DOI: 10.3886/icpsr37684.v1
title: Research and Evaluation on Domestic Radicalization to Violent Extremism: Research to Support Exit USA, United States, 2015-2019
title: Version 1

description: The spread of and involvement in domestic extremist organizations are some of the most pressing issues facing the criminal justice field. There is little research studying the trajectories of former members of extremist organizations. This project begins to address the gaps in knowledge about radicalization and exit by gathering firsthand accounts from former members of white supremacist organizations in the U.S.
The goal of this project was to understand the pathways to disengagement and deradicalization among former white supremacists to provide justice and community organizations with useful information to support prevention and intervention strategies. There is a dearth of systematic information about the motivations, trajectories, and barriers involved with the disengagement and deradicalization process. This project was designed to provide a necessary and foundational assessment of the processes involved with becoming a former extremist. This project charted the social and psychological processes involved in exiting domestic extremist organizations by analyzing the detailed life history accounts of 47 former domestic extremists.
description: The purpose of this study was to understand the pathways to disengagement and deradicalization among former white supremacists to provide justice and community organizations with useful information to support prevention and intervention strategies.
description: The data for this study come from in-depth life history interviews with former members of domestic white supremacist organizations. Because there is no way to compile a list of former members to serve as a sampling frame, interviewees were identified by snowball sampling from multiple starts to ensure variety in the location and type of extremist groups. Initial contacts for the snowball chains were developed through the research team's extensive prior research with white supremacists, identification through public presence (e.g., media, book authors, lecture series), and referrals from study partners.
Rapport was established between the study team and vetted individuals prior to agreeing to conduct an interview. Members of the team had contact with participants via telephone and e-mail to inform the individuals about the nature and scope of the interview, verify that the person met the inclusion criteria (e.g., prior group affiliation, not an active member), and agreed to meeting logistics. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview protocol in private settings such as hotel rooms and residential homes, and at times included continuing the interviews in restaurants and coffee shops. Most of the interviews were spent eliciting an in-depth life history to produce narratives that reflect the complexities and intersection of identity, ideology, and life experiences.
description: The data includes variables about participants' childhood experiences of abuse, neglect, violence, and exposure to extremist movement ideas. Additionally, current experiences of substance abuse, extremist movement group affiliation, mental illness, and extremist beliefs. Demographic variables include childhood and current socioeconomic status (SES), annual income, current occupation, previous and current marital status, military service, and childhood and current religious preference.
description: Snowball sampling with known seeds to start the snowballing.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Research and Evaluation on Domestic Radicalization to Violent Extremism: Research to Support Exit USA, United States, 2015-2019
description: Former members of U.S. white supremacist groups.
description: face-to-face interviewDue to mass redactions reducing the utility in secondary research, the 46 deposited interview transcripts will not be released or made available in the future.