In the past decades a growing body of literature has been dedicated to explain desistance from offending behaviour, or to answer the question why some offenders quit crime and others do not.... Show moreIn the past decades a growing body of literature has been dedicated to explain desistance from offending behaviour, or to answer the question why some offenders quit crime and others do not. Currently, more psychological explanations infuse a prominent line of research emphasizing the importance of subjective, individual factors coming from within the offender, such as developing a new sense of self-identity. The aim of this study was to gain more insight into different dimensions of desistance, focusing on two aspects of identity: future expectations and conventional aspirations, and investigated how these related to (non-)criminal behaviour over time. Furthermore, this study examined how the parole experience interacted with the different dimensions of desistance. This qualitative, longitudinal study followed 28 male prisoners serving a long-term sentence in the Netherlands during their transition from prison to society. Findings illustrated the importance of individual factors such as believing in one’s own abilities in the context of pre-release expectations, the lack of conventional scripts and role models, and the contribution of parole supervision to the desistance process. Yet, it also revealed the pain of failure for men attempting to refrain from crime, mostly relating to structural support such as employment or housing issues. Show less
Various studies have pointed to identity change and cognitive transformation as important predictors of desistance. Yet, even persistent offenders have conventional aspirations, which include a job... Show moreVarious studies have pointed to identity change and cognitive transformation as important predictors of desistance. Yet, even persistent offenders have conventional aspirations, which include a job, a house and a family. This article examines the development of conventional aspirations of 23 Dutch (ex-)prisoners using qualitative longitudinal data. Findings show no association between conventional aspirations and desistance as both desisters and persisters expressed conventional goals (‘house, bells and bliss’). A lack of substance and detailed scripts to flesh out the essence of the desired conventional roles meant it could be difficult to turn vague ideals into concrete action pathways. Finally, conventional aspirations and criminal lifestyles were not mutually exclusive; some of the persistent offenders used criminal pathways to fulfil conventional roles. Show less
