Fearful futures and haunting histories in women's desistance from crime: A longitudinal study of desistance as an uncanny process^*

Abstract

Although desistance is increasingly recognized as a series of complex processes by which individuals transform from offenders into nonoffenders, few desistance scholars have studied this process in depth. In recent years, however, some have begun to explore how desistance is a process rife with setbacks and struggles. Through an analysis of repeated in‐depth interviews with ten desisting women, in this study, we have found such struggles to be unsettling and outright frightening. Examples of this were prevalent throughout the women's narratives. The results of our analysis show how frightening aspects of desistance processes stem from making an unfamiliar, normative lifestyle familiar, while unfamiliarizing oneself with a familiar, deviant lifestyle. As such, desistance processes can be conceptualized as uncanny, that is, as pertaining to the frightening and uncertain. Although uncanniness is not a theoretical framework one tends to find in desistance research, it has the potential to develop the understanding of the struggles, fears, and anxieties of desistance processes. Through our analysis, we engage with how uncanniness can nuance established concepts in desistance research. Implications for theory as well as for criminal justice practice are discussed.

“God is real”: Narratives of religiously motivated desistance*

“…This theme is particularly salient given the context of their traumatic pasts, and it resonates with Giordano et al's (2008) observation that spirituality is a potent resource for emotional coping among desisters (see also Schroeder & Frana, 2009). Surrendering to God's will enabled them to cope with some of the uncertainty and status frustration that defined their prior selves, as well as to defend "themselves against their own inner doubts and their uncertain and contingent position in the world" (Farrall et al, 2014, p. 34; see also Fredriksson & Gålnander, 2020). Recalling the childhood experiences that forged his self-view as a victim and an outsider, Dzenan remarked, "I feel like all this was like planned out for some reason.…”

When in doubt: the value of uncertainty for release success among incarcerated women

“…These additional correlates could include risk assessments, indicators of program participation and success, social support and resource access in the community, and indicators of prior justice system involvement. Lastly, it is likely that perceptions of uncertainty for reentry success are best captured through true qualitative interviews, and longitudinal interviews could uncover the uncanny nature of the fears and anxieties that characterize preparation for reentry into the community (Fredriksson & Gålnander, 2020). We identified some correlates of perceived uncertainty, but we are less able to say why these are correlates.…”

“…Perceptual research has a rich history in criminology, where perceptions of deterrence, strain, peer deviance, and procedural justice have all contributed significantly to our understanding of human behavior (Meyers et al, 2017). The prominence of perception is especially evident in corrections through the emphasis on changing attitudes in cognitive behavioral therapy (Smith et al, 2009) and in encouraging the vision of an efficacious, desisting future self that can overcome obstacles (Fredriksson & Gålnander, 2020). Here we advance the idea that uncertainty in future success could actually be a good thing, where it allows people to proactively anticipate a difficult pathway ahead of them and to fully prepare themselves for those obstacles (Souza et al, 2015).…”

“…Following these 130 men 10 years after their release from prison, those who desisted were often described as having hope and agency regarding their future (Burnett & Maruna, 2004). Even among those who desist from crime, people describe uncertainty and fear of a future that is different from the one they lived before (Fredriksson & Gålnander, 2020). People who are currently incarcerated have not had the chance to desist, therefore anticipated-or perceived-desistance is critical for individuals leaving prison (Friestad & Hansen, 2010).…”

Longitudinal cross-national perspectives on female desistance: The role of social and emotional capitals in female narrations of maintaining change

“…In recent research desistance has been identified as a frustrating and fragile process, that is oftentimes filled with setbacks and relapses (Halsey et al, 2017). It is a process that may be experienced as uncertain, frightening, or as Fredriksson and Gålnander (2020) put forward, 'uncanny', to the person going through it. The person may feel stuck in a liminal space between criminal and mainstream contexts that can lead to a loss of their sense of self (Nugent and Schinkel, 2016), which in turn can be unsettling and anxiety-inducing (Fredriksson and Gålnander, 2020).…”