Violent Extremism in America: Interviews with Former Extremists and Their Families on Radicalization and Deradicalization

Terrorism and ideologically inspired violence represent persistent and serious threats to U.S. national security. In this report, the authors aim to characterize why and how 32 individuals joined extremist organizations, as well as how some of them exited these groups. Semistructured interviews were conducted with former extremists and their family members, representing 32 unique stories of 24 white supremacists and eight Islamic extremists.