Online
On Monday, December 14 at 6:00 p.m. ET, University of Queensland Professor Adrian Cherney and Senior Research Assistant Emma Belton provided a virtual talk on “Profiles of Individual Radicalisation in Australia (PIRA) Dataset: An Introduction to PIRA and an Exploration of Risk and Contextual Factors Linked to Radicalisation in Australia.” A recording of the event can be found at this link. If you have any questions, please email the START events team at start-events@umd.edu.
The Profiles of Individual Radicalisation in Australia (PIRA) dataset captures 122 different variables relating to background, demographic, group affiliation, and contextual information on individuals who have radicalised to violent extremism in Australia from 1985-2020. PIRA is modelled on START's Profiles of Individual Radicalisation in the United States (PIRUS) dataset. Like PIRUS, PIRA draws on open source materials to identify and code for data on specific individuals identified as having radicalised to extremism. In this presentation we will introduce the PIRA dataset, outline its development and provide an overview of data relating to background characteristics and risk factors for radicalisation amongst the sample, and consider some of our early findings for theory and policy on radicalisation to violent extremism.
Adrian Cherney is a Professor in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland. He is also an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow. His research focuses on the evaluation of programs aimed at convicted terrorists and individuals identified as at risk of radicalisation. He is also collating data on individual radicalisation in Australia. Projects include evaluations of case managed interventions delivered by the police in Australia. He completed an evaluation of the Proactive Integrated Support Model (PRISM) intervention in New South Wales that targets convicted terrorists and radicalised inmates. He has undertaken research on inmates exiting custody and/or completing a community based order after the completion of a sentence for terrorism. Other funded projects include the development of program integrity guidelines for CVE program design, implementation and evaluation. He is also part of team at UQ being funded to conduct systematic reviews of CVE programs.
Emma Belton is a PhD candidate and Senior Research Assistant in the School of Social Science at the University of Queensland. Her research aims to improve understanding relating to the backgrounds and risk factors associated with individuals who have been convicted of a terrorist offence or identified as having radicalised to violent extremism. Her research draws on the Profiles of Individual Radicalisation in Australia (PIRA) dataset. She has also worked on several research projects examining the impact of countering violent extremism interventions, across community and custodial settings.