Research on Desistance

This chapter provides an overview of issues in desistance research with a focus on definitions, methods, and analytic frameworks. It provides a very brief overview of what is known about desistance from crime. Perhaps the most consistent finding is that for adults who have been engaged in criminal acts, a strong marriage can lead to desistance. The time-worn quantitative and qualitative divide has also made its way into desistance research. Research on desistance from crime is an entire cottage industry. Both an official American Society of Criminology section and journal have been founded focusing on developmental and life-course criminology, of which desistance is a central part. A separate body of research has indicated that cognitive factors are important in the desistance process. The chapter sketches salient research and measurement issues within desistance research. Primary desistance is the early, tentative move toward ceasing criminal behavior.