ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses current knowledge about desistance through a critical review of findings on studies of desistance and the ensuing implications for penal practice. It proceeds by addressing the various definitions of desistance in the research literature, prior to presenting an overview of theoretical explanations of desistance and the empirical studies that inform these explanations. The analysis presented in this chapter considers, where applicable, how contemporary understandings of desistance conceptualise the relationships between structure, agency, reflexivity and identity in the desistance process. Debates surrounding definitions of desistance reflect the diversity of theoretical conceptualisations of desistance and the inherent difficulties in measuring desistance for empirical purposes. Social and structural' theories include social bonds and social control theories which, generally, advance an association between desistance and circumstances 'external' to the individual. Such theories emphasise the significance of ties to family, employment or educational programmes which are considered to create a stake in conformity.
