NCJ Number
219284
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 47 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 390-404
Date Published
May 2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Drawing on a critical realist perspective, this article analyzes the way in which an internal narrative of crime desistance transforms an offender’s identity into one of an ideal self.
Abstract
The main argument is that offenders are able to desist from future crimes by engaging in an internal narrative that recasts their criminal identity into an identity that involves an ideal future self. In making the argument, the author posits that this disjuncture or break away from the offending identity is most often achieved by seeing the self through the eyes of others, which raises questions about their past and present choices. The author contends that the traits of emotional apathy and responsiveness might help in offenders’ self-appraisals and in their subsequent desistance from crime. The “terms of the conversation” with the self that eventually lead to desistance from crime and a new identity is described as occurring through three distinct phases: (1) discernment, which reviews possible choices; (2) deliberation, which reviews the pros and cons of potential courses of action; and (3) dedication, which eschews past commitments to crime and allows new prosocial commitments to emerge. This three-fold internal process allows the offender to distance themselves from the past and allow a new identity to emerge. However, the author is quick to point out that this internal dialog is not simply a causal reconstruction of past events, but rather involves a moral assessment of past actions versus hopes for the future. In order for this internal narrative to be realized and successful, the power of personal agency and self-reflection must be harnessed by the offender. It is also suggested that the testimony of others can be the impetus to shaking off the criminal identity of the past and committing to a future ideal identity. References