Desistance

Question 1

key theories of desistance inc dates

Answer 1

rational choice theory 1980-90s
moffitt's dual taxonomy 1990s
age graded informal social control 1990s
cognitive transformation 2000s
marina 'making good' study 2000s

Question 2

what is desistance (McNeill 2012) ?

Answer 2

long abstinence from criminal behaviour among those who offending had become a pattern of behaviour (mcneill 2012)

Question 3

desistance and age crime curve (Kazemian 2007)

Answer 3

most people’s offending career will peak in their teen years (age crime curve) and starts to decline. studies of desistance highlight the processes of change associated (kazemian 2007)

Question 4

Who came up with RCT 1980-90s

Answer 4

cornish and clarke (1985)

Question 5

assumes offenders make a conscious decision about costs/ rewards of crime

Answer 5

rational choice theory

Question 6

study of robbers- rational choice theory

Answer 6

cusson and pinsonneault (1986) identified robbers desisted from shock, growing tired of doing prison time and possibility of longer sentences.

Question 7

what do offenders undergo before desisting (RCT)

Answer 7

re-evaluation of what is important to them

Question 8

idea of two types of offenders

1. adolescence- limited offenders (start in teens and desist leaving teens)
2. life course persistent offenders (starts early and continues well into adulthood)

Answer 8

moffitt’s dual taxonomy (1993-1997)

Question 9

upbringing of 2 type of offender (moffitt’s dual taxonomy)

Answer 9

life course persistent - poor childhood and deficits in educational and emotional outcome
-born into families that cannot care for such children
adolescence- limited - commit less serious offences
-no history of anti-social behaviour
-little trouble in adulthood

Question 10

why was RCT not reliable ?

Answer 10

ezel and cohen found 6 groups of offenders and so moffitt’s 2 types failed to validate

Question 11

who came up with age graded informal social control ?

Answer 11

sampson and laub (1993 and 2003)

Question 12

sampson and laub (1993 and 2003) what did they say

Answer 12

people normally commit crime in the absence of controls to prevent them from doing so

Question 13

what is a control (sampson and laub 1993 2003) ISC

Answer 13

bond to society - made up of attachments, commitments, involvement and beliefs.

Question 14

informal social controls exert greatest control over people = people start to offend as their bonds weaken in early adolescence, but start to desist as ties to marriage, partners and work emerge in young adulthood. what theory is this and by who?

Answer 14

informal social control theory (sampson and laub 1993 and 2003)

Question 15

what is significant about data collected by Gluecks (informal social control theory)?

Answer 15

created ww2 and great depression (1930-40s)- accounts for offending careers within wider framework of social change.

Question 16

Laub et al (1993) on marriage

Answer 16

as marriage continues, and as quality of these social bonds grow, so too offending on the part of the man reduces and ceases.

Question 17

Offenders need to develop a coherent pro- social identity for themselves (2001)

Answer 17

maruna ‘making good’ study

Question 18

Which of 3/ 5 theories have been approved ?

Answer 18

informal social control theory (1990)
cognitive transformation theory (2000)
maruna ‘making good’ theory (2000)

Question 19

Before RCT
‘Ageing is the only factor which emerges as significant in the reformative process’ - sheldon and gluek (1937) why was this disagreed

Answer 19

sampson and laub (1937) age is not the only factor, it includes a range of different variables, i.e. biological changes, social transitions and life experiences.

Question 20

Giando’s cognitive transformation (2002) 4 steps-

Answer 20

1- openness to change 2- awareness of possibility of change 3- can imagine a conventional ‘replacement self’ 4- change in way crime is viewed

Question 21

Desisters need to identify the sort of person they want to become in role adoption and identifying a set of values or moral standards.

Answer 21

giando’s cognitive transformation (2002)

Question 22

offenders experience a significant event - who said this results in desisting ?

Answer 22

cusson and pinsonneault (1986)

Question 23

offenders experience several lapses before eventually ceasing offending - who said desisting is a journey ?

Answer 23

laub et al (1998)

Question 24

Maruna and Farrell (2004) say about the process of desistance

Answer 24

explore desistance in terms of primary (a crime free lull) and secondary (at which point the desister assumes a new role or identity as a changed person)

Question 25

external factors in desisting

Answer 25

maturational reform, stable marriage, parenthood, employment, moving to a new place, moving away from delinquent peer group, military service and cjs such as probation

Question 26

internal factors in desisting

Answer 26

making the decision to stop, finding motivation to stop, feeling shame/ regret, religious conversion and role of hope, cognitive reorientation

Question 27

marriage ‘breaks up the routine of ordinary criminal associations and activities, and can open opportunities to gain a new circle of non-deviant friends - who said this

Answer 27

laws and ward (2011)

Question 28

Maruna (2001) say about women/marriage and desistance

Answer 28

refers to a good woman as a catalyst for desistance

Question 29

who said marriage isn’t the important thing, but the quality of the relationship and the offending career of the person desister married.

Answer 29

west (1982)

Question 30

what does religious conversion provide in desisting (Appleton 2001)

Answer 30

creates a new pro- social identity, offers redemption and provides a purpose for imprisonment and plans for the future