NCJ Number
205086
Date Published
2004
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This study examined the dynamics of recidivism and desistance from crime based on the perspectives of property offenders as they made the transition from prison back into the community.
Abstract
The research involved a 2-year British longitudinal study (Burnett 1992, 1994) that focused on the detailed accounts of male property offenders as they moved from prison to the community upon release. The cohort consisted of 130 men who had convictions for crimes of acquisition, including theft, fraud, robbery, and taking without consent. They had between 3 and 14 previous convictions, indicating that they were at medium risk of reoffending. There were three stages of interviewing. Following the first interview, which occurred in prison shortly before their discharge date, there were two prolonged rounds of postrelease interviewing, with round one occurring 4 to 6 months after release and round two occurring 7-20 months after release. A total of 109 (84 percent) of the original sample were reinterviewed, including 57 who were reinterviewed on 2 occasions. One feature of all the interviews was the request that the offenders look back in time and forward in time and explain their current perspectives on their behaviors and aspirations. In addition to aspirations and expectations, the men were asked about obstacles to desistance from further offending. The study found that behind the contrasting labels of "persister" and "desister," most property offenders are for a period in their criminal careers neither steadfastly one nor the other. Only the most committed in this typology, i.e., the "converts," are true to their decision not ever to consider offending as an option for them. Ambivalence about reoffending, which characterized most of the men at each interview, resulted from having opposing drives and desires in relation to crime. It is "a state in which one is pulled in two mutually exclusive directions or toward two opposite goals" (The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology, 1995). The ambivalence arises from the knowledge that a choice either way could have either favorable or unfavorable outcomes, as well as from simultaneous desires to act in two opposing ways. The majority of offenders did not prefer to reoffend, but they also anticipated "worst-case scenarios" that would lead them to reoffend. The findings suggest that one-to-one counseling prior to release and during the postrelease stage can help individuals address various situations they encounter that might push them toward reoffending. Counseling can also help them to take action in constructing scenarios that will promote desistance from crime. 5 tables, 4 notes, and 72 references