Desistance from Crime

Restorative justice (RJ) is associated with offenders’ movement away from crime and victim recovery. However, little is known about the circumstances under which RJ can simultaneously achieve the dual objectives. Using secondary data from the South Australian Juvenile Justice study, this research examines how RJ conferencing shapes short-term youth offending trajectories and victim recovery through relational analysis. Drawing on 60 case observations as well as 60 paired interviews and 60 paired follow-up interviews, totalling 240 interviews, the study demonstrates that outcomes are shaped less by offence characteristics than by relational alignment, emotional readiness, and meaning-making during RJ conferencing. While some encounters support both short-term non-offending and victim recovery, others produce asymmetrical benefits or fail to generate meaningful change. The study highlights the value of paired relational analysis and cautions against treating RJ as a uniform or universally effective intervention in youth justice.

Choice and Challenge is a 12-session offending programme based on a motivational cognitive behavioural therapeutic (CBT) approach, designed and implemented by the Probation Service Programme Development Unit (PDU) in 2013. The programme has been delivered in community and custody settings for four years. Preand post-programme attitudinal testing has been put in place from the outset in order to have some evidence of effectiveness and to assist in programme revision. Programme impact has been measured using the Crime Pics II questionnaire. Information was also collected on some participants in the sixto 12-month period following completion of the programme. Initial findings suggest that participant attitudes were positively impacted. However, the change has proved difficult to sustain and there are significant variations in terms of which attitudinal indices are best sustained. Victim awareness is the least eroded of the four measured indices. This paper provides a brief introduction...

Mainstream sentencing courts do little to change the behavior of partner violence offenders, let alone members of more socially marginal groups. Indigenous offenders face a court system that has little relevance to the complexity of their relations and lived experiences. Assisted by respected Elders and Community Representatives, Australian Indigenous sentencing courts seek to create a more meaningful sentencing process that has a deeper impact on Indigenous offenders' attitudes and, ultimately, their behavior. Drawing from interviews with 30 Indigenous offenders, we explore the ways in which the courts can motivate Indigenous partner violence offenders on pathways to desistence.

This paper explores effective strategies for reducing recidivism and fostering desistance within the Kenyan Correctional context, with a focus on scalable and policy-relevant innovations. While the Risk-Need-Responsivity model provides a globally validated framework for rehabilitation, its implementation in Kenya requires contextual adaptation to address cultural, infrastructural, and socioeconomic realities. To this end, the paper proposes three interconnected interventions: (1) the development of an Artificial Intelligence powered job-matching portal that utilizes offender profiling data from exit assessments to recommend employment opportunities based on skills, interests and employer willingness to hire exoffenders; (2) a USSD-based rehabilitation and learning platform designed for low-end mobile phones, delivering cognitive-behavioral therapy, life skills, substance abuse counseling and progress-tracking through gamified modules; and (3) a culturally adapted version of RNR framework co-designed with community, religious leaders and civil society actors. These strategies aim not only to reduce reoffending but also to support sustained behavioral change by leveraging accessible technology, data-driven interventions, and community-supported rehabilitation models.

espanolResumen Introduccion: El comportamiento delictual ha sido foco de intenso estudio durante las ultimas decadas, lo cual ha propiciado la emergencia de diversos enfoques y teorias que han intentado comprender los factores que inciden tanto en la comision de delitos como en el mantenimiento y desistimiento de las carreras delictivas. Objetivo: el proposito de este articulo de revision es analizar la posible influencia de la paternidad sobre el proceso de desistimiento delictual. Metodo: Para ello se realizo una revision bibliografica descriptiva, que contemplo la utilizacion de las bases de datos Web of Science y Scopus, con una estrategia de busqueda mediante palabras claves relacionadas con el tema de estudio. Resultados: Los hallazgos evidencian un valor disimil de la paternidad en el cese de comportamientos delictivos, segun variables como genero, ciclo vital y tipo de vinculo establecido entre padre e hijo. Discusion: Se analizan los resultados en el marco de la importancia...

La creciente preocupación por abordar la problemática de la delincuencia ha hecho emerger diversos enfoques que se han sumado a la discusión, siendo el desistimiento uno de los más relevantes en la actualidad. El presente estudio tuvo por objetivo evaluar la relación existente entre el tipo de apoyo social percibido, respecto de fuentes de apoyo institucionales y su influencia en el proceso de desistimiento de sujetos con patrones delictuales persistentes, que cumplen condena en un Complejo Penitenciario del sur de Chile. Con base en un diseño de tipo cualitativo descriptivo con casos múltiples, se utilizaron entrevistas individuales focalizadas para recoger la percepción de los entrevistados. Los resultados indican que los entrevistados manifiestan una valoración positiva de las instituciones, identificándolas como un espacio de beneficio en potencia, al que se accedería por la intermediación de un facilitador. No obstante, las instituciones no tendrían mayor influjo sobre el desistimiento, en tanto los sujetos se auto-responsabilizan de su opción delictual, restando impacto a las instituciones en sus trayectorias delictuales. Se discuten las posibles implicancias de los hallazgos sobre los procesos de intervención en esta población.

This article examines how supervision work during gradual release from prison in Finland contributes to the individualisation of punishment. Drawing on interviews with prison and community sanction officials, it demonstrates how probation and parole are understood as client-centred practices aimed at supporting social integration, with emphasis on individual planning, trust, and participatory cooperation instead of punitive control. Despite institutional reforms introducing efficiency targets and risk management, we argue that the supervision of gradual release in Finland continues to reflect social work values and orientations, even amid resource constraints and tightening penal policies.

To Christy, Santhi, and Ray -I don't know that many doctoral students can claim the same, but I realized that the three of you have been standing by my side from the moment I arrived at UD. What a blessing it is to join the ranks of those who you admire and who consistently supported you all along the way. For all the endorsements, nominations, introductions, track changes, wine, laughter, and love -I am forever grateful.

Despite a notable increase in the desistance literature, Asia remains a significant gap in this field. We conducted a scoping review to provide an overview of the current state of desistance research in Asia and to identify the factors that facilitate desistance in this region. In January 2024, literature searches were conducted across seven databases in January 2024: CINAHL, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PubMed, PsychINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science. After screening, we identified nine relevant studies. Our scoping review revealed that desistance research in Asia remains at a nascent stage and is disproportionately focused on East Asia. Additionally, we identified four key areas of focus in the region’s desistance research: (1) family relationships, (2) social networks and support, (3) religion, and (4) culture.

Hablar de Psicología Penitenciaria es hablar de una ciencia atrapada entre dos mundos: el de la norma y el del alma. Una disciplina que nació en el vientre de la cárcel, pero que aspira a algo más alto: a devolver humanidad donde otros sólo ven control, castigo o expediente. Durante décadas, la Psicología Penitenciaria ha vivido, como diría Gustavo Marcelo Álvarez Castro, "atrapada y sin salida". Atrapada entre la burocracia y

The "unessay" project is about the Philadelphia chapter of the Black Panther Party during its most active years. The project is composed of five diary entries from the perspective of Sandra Washington, a 14-15-year-old girl from North Philadelphia during the years 1969-1971. Her mother is Beverly Washington, a schoolteacher from Delaware. Her father is Walter Washington, a Philadelphia native that works for SEPTA. Sandra's best friend is Robert, the youngest of four children whose parents from the South. The two become interested in the Black Panthers after a rally that took place on May 1 st , 1969, which is where the story begins. Sandra, an aspiring writer, is fascinated with the Party because of their uncompromising commitment to social justice and fighting for equality. The information about Black Panther events and programs came mostly from a mix of primary and secondary sources. One of the articles was "Rapping with Richard Reginald Schell", written by Dr. Omari L. Dyson, who has written a lot of literature about the Black Panther Party (BPP). Its purpose is to highlight the role that the Philadelphia branch of the BPP had on its community from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. Richard Schell was the Defense Captain for the Philadelphia chapter of the BPP and one of its founding members. Dyson also wrote an academic article entitled "Brotherly Love Could Kill You: The Philadelphia Branch of the Black Panther Party". This article provided an overview of the history of the Philadelphia branch, including sources from newspaper articles, government documents, and reflections from former Panther members. Another important source used for this project was We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party by Mumia Abu-Jamal, one of the founding members of the Philadelphia branch. The book is partially an analytic summary of the BPP and partially a memoir of his experiences. These three sources inspired most of the central topics in the diary

En la ley 16618, en el artículo 51 se refiere a las casas de menores e instituciones asistenciales. Uno de ellos serán los centros de tránsitos y distribución donde "atenderá a menores que requieran de diagnóstico, asistencia y protección, mientras se adopta alguna medida que diga relación con ellos". También existirá otro centro que es de observación y diagnóstico, el cual "estará destinado a acoger a los menores que hubieren cometido hechos constitutivos de crimen o simple delito".

This is a scoping study designed to help identify evidence gaps regarding the outcomes experienced by children and young people placed in secure care in Scotland. Initially a brief literature review examining recent papers and articles discussing outcomes for young people both in and leaving secure care was carried out. Gaps in the literature were identified and then semi-structured interviews completed with heads or deputy heads of service within each of the five secure units in Scotland, to further clarify where the gaps and challenges are in relation to this subject.

While numerous studies exist on restorative justice, less is known about its use in cases of institutional sex abuse. Given a growing trend towards using restorative justice in such cases, this article addresses this gap in knowledge by analysing a case in Ireland involving historical clerical child sex abuse in schools. From this analysis, more caution is urged in considering when it is appropriate to employ restorative justice and in labelling and promoting activities as restorative when lacking core elements that make restorative justice effective. Moreover, the article warns of the potential for restorative justice to be used to 'wash' organizations of their transgressions rather than deliver meaningful effective and empowering outcomes for participants or ensure accountability.

Global CO2 emissions are on the increase worldwide and must be substantially reduced to abate the associated impact of global warming. The potential importance of their impact on the planet and future generations calls for immediate collective action. Car usage is one of the major culprits on the sustainability agenda. For this reason, numerous environmental campaigns focus on convincing people to reduce car usage. Despite efforts, individuals are sticking to their cars. There is also growing evidence that this is not due to a lack of awareness about its impact on the environment. Therefore, the marginal impact of further awareness campaigns is unlikely to be substantial. Campaigns targeting reductions in car use will benefit from deeper level understandings of what motivates people to persist in using the car despite environmental awareness. A number of studies focus on the motivations underlying car use. However, few have specifically examined the deeper level justifications and m...

In sociology, the concept of social control has undergone various transformations. In contemporary sociology, social control is primarily understood in the context of the enforcement of law and/or the control of crime and deviance. Historically, however, the concept of social control enjoyed a much more expansive meaning. First, social control is an analytical concept (not a specific theory) that can be conceptualized in at least two ways: as a broad concept related to social order; or in a narrow understanding related to crime and/or deviance. This paper, reviews the concept of social control in sociology as well as its implications in empirical research in the social sciences. However, a sustained treatment of social control in a theoretically systematic way will contribute to better formulation of adequate theoretical models of social control which will also add to our study of institutions and practices.

El presente artículo propone una aproximación etnográfica de los procesos de salud-enfermedad-atención relacionados a la población adolescente que presenta conflictos con la ley en la zona norte de Santiago de Chile, realizada entre los años 2023 y 2024, atendiendo los antecedentes de morbilidad y prevalencia de padecimientos psíquicos que presenta esta población (Gaete y otros, 2014; Rioseco y et al, 2009) que implican un deterioro estructural de la así llamada salud mental de estas poblaciones, evidenciando la vulneración, sufrimiento social y violencia estructural que inciden en sus padecimientos.

Center for British Studies I hereby declare the following: (1) That this work has never been submitted, in whole or in part, for any other degree, examination or thesis (2) That it is my own work (3) That all the sources, including online sources, cited, reproduced, or referred to hereinespecially the sources of quotations, images and tableshave been acknowledged as such. With my signature, I acknowledge that any violation of these declarations will lead to an investigation for cheating or attempted cheating.

Research exploring the association between youth offending and education has largely focused on youth under the age of 18. Little previous research has examined the experiences of frontline staff working with children and young people (CYP) in the broad age range of 10 – 25 years old, that offend. What research there has been has tended to focus on the effects of imprisonment on CYP’s education with limited research on the educational needs of those subject to community-based sentences. This study aimed to elicit the views of the Youth Offending Service (YOS), National Probation Service (NPS) and Further Education (FE) college practitioners on appropriate interventions to support the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) of young people and young adults (YPA) subject to community-based sentences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants from a single YOS; six participants from the NPS and three participants from FE college. Participants were recru...

Cet article examine l’importance de la subjectivité dans le champ de la réinsertion sociale au Maroc, en mobilisant l’interprétation des résultats empiriques de deux recherches compréhensives menées avec les jeunes judiciarisés et les intervenants sociaux. En effet, dans un contexte institutionnel dominé par la quantification et la mesure, la question de la subjectivité apparaît assez marginale. Ce constat amène à renouer avec les enjeux éthiques et anthropologiques de la réinsertion en partant de deux postulats : 1- la réinsertion sociale est une expérience sociale élargie et plurielle 2- les usages officiels du concept doivent être questionnés et remis en cause. Dans cette perspective, les récits de vie des acteurs directement concernés nous permettent d’emprunter une approche phénoménologique qui dévoile la normativité des discours officiels, et montre la nécessité d’inscrire la question de l’humain et celle de la subjectivité au cœur des programmes de réinsertion. Revoir l’oubli de la subjectivité et tenir compte les expériences vécues des personnes directement impliquées, cette voie alternative nous permet de tracer des ficelles convenables pour la théorisation.

This reflective, dialogue between two youth justice professionals who have lived experience of being incarcerated children aims to provide an insight into their unique transition. Although living in very different parts of Britain, they discuss and reflect upon similarities in terms of strengths and challenges that come with being formerly incarcerated youth justice practitioners. Both authors share their insights of youth justice developments, their perspectives of participatory practice and how experiential knowing can impact relationship building with justice involved children.

This article is a transcript of a presentation given at The Perrie Lectures in 2024. The Perrie Lectures is an annual event which has the purpose of stimulating dialogue between criminal justice organisations, the voluntary sector, and all those with an academic, legal, or practical interest in people in prison and their families. The theme of the 2024 event was 'Recruiting, training, and developing great prison officers'. We are happy to be here and thankful for having such a great opportunity, especially as two people who come from the predisposition of prisoners who have served several sentences, didn't complete school, and fought through addiction and recovery. If someone would have come to our doors whilst in any of those prison sentences we served and said, 'you will deliver a Perrie Lecture;' we're pretty sure we would have said, 'we don't think so.' We may have framed this with different terminology whilst in prison, but we have learnt to leave that lingo in the prison cell. Or at least get it out of the way in the car on the way to conferences! Today, we intend to problematise the application of the word 'rehabilitation' to the role of the prison officer. This talk will cover insights from our personal experiences of incarceration and criminal justice practice combined with contributions and our reflections from the book we recently edited titled 'The Good Prison Officer: Inside Perspectives. 1 Through this process, we intend to demonstrate how the term 'rehabilitation' is a functional concept that has a direct impact on the experience of both prisoners and prison officers, a finding that emerged from the production and publication of our book. We will posit that the work of the prison officer requires humanity, connection, empathy, understanding, and a balance between the use of force and security and the engagement of trust in a complex and intense carceral environment, which is no mean feat. Michael Howard declared in 1993 at the Conservative Party Conference: 'Prison works. It