“It’s All about Who You Know”: Investigating the Involvement Process in Regard to Organised Criminal Groups within Australia

Research on organised crime is as diverse and multifaceted as the criminal phenomenon itself, yet comprehensive academic insight on the process by which individuals become involved in organised criminal groups (OCGs) remains limited. Existing scholarly work has explored the involvement mechanisms into specific illicit activities (e.g., drug trafficking), the role of trust within co-offending relationships, and the potential for disengagement from OCGs. With consideration for the current research landscape, the present study examined involvement regarding OCGs through the lens of a conceptual ‘process’ by developing a framework using data obtained from interviews with police officers from three Australian law enforcement agencies and an analysis of transcripts from court proceedings in Australia. The study provided the first comprehensive examination of the involvement process of OCGs within an Australian context. The results of the study contributed to the development of an involvement ‘process’ conceptual framework which comprises the following three key stages: motivations and pathways to involvement, mechanisms for establishing co-offending relationships, and continued engagement with or disengagement from OCGs. The conceptual framework proposed in the present study should be viewed as an ideal process and provide the foundation for future research, with methodological replication in other jurisdictions contributing to a cohesive and comprehensive understanding of the involvement process of OCGs.