Desistance From Sexual Offending

Abstract

The present study explored the process of desistance from sexual offending in a sample of 21 men convicted of sexual offenses and released from custody. Each participant was interviewed using the Life History Interview Protocol and transcripts were analyzed using NVivo software. The postrelease experiences of each participant were examined and particular attention was paid to the variables previously identified in three established theories of desistance: natural desistance, cognitive transformation, and achievement of informal social controls. Qualitative narrative analysis was conducted to explore the presence of themes of desistance that have previously been identified in nonsexual offenders as well as emergent themes unique to this particular sample. Results underscored the relevance of natural desistance for a small group and the importance of cognitive transformation within the context of treatment for a majority of participants. Emergent themes were mostly related to the negative impact of recent policies on participants' ability to find accommodation, employment, and relationships.

Sexual Offending

“…The rationale of this chapter is to contribute to a necessary reconceptualization of the way we understand and respond to men convicted of sexual offenses. This book expands the way we understand sexual offending by continuing the relatively recent application of a criminological lens to this phenomenon (Harris, 2014;Laws & Ward, 2011;Lussier & Cale, 2013). This approach has broadened in recent years, and the collection of chapters assembled for this particular volume is a testament to that trend, and, we believe, an encouraging step in the right direction.…”

“…Many had served lengthy prison sentences and almost all of them were still participating in mandatory group treatment. The men were interviewed using the Life History Interview Protocol (Harris, 2014;Harris, 2015. The emphasis in the interview was on hearing the participants discuss their experience of release, their process of desistance, what worked, and what did not.…”

“…We argue that their words offer a far more vibrant picture of the reality of their lived experience than any of ours could. Of course, it is beyond the scope of this particular chapter to examine these themes in any great depth and interested readers are therefore referred to recent publications where these individuals are described and discussed in more detail (Harris, 2014;2015;. We simply wish to provide a mouthpiece here for a voice that is central to this issue, yet seldom heard: the service users/consumers themselves:…”

“…We refer specifically in this chapter to a decrease in the frequency, intensity, and seriousness of criminal behaviour that is sexual in nature. Although desistance has been described and observed for those who engage in general crime, we have only recently begun to explore the possibility of desistance from sexual aggression (Harris, 2014;2015;Laws & Ward, 2011;Willis et al, 2010).…”

A narrative review of research on clinical responses to the problem of sexual offenses in the last decade

“…In another study, the majority of those who desisted (individuals who stop committing sex crimes), tended to attribute their success to treatment, understanding the nature of their offense, and wanting to live a prosocial life (Farmer, Beech, & Ward, 2012;Harris, 2017). Participants also attributed their desistence to aging (Harris, 2017) and often found social supports outside of treatment, while those who failed and continued to commit new sexual crimes (known as persisters) were more often socially isolated (Farmer et al, 2012).…”