I made the change for me”
Theorizing Desistance for Life Sentenced Youth
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12900082 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L S Abrams (0000-0002-0520-5801, University of California, Los Angeles, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 974-990 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-14 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Criminology & Criminal Justice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-8958 • E-ISSN: 1748-8966 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/17488958241270784 |
| OpenAlex | W4401622200 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 20 |
Building on the work of Professor Joanna Shapland, this exploratory, phenomenological study theorizes contexts that ground desistance for people sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed as youth. The investigation draws from 28 interviews conducted with 10 formerly incarcerated youth lifers, all male, who were imprisoned for an average of 27 years in California. The major themes are presented along three phases in the desistance journey: life in prison as a barrier to desistance, the will to change, and policy changes and the process of parole. The analysis finds that despite a harsh and violent prison environment, all located sources of support (i.e. spiritual, family, and peers) that facilitated desistance and hope to create a meaningful life inside of prison. While the work of desistance was ultimately externally validated by a parole board, all participants asserted agency to take behavioral and attitudinal steps toward desistance long before they had hope for freedom
Agency (philosophy · Criminology · Exploratory research · Prison · Recidivism · Social science · Sociology · Work (physics · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Engineering · Homelessness and Social Issues · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
Social structures and desistance from crime
Interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Understanding desistance
“I Wouldn’t Change Who I’ve Become”
Life Imprisonment from Young Adulthood
Everyday Desistance
The `Chicken and Egg' of Subjective and Social Factors in Desistance from Crime
The pains of desistance
Imperative for Inclusion of Long Termers and Lifers in Research and Policy
Reflections on social values, offending and desistance among young adult recidivists
A first look at the reentry experiences of juvenile lifers released in Philadelphia
California’s Correctional Paradox of Excess and Deprivation
Gender, Crime, and Desistance
Age and the Explanation of Crime
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |