NCJ Number
240351
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 17 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2012 Pages: 453-462
Date Published
October 2012
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper presents a theory of desistance that covers all the phases of desistance and incorporates insights gained from other developed models.
Abstract
Despite the fact that most offenders eventually desist from committing further crimes, there is an absence of comprehensive psychological and social accounts of the desistance process, beginning at the point when an individual decides to stop further offending, and finishing at the point of successful reentry and social reintegration. Building on previous work, the Integrated Theory of Desistance from Sex Offending represents an attempt to advance our understanding of desistance. The theory describes the desistance process in four phases: (1) decisive momentum (initial desistance), (2) rehabilitation (promoting desistance), (3) reentry (maintaining desistance), and (4) normalcy (successful maintenance of desistance over a long period of time). The theory has significant implications for further theorizing, empirical research, clinical practice, and policymaking. (Published Abstract)