenges, Wawan reminded that prisoners have the ability to communicate in persuading and influencing others. Therefore, he encourages correctional officers to need to master better coaching skills.

Idological Convicts or militants have deep ideological knowledge and have high persuasion abilities. They have the potential to attract attention and influence people who interact intensively with them, including prisoners and correctional officers," added Wawan.

On that basis, BNPT carried out training and improved the ability of correctional officers in handling prisoners in Bandung, West Java, Tuesday, October 24.

In the training which took place on October 24, 2023, the participants were given insight and knowledge in the form of discussions, lectures, and questions and answers with speakers from the Directorate of Corrections, Densus 88 AT Task Force, psychologists, to deradicalization partners.