Desistance, Reflexivity Andrelationality: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper presents the analysis of a single life-story drawn from a larger study examining theindividual, relational and structural contributions to the desistance process. The emphasis here is on the contributions of key social relations in ‘Evan's’ narrative of change. How people relate to one another, and what these relationships mean to them both as individuals and together, are critical aspects of understanding the role of social relations in desistance. This paper concludes by considering how penal practices might generate and sustain the kinds of social capital and reflexive, relational networks relevant to desistance.

The pains of desistance

“…McNeill (2006) has also argued that the odds of sustained desistance improve when ex-offenders develop social links with people in different social hierarchies because it enables them to access wider social resources. Getting jobs, taking up new hobbies and being exposed to new experiences assist desisters in ‘moving on’ and building a new life, rather than merely existing (Healy, 2010; Laub and Sampson, 2003; Weaver, 2013). Such experiences also mean that the ‘new’ identity is acted out and affirmed by a wider audience and identity desistance consolidated at a deeper level.…”

“…The idea of ‘mutual aid’ or co-desistance is fairly new, and undoubtedly will have opponents who deem it a risk. However, it can and has been successful (Nugent, 2015; Weaver, 2013, 2015; Weaver and McCulloch, 2012). By believing in and supporting each other, desisters might play a valuable role in helping each other towards a new identity.…”

“…The term tertiary desistance is now being used by McNeill (2016) to highlight another aspect necessary for long-term change: the recognition by others that one has changed and the development of a sense of belonging. If we accept that how we act depends on how we see ourselves, and that this depends, in turn, on how we see ourselves reflected in the eyes of others (Weaver, 2013), which in turn depends on how we act, then these terms delineate desistance in different spheres (the world outside, within ourselves and in relation to others) rather than at different times. This extends the analysis and understanding of deviation and desistance to be more than a linear process.…”

Doing reintegration? The quest for reintegration in Belgian sentence implementation

“…In this context, the members of the sentence implementation courts want the person to disassociate from former ‘negative’ influences, and are therefore expecting a pro-social environment and social control. In this way, important social and interpersonal relations are dehumanised to an extent, as they are reduced to structures whose primary purposes are to condition and control (see also Weaver, 2013).…”

Supporting Families, Promoting Desistance? Exploring the Impact of Imprisonment on Family Relationships

“…The work of Beth Weaver offers a means of breaking down this bifurcation, and developing a more nuanced understanding of family ties and their role in desistance. Drawing on Donati's relational sociology, Weaver argues that it is the meaning attached to relationships that will enhance or impede desistance, as the potential desister attempts to reconcile their own behaviours with desired 'relational goods', such as trust or feelings of connection (Weaver 2015;2013). Importantly, the relationships that Weaver found to be the most supportive of desistance are those characterised by strong bonds of fraternity; or mutual concern, commitment and reciprocity (Weaver 2015;Weaver and McNeill 2015).…”