A Descriptive Model of Desistance From Sexual Offending

Abstract

Despite an increasing interest in desistance from sexual offending, a comprehensive theoretical account of the process has yet to be provided. This study examines the narratives of 60 men interviewed in the community, who were incarcerated for sexual offenses and released. Recent findings from this research conclude that men desist from sexual offending, but they seldom follow the processes described by traditional criminology. In many cases, in fact, they desist in spite of their inability to pursue Sampson and Laub's "informal social controls" or Giordano et al.'s "hooks for change." The relentless impact of current public policies such as community notification and electronic monitoring further impedes their likelihood of experiencing Maruna's "Pygmalion effect" or achieving true cognitive transformation or agentic change. The descriptive model introduced here identifies four styles of desistance from sexual offending: "age," "resignation," "rote," and "resilience." Relevant implications are discussed.

Estimating Lifetime and Residual Risk for Individuals Who Remain Sexual Offense Free in the Community: Practical Applications

“…Although scholars debate the processes and mechanisms of desistance (see Harris, 2014, 2016; Lussier & McCuish, 2016), the more fundamental question of defining desistance remains unresolved. Bushway and colleagues made an important contribution to this debate when they suggested defining desistance statistically (Bushway, Brame, & Paternoster, 2004; Bushway, Piquero, Broidy, Cauffman, & Mazerolle, 2001).…”

‘Losing my religion:’ an exploration of religion and spirituality in men who claim to have desisted from sexual offending

“…These continuous variables included: age, sentence length, total time spent in custody, most recent time served, time since offense, time since release, number of charges, total time employed, and so on. It is worth noting that the only relationship that reached statistical significance for the sample was the positive correlation between cumulative time spent in prison and self-reported religiosity (Harris, 2016).…”

“…In fact, only a few empirical studies of desistance from sexual offending exist so far (e.g. : Farmer, Beech & Ward, 2011;Harris, 2014;Harris, 2015;Harris, 2016) and none have formally considered the impact on or relevance for desistance of one's belief or investment in religion. A deeper understanding of the relevance of religion, the opportunity to practice one's faith and attend church, and the more general experience of spirituality in men convicted of sexual offenses is lacking and necessary.…”

“…What does distinguish these offenders, is the way they are treated at all stages of the criminal justice system. This is especially clear with respect to how they are managed upon release (Harris, 2015;Harris 2016).…”

“…Recent work has concluded that although desistance from sexual offending is a typical outcome, it does not transpire as a result of external social controls (Harris, 2015;Harris & Laws,2017). In fact, desistance appears to transpire in spite of the inability to find stable work or a partner (Harris, 2015;Harris, 2016). One possible explanation for this success is one which emphasizes a much more internal and personal transformation.…”