Part II - Intervention, Accountability, and Off-Ramps: Responding to Teen Radicalization

Part II was a practical examination of how institutions respond once teen radicalization is identified. This session focused on prevention, intervention, and accountability, including early engagement with schools, families, and at-risk youth, as well as the availability and limits of government “off-ramping” and deradicalization efforts. The panel addressed the legal and procedural challenges of prosecuting minors in terrorism-related cases, from statutory constraints and sentencing to coordination with state and local authorities and handling sensitive evidence. The discussion also examined the defense perspective, alternative outcomes beyond trial, post-release support, and the growing role of private-sector and peer-to-peer intervention organizations. The goal of this session was to assess what works, where gaps remain, and how families and institutions can better respond to youth radicalization. 

Panelists included:

• Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern: Director of Trauma Training and Services, Parents for Peace; lecturer, Harvard Medical School
• Cassandra Carnright: Special Agent, FBI
• Steven J. Dollear: Shareholder, Vedder Price’s Chicago office & Former Chief of the National Security and Cybercrime Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office
• Joshua G. Herman: Attorney at Law, Law Office of Joshua G. Herman

This event was moderated by the Program on Extremism Senior Research Fellow Barry Jonas. 

On January 21st, 2026, the Program on Extremism (PoE) at The George Washington University hosted the second part of a virtual panel discussion series onteen radicalization. The event was moderated by Barry Jonas, a PoE Senior Research Fellow, and featured Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, Cassandra Carnright, Steven J. Dollear and Joshua G. Herman.

In Part I of this series, the panel examined the warning signs and of teen radicalization. In Part II, the panel analyzed the legal processes and challenges of teen radicalization.

Cassandra Carnright, a special agent for the FBI, explained the role of the agency’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) in addressing teen radicalization. They focus on prevention work, where that often includes identifying pathways and alternative options for mitigation. Carnright also emphasized the importance of school resource officers (SROs) as a connection between students and law enforcement. A main message that was reiterated throughout the panel wasthat, in cases of teen radicalization, law enforcement should prioritize prevention over prosecution - focusing on early identification, intervention, and case management to avoid the arrest of juveniles whenever possible.

Steven J. Dollear is the former Chief of the National Security and Cybercrime Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His first point of conversation was how teen radicalization is a public safety issue. It affects not only the radicalized teen, but also their family, school, and local community. He also discussed the relationship between law enforcement and prosecutors. Dollear emphasized Cassandra’s remark of how the government does not want to prosecute teens, but instead intervene during the radicalization process to hopefully stop it before thought becomes action. After a teen acts on their radicalized beliefs, then the government must take legal action. Dollear also highlighted that because teens are more dependent and consumed by their community, there are more opportunities for intervention and mitigation.

Following Dollear was Joshua Herman, an attorney who has defended radicalized teens. He offered a perspective of teens who are facing prosecution or have already been sentenced. Similarly to Carnright and Dollear, Joshua expressed the potential harm that incarcerated teens face versus those who were off-ramped at an earlier stage. Teens who do experience prison sentences are more inclined to commit future violent acts. With intervention, these teens can avoid criminal records and instead receive services that assist in creating a brighter future. Dollear’s characterization of teen radicalization as a public safety issue was echoed by Herman. The panel emphasized that safeguarding public safety requires early intervention - addressing radicalization at its onset, equipping youth with the tools to challenge and mitigate extremist thinking, and prioritizing proactive, preventative measures.

Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, who was also on the panel in Part I, is a clinical psychologist and the Director of Trauma Training and Services for Parents for Peace. She reiterated the importance of law enforcement leading radicalized teens to mental health professionals before legal processes. She also stressed that off-ramping is not conducting therapy, but instead coaching and conducting intervention to change the pathway towards violence and radicalization. To conclude, Dr. Bar-Halpern described successful cases of intervention and deradicalization as the teen being connected to the community and/or family and finding new values instead of focusing on the values pushed onto them during radicalization.