Has the UK’s PREVENT Strategy contributed to the radicalisation of British Muslims?

The radicalization of British Muslims is one of the main concerns of security forces in the UK. The current Counter-Terrorism Strategy, CONTEST, acknowledges the threat, placing Prevention as one of its four basic workstreams. Preventive work attempts to tackle the alleged factors behind radicalization, such as integration issues, and to identify and rehabilitate individuals who are already radicalized or at risk. However, the implementation of PREVENT has generated a backlash, leading some to argue the strategy is rather counterproductive. This essay attempts to determine whether PREVENT has in fact contributed to the radicalization of British Muslims. Although there is no definitive answer, the evidence suggests an unbalance between PREVENT’s achievements and its negative impact, which calls for a change of strategy.