Identity and Desistance from Crime

2013 ◽  
pp. 63-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn D. Bushway ◽  
Raymond Paternoster
Keyword(s):  
Desistance From Crime

Home Free

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Residential Relocation ◽  
Criminal Opportunities ◽  
Alternate Reality ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
Residential Change ◽  
Rare Opportunity

This book is about building credible science to address the challenge of criminal recidivism. It does so by drawing upon a unique natural experiment that presented an opportunity to witness an alternate reality. More than 625,000 individuals are released from prison in the United States each year, and roughly half of these individuals will be back in prison within just three years. A likely contributor to the churning of the same individuals in and out of prison is the fact that many released prisoners return home to the same environment with the same criminal opportunities and criminal peers that proved so detrimental to their behavior prior to incarceration. This study uses Hurricane Katrina as a natural experiment for examining the question of whether residential relocation away from an old neighborhood can lead to desistance from crime. Many prisoners released soon after Katrina could not go back to their old neighborhoods, as they normally would have done. Their neighborhoods were devastated by a once-in-a-generation storm that damaged the vast majority of housing units in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina provided a rare opportunity to investigate what happens when individuals move not just a short distance, but to entirely different cities, counties, and social worlds. This study draws upon both quantitative and qualitative evidence to reveal where newly released prisoners resided in the wake of the Katrina, the effect of residential relocation on the likelihood of reincarceration through eight years post-release, and the mechanisms revealing why residential change is so important after release from prison.

Formerly Detained Adolescents’ Narratives: On the Interplay between Quality of Life and Desistance

2021 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2110239
Author(s):  
Nele Van Hecke ◽  
Florien Meulewaeter ◽  
Wouter Vanderplasschen ◽  
Lore Van Damme ◽  
Jan Naert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Young People ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities ◽  
Ambivalent Relationship ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
Good Lives

In recent years, a growing trend to consider strengths and protective factors in studies on desistance from crime has emerged. The present study explores three formerly detained adolescents’ narratives, aiming to tease out how Quality of Life (QoL) and desistance interact in pathways towards a “better life.” The narratives suggest that the journey towards a better life is highly individual, and may unfold via multiple pathways characterized by an ambivalent relationship between QoL and desistance. Alongside the importance of individual aspects and social support, societal barriers and opportunities play a significant role in creating new chances to re-build a life and prosocial identities. This reflects earlier findings that desistance is not an individual responsibility. It is essential to support young people to overcome societal barriers that impede participation in society and living a good life. This research adds to growing evidence of strengths-based approaches to rehabilitation, such as the Good Lives Model (GLM).

Identity, self-story and desistance from crime

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin O'Sullivan ◽  
Richard Kemp ◽  
David Bright
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
Theoretical View ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
Empirical Foundation ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to lay the groundwork for a narrative study of desistance that is both qualitative and quantitative. Design/methodology/approach – The review traces the strands of research that have made self-story an important theme in the study of desistance with particular reference to work since 2001. Findings – The importance of an agentic self-story in the process of desistance from crime came to prominence in the work of Shadd Maruna (1997, 2001). Since then authors have attempted to formulate: first, an integrated theoretical view of desistance incorporating agency; and second, a clinically useful understanding of how self-story is important. The clinical studies have almost always been qualitative, relying on extensive life history interviews which yield great richness of detail but few, if any, testable hypotheses. To date, such studies have not provided the empirical foundation on which to develop policy in correctional environments. Practical implications – If it is found that a measure of self-belief correlates with desistance from crime, it may be possible to devise psychological interventions to enhance and change self-belief. Originality/value – The paper proposes adding a quantitative approach to the measurement of self-concept in order to estimate the likelihood of desistance.

Introduction

Home Free ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
David S. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Mass Incarceration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Criminal Recidivism ◽  
Recidivism Rates ◽  
Alternate Reality ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Residential Change

This introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the book, which is to analyze why criminal recidivism rates remain persistently high and to reorient the search for solutions to recidivism by focusing on the importance of place of residence. This chapter situates the study by describing the facts about mass incarceration and prisoner reentry in the United States, including the fact that half of exiting prisoners are reincarcerated within three years of prison release. Many social critics have claimed that “nothing works” to rehabilitate prisoners. However, this book argues that residential change is an overlooked solution to chronic recidivism. This chapter introduces Hurricane Katrina as a natural experiment for examining the question of whether residential relocation away from an old neighborhood can lead to desistance from crime. Katrina provided an alternate reality for examining the relationship between where people live and their behavior.

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