Being Willing but Not Able: Echoes of Intimate Partner Violence as a Hindrance in Women’s Desistance from Crime

Abstract

Purpose This article emphasizes the complexity of desistance processes by exploring how echoes of violent victimization from intimate partners work as a hindrance or barrier to desistance. Drawing on interviews with women who are striving to desist, this article seeks to elucidate how past experiences of excessive and recurring violent victimization affect the life course, with a focus on their restrictions on the women's desistance processes. Methods This paper is built upon repeated qualitative interviews with ten women in the early stages of their desistance processes. They were all interviewed repeatedly on a 6monthly basis for 2 years. Echoes of violent victimization as a hindrance to desistance emerged as a theme during the interviews and are explored further via a thematic analysis. Results Echoes of violent victimization from intimate partners restrict the women's social lives, complicating an already fragile (re)connection to conventional society. Additionally, many of the women are restricted by post-traumatic stress disorders directly related to their violent victimization, which impedes their agency and limits their abilities to act towards desistance. Conclusions Recurring violent victimization has severe implications for the women's desistance processes. Both social and health-related consequences of this violence restrict the women's ability to act towards desistance from crime and expose them to painful experiences of isolation, goal failure, and hopelessness. These conclusions are important contributions to the understanding of the complexity of desistance processes.

A qualitative investigation into the impact of domestic abuse on women’s desistance

“…Whilst the fact Betty desisted, from an external perspective, was likely viewed by those around her as a positive, in reality her break with this 'offending' behaviour was due to her abusive relationship (Barr, 2017). Whilst in many narratives it appears, in concordance with the findings of Gålnander (2019), domestic abuse can contribute to women's criminalisation and hinder their desistance, the antithesis of this is also true. Abuse can equally lead to desistance and appear to influence behaviour for the 'better', but in the context of a harmful relationship.…”

Desistance From Crime—to What? Exploring Future Aspirations and Their Implications for Processes of Desistance

“…All but one (Nina) had been using and/or abusing narcotic drugs on a regular basis. Most of the women had post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), five of whom were clinically linked to repeated violent victimization by intimate partners (see Gålnander, 2019 for an in-depth analysis of how such trauma can impact processes of desistance). Age varied greatly within the sample, spanning from 23 to 53 years at the first interview, and will be attached to the first mention of each woman’s pseudonym in the analysis.…”

Good Intentions: Women’s Narratives of Post-Release Anticipatory Desistance in the Context of Historical and Contemporary Disadvantage and Trauma

“…Structural barriers, just as they influence the onset of offending, also have the power to impact upon desistance, even for those who express a readiness and willingness to cease offending (Galnander, 2019) as was evident for the women in this study. Without opportunities to engage in the mainstream, to connect with prosocial members of the community, to be and to feel included, the individual is relegated to the margins, where good intentions are not supported to materialize into meaningful change.…”

“…A primary example is the turning point of marriage, or more broadly, romantic relationships, about which there is consistent evidence that prosocial female partners encourage heterosexual male desistance (Laub & Sampson, 2003;Leverentz, 2006;Sampson et al, 2006;Shover, 1996;Warr, 1998). However, for justice-involved women whom are less likely to form a relationship with a prosocial partner (Laub & Sampson, 2003;Lawrie, 2003), relational ties can be detrimental to desistance (Barry, 2007;King et al, 2007;Leverentz, 2006), particularly so in the context of male intimate partner violence (Barr, 2019;Galnander, 2019;Österman, 2018). Similarly, employment has been queried for its utility in women's desistance pathways given the higher likelihood of women entering into low-level jobs postrelease that may not offer the level of stability or gratification required to encourage desistance from crime (Cobbina & Miller, 2009;Uggen & Staff, 2001).…”