France will install a jihadist rehabilitation center in each of its 18 regions by the end of 2017, Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced Monday.
After two terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, and a growing number of radicalized teenagers, France is investing more resources toward combatting radical Islam. Valls said the country has set aside $45.5 million to complete the rehabilitation centers.
“The fight against jihadism is without a doubt the big challenge since World War II,” Valls said. “It has deeply damaged the Republican pact.”
The first center will open as early as the summer and will be open to individuals who show a “sincere desire” to be rehabilitated.
“The first occupants may be people who have repented, who have already proven to us their sincere desire to be rehabilitated in the long term,” Valls said.
The Action Plan Against Radicalization and Terrorism also includes 8,500 new jobs for police, customs and prison officials.
France is already in the process of setting up “de-radicalization” prison wings, where terrorists can be held in isolation to prevent them from recruiting other inmates.
Lawmakers are also pushing to increase prison terms for convicted terrorists. The highest penalty under the law, called “real life” imprisonment, is not applicable to returning Islamic State fighters unless the court can prove they committed murder or rape and torture of minors. Most jihadists are instead subjected to 22-year sentences at most. (RELATED: Mastermind Behind Paris And Brussels Attacks Likely To Get Out By 50)
France estimates that 1,600 young people and 800 families already take advantage of existing de-radicalization services. At least 8,250 French residents are believed to be radicalized — more than twice as many as in 2015.
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