NIJ-funded research challenges some common assumptions about what motivates young people to engage in violent extremism

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) just released some results from a research project which found that some common beliefs about why young people become violent extremists don’t square up with the facts. The project involved using machine learning (a form of Artificial Intelligence or AI) to develop a new analytical method to better understand how individuals move toward violent extremism. A few of their findings are presented in the table below:

NIJ is the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. According to their website:

We are dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. We provide objective and independent knowledge and tools to inform the decision-making of the criminal and juvenile justice communities to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the state and local levels.