It is now widely acknowledged that progression from persistent offending to desistance from crime is the outcome of a complex interaction between subjective/ agency factors and social/environmental factors. A methodological challenge for desistance researchers is to unravel the differential impacts of these internal and external factors and the sequence in which they come into play. Towards this, the present investigation draws on a prospective study of 130 male property offenders, interviewed in the 1990s (the Oxford Recidivism Study), and followed up 10 years later. The analysis supports a `subjective—social model' in which subjective states measured before release have a direct effect on recidivism as well as indirect effects through their impact on social circumstances experienced after release from prison.

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In the last 10 years, interest in the concept of stigma has grown remarkably throughout the social sciences. Today, stigma is an important topic that bridges many disciplines, including sociology, psychology, social psychology, and public health. This literature review primarily addresses perceptions of and responses to stigma from the insider's or target's perspective. The topics examined in this review include the following: defining stigma, public opinion and attitudes toward the stigmatized, measurement of perceptions of stigma and discrimination, the coping strategies employed by stigmatized persons to deal with stigma, the impact of stigma in terms of psychological and behavioral outcomes, explanations of coping strategies and outcomes, and strategies and interventions to reduce stigma. As many of the concerns faced by stigmatized persons are universal, what has been learned in research about one stigmatized group can provide insight into another. Promising directions for future stigma‐related research are identified and discussed.

This study builds upon theory and research concerning the helper therapy principle, mutual-help groups, wounded healers, and retroflexive reformation to examine the possible benefits of helping others in a sample of 228 formerly incarcerated persons in prisoner reintegration programs. A 4-item helper/wounded healer orientation scale was developed. OLS regression analysis was used to determine if this orientation is related to psychological well-being and/or acts as a sort of buffer against criminality. The results indicate that the helper/wounded healer orientation has a positive relationship with higher self-esteem and greater satisfaction with life, and a negative relationship with having a criminal attitude and the forecast of rearrest. The finding that helping helps the helper suggests that this principle should be recognized for its potential in facilitating the recovery and reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons.