NCJ Number
225318
Journal
Criminology Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 1009-1038
Date Published
November 2008
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study used interviews with young, middle-class drug dealers in order to provide data that illustrate and support the theory that when criminals are victimized in the context of their criminal activities, this might lead to an adaptation that involves terminating their criminal lifestyle.
Abstract
In one of the cases examined, a drug dealer was victimized in a fraudulent trade, and this was one of the important factors in his decision to make something of himself and avoid the negative consequences of acting criminally. It is possible that without his victimization, he may not have made this decision. In another case, an assault in the course of a drug deal and a subsequent prominent black eye, which was on display at a family funeral, led a drug dealer to experience shame and guilt that was part of the emotional strain that led him to renounce his criminal ways. One section of this article suggests possible ways in which theorists may specify how conditions relevant to four variables influence the “victimization-termination” link in desistance from crime. One set of variables is the nature of the event or transition, its severity, duration, etc. Another set of variables pertains to the resources, beliefs, and experiences people bring to the situation. A third set of variables involve how the situation or event is defined, and a fourth set of variables involves the resulting direction of adaptation to an adverse event as chosen from available alternatives. This study relied on the indepth analysis of interviews with two drug sellers. At the time of the interview, both men were in their early 20s, enrolled in college, and had never been arrested. The researchers approached them and asked for their cooperation in the study, because the researchers knew they were formerly involved in drug dealing. Transcripts of the interviews and 73 references