Amputation or Reconstruction? Notes on the Concept of “Knifing Off” and Desistance From Crime

Abstract

Several scholars have suggested that life changes-such as desistance from crime-may be shaped by social structures through a process of "knifing off." Individuals are thought to change their lives by severing themselves from harmful environments, undesirable companions, or even the past itself. Despite the frequent use of this terminology in criminology and other fields, the concept of knifing off remains underdeveloped. Few studies have considered diverse contexts and conditions in which knifing off may or may not occur. The authors raise the following questions: What is knifing off? What gets knifed off, and who does the knifing? Is knifing off necessary and/or sufficient for behavioral change? They conclude that the concept is useful for understanding desistance and selfchange but also encourage further refinement and clarification. Recommendations are proposed for developing the concept of knifing off for theories of desistance, particularly recognizing the significance of life scripts for constructing a noncriminal future.

‘Rolling dolo’: Desistance from delinquency and negative peer relationships over the early adolescent life-course

“…Knifing off was considered as marking a critical 'turning point' in the delinquent or criminal career. While useful, questions remain about the nature of the knifing off process and its relation to desistance from crime (Maruna and Roy, 2007). Does knifing off from friends and acquaintances imply not just avoiding them but completely abandoning them or formally ceasing one's friendship, like a street divorce?…”

“…Knifing off: A conceptual framework for desistance Several competing theories on desistance suggest that individuals are thought to change their lives by severing themselves from harmful environments, undesirable companions or even the past itself (Maruna and Roy, 2007). This process, defined by scholars as 'knifing off' , is used to describe 'the ritual of wiping out self' or 'breaking with an unwanted past'.…”

“…Laub and Sampson (2003) suggest that knifing off is a response to structurally induced turning points that serve as a catalyst for longterm behavioral change. Maruna and Roy (2007) argue that one alternative approach to knifing off is not so much based on structural turning points but more on the idea that individuals can change internally, experience a reform of their character or a personal conversion in their way of thinking. Maruna and Roy's (2007) conceptualization of desistance as a process and reconstruction of a person's worldview and self-identity provides an insightful approach to desistance.…”

“…Many inner-city black boys face stark choices: they can form strong ties with networks affiliated or associated with 'the street' (Anderson, 1999;Oliver, 2006); exercise self-imposed isolation (Roy and Dyson, 2010;Maruna and Roy, 2007); or they can form loose, weak and distal ties with neighborhood peers that provide protection from victimization but do not require reciprocity or mutual obligation (Granovetter 1973).…”

“…A substantial body of literature has examined how adult offenders desist from lives of crime and violence over the life-course Sampson, 2001, 2003;Laub et al, 1998;Maruna, 1997Maruna, , 1999Maruna and Roy, 2007;Bushway et al, 2001). Much of this work is based on adult life-course transitions which have little relevance to youth.…”