ABSTRACT
Practitioners in the criminal justice system routinely deal with the paradox of offenders who say they will desist from further offending but who, shortly afterwards, reoffend. 1 Those working with these offenders are then faced with questions about whether the initial declaration had been genuine, whether the wish to go straight was not aligned with intention, or whether the individual had been unable to fulfil a resolution to desist because of pressures and misfortune. Similarly, research has found that ‘straight expectations fail to make a difference in post release desistance’ (Shover and Thompson 1992: 99; see also Piliavin et al. 1986). Again, questions are raised, this time for the researcher: is the motivation for desistance distinct from expectation and choice? What are the situational influences which constrain the choice to desist? Are long-term goals abandoned in favour of immediate desires and demands? Some individuals do indeed succeed in keeping to their resolve: what makes the difference?
