ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical and conceptual issues surrounding the topic of desistance, as well as a review of the theoretical and empirical work regarding it. It presents particular attention to the role of desistance in prevention, intervention, rehabilitation, and punishment programs and policies, and highlights a few directions for empirical research. The chapter looks at whether it is possible to “force the plant,” as the Gluecks wondered nearly 80 years ago, “so that benign maturation will occur earlier than it seems to at present.” It illustrates a vast amount of empirical work and theoretical perspectives have been applied to desistance, furthering our understanding of why offenders eventually stop. Desistance from crime became a prominent area of study in the 1980s during the emergence of the criminal career paradigm. Timing is influenced by a number of factors, but one of the most important is the definition of desistance.
