Cultures of Desistance

In contrast to the widespread focus on ethnicity in relation to engagement in offending, the question of whether or not processes associated with desistance – that is the cessation and curtailment of offending behaviour – vary by ethnicity has received less attention. This is despite known ethnic differences in factors identified as affecting disengagement from offending, such as employment, place of residence, religious affiliation and family structure, providing good reasons for believing differences would exist. This book seeks to address this oversight. Using data obtained from in-depth qualitative interviews it investigates the processes associated with desistance from crime among offenders drawn from some of the principal minority ethnic groups in the United Kingdom. Cultures of Desistance explores how structural (families,…