NOTHING TO LOSE OR SOMETHING TO GAIN?

OFFENDING AND DESISTANCE IN YOUTH

Monica Barry

Objectives

• to explore persistent offenders’ reasons for starting and stopping offending against life events, opportunities, offending histories and attitudes;

• to examine official reconviction data since childhood; and

• to explore the potential of capital in the processes of offending, desistance and the transition to adulthood.

THE ZIG-ZAG PATH TO DESISTANCE

2000 2010

Self-reported desisters 14 15

Reoffended again since 2000 8

Stopped again prior to 2010 6

Still offending in 2010 2

Self-reported persisters 6 5

Stopped offending prior to 2010 3

Still offending in 2010 3

Agency versus Structure

• Subjective change – motivation and a conscious or rational decision to stop offending: a precursor to the effectiveness of structural change.

• Structural change – routines, supports and stability: ‘desistance by default’ (Laub and Sampson, 2003: 278).

Hope

‘the desire for a particular outcome and also the perceived ability and means of achieving the outcome’ (LeBel, 2008: 136, italics added).

FUTURE GOALS IN 2000 AND 2010 Goals – male respondents 2000 2010

Find a job 6 9

Get a house 5 6

Find a partner 1 4

Have children 2 4

Goals – female respondents 2000 2010

Find a job 7 4

Get a house 5 1

Gain qualifications 4 5

Have, or gain custody of, children 4 2

Stabilising or coming off drugs 1 4

If I didn’t have so many heavy things that I’ve got on my charge sheet, I could do a lot more things in life. Like, I’d have a lot more choices basically. [But you can make a clean slate?]. I know, and you know, I keep saying to myself I’m gonna do it and I never get round to it. I never get round to doing it… I’ve had obstacles all my life. It doesn’t matter how far I get, there’s always an obstacle. I feel as if I climb that ladder, then there’s a few steps missing and I just slide back down (Diane, 31).

WHAT TO LOSE BY OFFENDING IN 2000 AND 2010

What to lose by offending 2000 2010

Freedom 10 7

Family 10 10

Children 9 11

House 7 6

Partner 5 5

If I do offend, I could lose my kids… End up back in prison or whatever… No, I just wouldn’t offend. I mean, look at all the people you’re hurting…. You’re hurting your family (Marie, 31).

I miss the money. That was the first thing I missed when I stopped, you know, having the nice house, the money, being able to give the bairn [child] what he wanted. But then, that’s life, eh? You’ve just got to move on (Sarah, 36).

• When I get out [of prison], I’ve nothing. No house, no kids, nothing (Len, 10 years ago, aged 26).

• See the last place I had… I got money for it and that, and I was like that ‘oh, am I gonna, am I going back to jail or will I do this flat up?’. I ended up squandering the money on drugs and all that and went back to jail, cos what’s the point in doing a place up and all that if you don’t know what’s gonna happen? (Len, now, aged 37).

I know I will never go shoplifting again. I know I will never break into a house or steal a car. I just want to lead a normal life now and be settled in my flat… I don’t want to end up in prison (Carol, 29).

Rehabilitation aims to improve overall cognitive skills, especially in challenging social situations, and reintegration allows sustaining these efforts when they are being tested. In short, desistance is likely to be maximized when intervention efforts integrate both rehabilitation and reintegration (Kazemian, 2007: 22, emphasis added).

[Moving area] was definitely a factor [in desistance] cos it took me away from all my friends, you know. I just cut myself off from all that… and like not just being put in like some probation where you’re surrounded by other offenders and people who’ve got drug habits. But actually being in a normalised place where everyone is a positive influence on you (Charlie, 32).

Advantages makes it sound that you get something for not offending. Life is life, you know what I mean. You can only lose your life if you offend, you don’t gain anything from not offending, if you know what I mean… You can gain stuff from offending but if you don’t offend, what do you actually gain? (Pete, 29).

[Ex-offenders] have to find a way of taking responsibility for (at least some of) their past actions and yet find a way of doing this without damaging too greatly their sense of themselves as someone worthy of having a future.

(Farrall et al, 2011: 2)

[Policymakers] have to find a way of taking responsibility for (at least some of) their past actions and yet find a way of doing this without damaging too greatly their sense of themselves as someone worthy of having a future.