Desisters in the Making? Exploring the Capacity to Desist During Community Transition Among a Small Longitudinal Panel of Releases Journal of Crime & Justice

• NCJ Number: 252663
• Journal: Journal of Crime & Justice Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Dated: 2018 Pages: 62-80
• Author(s): Eric Grommon; Jason Rydberg
• Date Published: 2018
• Length: 19 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2007-BJS-CX-K036, 2011-BJS-2831
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Since self-narratives signal readiness for change and the capacity to desist from crime, the current study used longitudinal interviews with 39 male subjects in a small, industrialized, Midwestern U.S. city to examine self-narratives as a means of obtaining additional understanding of desistance and the malleable components that shape the process.

Abstract

In contrast to existing long-term desistance studies, this research considers the presence of desistance-promoting narratives during reentry. Data on three waves of interviews conducted shortly after release and three or more months after the first interview are presented. Results indicate that returning prisoners engage with desistance-promoting themes during the immediate reentry process, and that the prevalence and importance of these themes change with additional time in the community. The implications of these findings for reentry policy, practice, and research are discussed. (publisher abstract modified)