Exploring the role of the Internet in the radicalisation process and offending of convicted extremists

The overarching aim of this doctoral research was to investigate the role of the Internet in radicalisation pathways and offending of convicted extremists in England and Wales. The empirical study was unique because it benefitted from access to closed-source risk assessment reports within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). These reports were authored by Psychologists and Probation Officers with access to restricted case documentation and in the majority of cases, direct interviews with the individuals concerned.

Findings were based on 235 convicted extremists, all of whom were considered to have radicalised prior to committing their offence. Since the completion of the doctorate, the analysis has been expanded to 437 convicted extremists. This accounts for close to every convicted extremist in England and Wales considered to have radicalised prior to their conviction.

Radicalisation through online influences has steadily increased over time, whilst offline influences appear to have waned. Of those sentenced in 2019-21, the most dominant pathway was radicalisation through primarily online influences. The increased prominence of online influences was observed for various sub-groups, including males, females, those up to and including 25 years old and those over 25 years of age. A breakdown by ideological affiliation showed an increased prominence of the Internet within radicalisation pathways for the two most prominent ideological groups in England and Wales: Islamist extremists and those affiliated with the Extreme Right Wing.

Read more