January 26th, 2025

We report on the rehabilitation and social reintegration support for prisoners formerly associated with so-called violent extremist organizations in Indonesia, conducted under commission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


1. Background of rehabilitation & reintegration support

In Indonesia, rehabilitation and social reintegration support for these prisoners is inadequate. As a result, they often cannot return properly to community life, and after release, may again become involved in violence.

To address these issues, we (Accept International) have so far provided care counseling for prisoners, and held training for prison officers and probation officers who support prisoners involved with non-state armed groups, aiming to improve dialogue skills.

Since last year, under commission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have begun full-scale efforts to strengthen rehabilitation support of prisoners and to facilitate their social reintegration in maximum security prisons and probation offices.

Through this effort, we aim to help prisoners after release to reintegrate into society smoothly without participating in violence again, contributing to sustaining peace in Indonesia.

In this report, we share a particularly important part of the intervention: the “Disillusionment Countermeasure Session”. (“Disillusionment” meaning disillusionment from society / despair / loss of motivation that can happen after release.)


2. Disillusionment countermeasure session

The image people have in the community of individuals once associated with so-called violent extremist organizations is harsh. Even if they are released, they may face discrimination or social isolation, which increases the risk that they become disillusioned with society. Also, finding a new job may be difficult; even when they want to start a business, resources are scarce. Their sources of income are limited, making survival difficult, and sometimes even being unable to provide for their families.

As a result, some may develop hatred against society or join violent organizations once more in order to secure income or due to a perceived sense of marginalization.

To respond to these challenges, we held a Disillusionment Countermeasure Session at a prison on Nusa Kambangan Island. In this session, we created time for former combatants to discuss difficulties they may face after release, and jointly think about how to deal with them.

Efforts like this have also been implemented in other project countries such as Somalia and Yemen; they are evaluated as approaches that build grounded perspectives.

Below are details of the specific components and outcomes of each part. ▲ Scene from the Disillusionment Countermeasure Session.

Life plan & Income plan after release
Participants set life goals for different stages/ages, and estimated how much funding they would need to achieve those goals. In developing these plans, they included concrete goals and actions, for example, “gain finance-related knowledge while still imprisoned to support family after release,” or “read books while serving sentence to gain knowledge of medicinal herbs, to start a herbal shop.” These served as meaningful parts toward income creation after release.

Discussion on “Good Muslim”
They discussed what defines a “Good Muslim” in society and what actions are required to live up to that. In the discussion, concrete actions emerged, such as learning how to communicate with community members politely and proactively; participating in environmental beautification together with local cleaners; sharing food with those in need; and increasing religious knowledge by studying in the prison mosque.

Among the participants, the definition concluded was: “A good Muslim is someone who is friendly, considerate toward everyone, tolerant of differences, and spreads peace in society and the world.” The especially emphasized point “tolerant toward differences” resonates with our organization’s name “Accept” — valuing acceptance even of those whose positions or opinions differ.

What to do if approached again by a so-called violent extremist organization
They also exchanged views on how to respond in case they are again approached or recruited by a so-called violent extremist organization after release. During discussion, participants confirmed the necessity of relearning correct interpretations of the Qur’an so as to counter the claims made by these organizations. They acknowledged the damage caused by such groups, confirmed the importance of refusing recruitment, and considered possible actions toward recruiters. A concrete idea was to persuade recruiters to give up arms by telling about the hardships of prison life while returning to the teachings of the Qur’an. Also, more concrete response methods were discussed, including which local authorities to report to if recruitment attempts happen.

After the conclusion of each part, feedback from participants included:

“I feel that meeting with Accept is going to be very beneficial for the future of everyone here.”

“Through this initiative, I think I have been better able to control disillusionment toward society, and to consider my life plan more seriously. I hope this continues even after release.”

Through this Disillusionment Countermeasure Session, participants seem to have deepened their understanding of how they should live as Good Muslims and agents of peace, rather than rejoining extremist groups. We believe their understanding has been strengthened. We will continue supporting them so that prisoners can follow a peaceful path through various initiatives. ▲ Board used throughout the session. Everyone placed sticky notes and the relationships among the sticky notes were arranged.


3. Future prospects

Going forward, to ensure that former combatants can continue living as agents of peace even after reintegration, we will further strengthen programs such as care counseling and vocational training, in addition to the Disillusionment Countermeasure Session. We will furthermore promote rehabilitation and reintegration support more fully.

We will continue to work with all our might in Indonesia so that everyone can become agents of peace, and together we will break the chain of violence and hatred. We ask for your continued warm support.