An Integrative Approach to Apprehend Desistance

Abstract

The process underlying desistance is still a strong subject of debate. This article seeks to introduce several core concepts of Archer's morphogenic approach to study how people desist from crime. At first, it discusses the primary existing theories of desistance. Then, this article demonstrates the usefulness of this approach by presenting empirical evidence drawn from semistructured interviews collected with 29 men who desisted from crime in an eastern province of Canada. The study demonstrates how this alternative approach allows for the consolidation of existing knowledge on desistance. Then implication of these findings for both theory and practice are discussed.

Imprisonment, Social Support, and Desistance: A Theoretical Approach to Pathways of Desistance and Persistence for Imprisoned Men

“…Although some participants did begin their change process by critically reflecting on their past, a more prevalent pattern in the sample is that the cognitive change was preceded by certain social factors such as relationships with family or a new romantic partner (these results are similar to the results reported in Dufour et al, 2015). Moreover, the catalytic character of cognitive transformation is observed under specific conditions only-among men who had not accumulated disadvantages during their initial imprisonment and among middle-aged inmates after long periods of imprisonment.…”

“…This argument allows for the theoretical integration of the external, objective resources that activate the desistance process with the subjective mechanisms that are involved in the process. This argument has also been developed in other studies, although it has not been explicitly placed within strain-social support theory (Dufour, Brassard, & Martle, 2015).…”

Criminal Desistance Narratives of Young People in the West of Scotland: Understanding Spirituality and Criminogenic Constraints

“…Our exploration of the final narrative theme further pursues the contextual social constraints on identity transformation and opportunities to progress, which we suggest are insufficiently recognised in the literature on desistance, where class and neighbourhood factors do not seem to be sufficiently central to desistance issues. In a Canadian study of 29 desisting ex-offenders aged 21-70, F. -Dufour et al (2015) argued that personal identity changes at a significantly faster pace than social identity; this finding illuminates the dualistic ontological plight of some of our participants, where offending persists in tandem with a general trend towards desistance. F. -Dufour et al (2015) conjectured that it takes four years for the closure of these identities to coalesce.…”

Le désistement assisté ? Les interventions des agents de probation telles que perçues par des sursitaires qui se sont désistés du crime1

“…En résumé, les théories « intégratives » qui mettent de 6. Pour plus de détails sur ces explications théoriques rivales, voir F. -Dufour et Brassard (2014) ; F. -Dufour, Brassard et Martel (2015). l'avant le rôle précurseur de l'acteur dans son processus de désistement ont de la difficulté à expliquer ce qui motive ce dernier à s'ouvrir soudainement au changement.…”

“…Lorsque l'on tient compte de divers facteurs structurels (position sociale involontaire, coûts des opportunités, accès aux ressources, nature du réseau social) et de divers facteurs agentiels (identité personnelle, identités sociales, projets de vie, valeurs constitutives), on observe plutôt trois processus pouvant conduire au désistement du crime. Comme ils ont été expliqués ailleurs (voir F.-Dufour, 2013 ;F.-Dufour et Brassard, 2014 ;F.-Dufour et al, 2015), seules les principales caractéristiques sont reprises ici afin de permettre au lecteur d'apprécier les perceptions respectives des trois types de désisteurs exprimées dans cet article.…”