Applying Networks of Crime-Involved Places (CS4) to Online Radicalisation

Though still a subject of debate, radicalisation is generally understood as the process through which an individual adopts an extremist ideology and its associated views. As such, radicalisation explains why terrorist violence occurs. In contrast, this research article seeks to understand how radicalisation occurs using crime-involved places (CS4). CS4 offers a framework for understanding how a network of crime-involved places—crime sites, convergence settings, comfort spots, and corrupting spots—facilitates criminal events. This article argues that CS4 can be used to understand online crime-place networks, specifically, those relevant to the radicalisation process. Here, we apply CS4 to online places using two examples of radicalised individuals who travelled to join the Islamic State. Our findings demonstrate that using the CS4 framework can help improve our understanding of the online ecosystem relevant to radicalisation and how these places function as venues for radicalisation.