The article is a descriptive look at entry, discipline and exit in the Italian Red Brigades (BR) in the early 1970s. The author describes the passage from extremism to terrorism and the criteria imposed by the BR for entry. Initial imitation of the Latin American guerrilla model was gradually replaced by a series of organizational and disciplinary structures based on first‐hand experience. The strict regulations laid down by the BR were generally adhered to and were a vital factor for survival, although the weakest link was in personal relations. On the point of the factors leading members to exit from the RB, the author identifies the restrictions that a life of clandestinity created on a personal level and the dissatisfaction with the group’s strategy on a political level, which became worse after 1978 when the battle between state and terrorists intensified. Conversely, the greater the commitment required of members, the more difficult it became to express dissent and any exit was likely to be more traumatic. In the end, attempts to preserve unity by increasing discipline proved to be counterproductive. The article ultimately concludes that “enlightened legislation and prison administration” created the disengagement necessary for many ex-members to re-examine the past critically, and to work through individual and collective responsibilities on the journey towards rehabilitation.