NCJ Number
102286
Date Published
1986
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Interviews with 17 ex-robbers in Canada and some ex-offenders' biographies reveal that abandonment of crime calls for recapitulation of the genesis of criminal habits in reverse: the aging offender takes the threat of punishment seriously, re-establishes links with society, and severs underworld associations.
Abstract
The sample was composed of ex-offenders between 30 and 40 years old who had not been arrested during the preceding 5 years. The decision to give up crime was generally triggered by a shock resulting from some aversive experience when committing robbery or a delayed deterrence process involving recognition of the inevitability of capture and a reduced ability to 'do time.' Other aspects of delayed deterrence were an overall increase in anxiety connected with a life of crime and a re-evaluation of the criminal life and its pointlessness. The subjects emphasized that the decision never to return to prison was voluntary and autonomous. The paper discusses the impact of aging, temptations to backslide, and influence of marriage and employment. Diagram and 19 references.