2.3 Human Rights Risk Area 3: Rehabilitation And Reintegration Programmes The primary purposes of imprisonment are to protect society against crime and to reduce recidivism, which can be achieved only if the period of imprisonment is used to ensure, as far as possible, the reintegration of those detained, by offering various forms of assistance 361 and activities. The OSCE participating States have stated that prison conditions should offer “meaningful occupational activities and appropriate treatment programmes” 362 to prepare for the reintegration of prisoners. With regard to VERLT, the UN Plan of Action recommends the introduction of gender-sensitive disengagement, rehabilitation and counselling programmes that take into consideration the needs of children and fully 363 comply with international human rights standards and norms. In the context of noncustodial rehabilitation and reintegration in preventing and countering VERLT, it has been emphasized that such programmes should not be focused on a single form of VERLT, such as violent extremism based on religion, but address all forms, including those related 364 to extreme right or ethno-nationalist movements. Prison authorities should support prisoners in their efforts to withdraw from VERLT and reintegrate into society upon their release. This requires sufficient out-of-cell activity, 365 as well as general and targeted interventions. Interventions have been described as “the planned and structured processes designed to assist violent extremist prisoners to abandon engagement in violent extremist acts or, for those considered to be at serious 366 risk of becoming radicalized to violence, to avoid committing such offences in future.” 367 They may range from general activities, similar to those offered to other prisoners, such as education, employment and occupational activities, to specific, targeted interventions. It is, however, important not to overestimate the necessity for specific rehabilitation programmes for (suspected) violent extremist prisoners because of general presumptions 361 ICCPR, op. cit., note 85, Article 10.3; UN CCPR, “General Comment No. 21: Article 10 (Humane treatment of persons deprived of their liberty)”, 1992, para. 10; UN Nelson Mandela Rules, op. cit., note 13, Rule 4; UN Havana Rules, op. cit., note 86, Rule 12. 362 OSCE, “Brussels Declaration on Criminal Justice Systems”, 5 December 2006, The OSCE Ministerial “Declaration on Strengthening OSCE Efforts to Prevent and Counter Terrorism”, of 9 December 2016, para. 8, specifically called on participating States “to co-operate in efforts to address the threat posed by terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters and returnees, by inter alia developing and implementing, after prosecution, rehabilitation and re-integration strategies.” 363 UN, “Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism”, op. cit., note 7, para. 50(g). 364 OSCE, Non-custodial Rehabilitation and Reintegration in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization That Lead to Terrorism, (Vienna: OSCE, 2020), pp. 40 and 109. 365 For detailed analysis of possible interventions related to VERLT in prisons, see UNODC, Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalization to Violence in Prisons, op. cit., note 2, Chapters 5, 6 and 8; Council of Europe, “Council of Europe Handbook”, op. cit., note 2, Chapters 4 and 6. 366 UNODC, Handbook on the Management of Violent Extremist Prisoners and the Prevention of Radicalization to Violence in Prisons, op. cit., note 2, p. 74. 367 Ibid., p. 74. 76