The Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol-18 (TRAP-18) in Australia: face validity, content validity, and utility in the Australian context

Abstract

ABSTRACT Efforts to develop scientifically rigorous and operationally relevant research on the assessment of individuals who present as at risk of radicalisation to violent extremism and/or grievance-fuelled violence remain underdeveloped. The Terrorist Radicalization Assessment Protocol (TRAP-18) has been used across some jurisdictions in Australia to assess whether individuals are radicalising to violent extremism. A number of research publications suggest that the TRAP-18 may provide a valid assessment in radical individuals and may also have some predictive power to identify individuals who escalate to violence. However, to date, there has been no formal assessment of the usability of the TRAP-18. That is, it’s effectiveness in its aims (face validity), or user agreement of included factors (content validity). This work attends to this, and conducts empirically informed, practitioner-oriented research to examine whether the TRAP-18 is a valid and practical assessment tool for the CVE arena across Australia. We conduct a number of focus groups with both practitioners and academic experts. Overall, the results highlight that the TRAP-18 shows promise for use in Australia.