ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the ambiguities of desistance from crime through the lens of three components which diverge from the many common-sense explanations of how individuals disassociate from crime and criminality. Instead it argues that beyond desisting from crime is an unending and complex self-transformation that involves a continual conflict of identities and liminality as they exist between two social worlds which belong to their past and present. Such ambiguities include (1) ‘prisons and desistance’ and how in some cases, prison can provide individuals with the time and space to reassess their lives; (2) the ‘pains of desistance’ provides an interesting parallel of the ‘pains of imprisonment’ and contrasts the positive and linear process of desistance that studies advocate; (3) ‘redemption and generativity’ becomes an essential transition for some individuals whereby their narrative of experience becomes essential within their generative roles as counsellors and advisors. Each component resonates with my own transition from prison where I began my own desistance and identity transformation through education and, despite experiencing stigma and rejection within society, I eventually became a criminology lecturer and researcher, which has enabled me to inspire students and practitioners.
