Invest in prevention, as punishing potential terrorists is not likely to help

Long jail terms are not likely to help deter or redirect potential terrorists, argued Philipp Rotmann in an interview with CCTV America broadcast over the weekend. Commenting on the sentencing last Friday of a young German man returning from ISIL in Syria, Rotmann warned that the increased focus on prosecuting potential terrorist supporters threatens to undermine the rule of law. If effective surveillance and prevention require more manpower for the police, policymakers should rather make that investment and safeguard civil liberties, Rotmann argued.