Perpetrators or victims? The Prevent Duty and the discourse of "vulnerability" in UK counter-radicalisation policy

Since 2015, the UK's Counter-Terrorism and Security Act (CTSA) has required public institutions (such as schools, universities and healthcare facilities) to have “due regard to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. Many institutions, including schools and universities, have incorporated this “Prevent Duty” into existing safeguarding policies and procedures, in line with an approach which sees those at risk of radicalisation as subject to a range of personal vulnerabilities (see e.g. McGlynn & McDaid, 2018). The 2023 Independent Review of Prevent criticised the use of the term “vulnerability” and proposed its substitution for “susceptibility” to radicalisation. Despite misgivings about vulnerability, the Independent Review proposed extending the Prevent Duty to immigration and asylum agencies and Job Centres. This potential over-extension of the Prevent Duty, the chapter argues, reflects what Kathryn Ecclestone (2017) described as “vulnerability creep”, which has potentially significant implications for both social and security policy.