sources, including that gathered through interviews with the person under assessment and information from court cases and law enforcement agencies, social workers, family 173 and friends. It is good practice to involve psychologists and other relevant experts. The purpose is to learn as much as possible about an individual’s personal background, 174 any criminal history, social contacts, education and employment. This will assist with understanding behaviours and enable the prison authorities to use a dynamic security approach more effectively. Also, after the initial classification and allocation, risk and needs assessments should be regularly reviewed so that detainees are housed in an appropriately secure environment at all times. In the context of VERLT, risk and needs assessments tend to evaluate the risks posed not only by prisoners convicted of terrorism- and violent extremism-related offences, but also 175 by “potential violent extremists and those radicalizing to violence”. When assessing the risks posed by prisoners convicted of terrorism and violent extremism-related offences, assessors need to consider the role they played within their organization or group, and their potential to radicalize or recruit other prisoners (degree of charismatic leadership or appeal), to maintain or create operational command structures within the prison, and to 176 plan violent actions from prison, as well as the likelihood of recidivism. They need to take into consideration the personal background, motivations and contextual circumstances that have drawn or may draw a prisoner into VERLT and that may contribute to such re-offending in the future. Some may have followed this path for conventional criminal motives, such as financial gain or to fulfil existential needs, including the need of belonging and meaning; others may have been convicted of other offences, but their motivations 177 were related to violent extremism. The relevance of general risk and needs assessments for the prevention of VERLT has been questioned, as the risk factors may overlook the dynamic nature of VERLT and do 178 not relate to the background and motivations of (suspected) violent extremist prisoners. Some specialized tools have, therefore, been developed focusing on violent extremism ideologies (including political, social, religious or other ideologies). There are, however, limitations inherent in these tools, and they may not be easily transposable to other 179 jurisdictions and contexts. Furthermore, research on risk and needs assessments for VERLT is still limited. Past violent behaviour does not, for example, indicate a higher 173 Hedayah and ICTT, “Additional Guidance on the Role of Psychologists/Psychology in Rehabilitation and Reintegration Programs”. 174 UNODC, Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalization to Violence in Prisons, op. cit., note 2, p. 43, 54-55; Council of Europe, “Council of Europe Handbook”, op. cit., note 2, paras. 61, 63; GCTF, “Rome Memorandum on Good Practices for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremist Offenders”, Good Practice 3. 175 Ibid., Council of Europe, “Council of Europe Handbook”, op. cit., note 2, para. 48. 176 Liesbeth van der Heide, Marieke van der Zwan and Maarten van Leyenhorst, “The Practitioner’s Guide to the Galaxy - A Comparison of Risk Assessment Tools for Violent Extremism”, p. 22. 177 UNODC, Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalization to Violence in Prisons, op. cit., note 2, pp. 41, 42, 55; Council of Europe, “Council of Europe Handbook”, op. cit., note 2, paras. 44-45 178 UNODC, Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalization to Violence in Prisons, op. cit., note 2, p. 55; Council of Europe, “Council of Europe Handbook”, op. cit., note 2, paras. 53-54. 179 UNODC, Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalization to Violence in Prisons, op. cit., note 2, p. 56; Council of Europe, “Council of Europe Handbook”, op. cit., note 2, paras. 47-48. 41