Going straight for her children? Mothers' desistance after incarceration.
Item
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Title
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Going straight for her children? Mothers' desistance after incarceration.
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Identifier
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AAI3278411
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identifier
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3278411
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Creator
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Michalsen, Venezia.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Michael Jacobson
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Date
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2007
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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The process by which individuals stop, or desist from, criminal behavior is an emerging focus of theoretical and research inquiry. Two theories which seek to explain the phenomenon of desistance are life course theory and identity change theory. Life course theory posits that bonds to individuals and institutions contribute to changes in criminal behavior throughout the life course, and identity change theory suggests that an individual will desist when she goes through a prosocial shift in her sense of who she is. Despite the fact that most women involved with the criminal justice system are mothers and must reunify with their children upon release, there has been no discussion of the effects of reunification in any desistance research, nor have these two concepts been addressed in tandem by either life course or identity change theories. In this dissertation, interviews were conducted with 100 formerly incarcerated mothers to expand on the theories behind these concepts of desistance. Women were interviewed about their relationships with their children, changes in their identity and their desistance behaviors. Overall, time spent with children was found to affect desistance more than the presence or absence of official reunification. Extensive contact with the criminal justice system, and associated identity change, were also shown to affect desistance. Other reunification issues, barriers to successful reentry and desistance, and directions for future research are discussed.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
