Opportunities for assisting desistance among pregnant and parenting women : Lessons from a community sample

Abstract

In recent years both scholars and those who provide community supervision of offenders have called for a new supervision paradigm grounded in an understanding of the desistance process. The current inquiry examines this process in a communitybased sample of 28 young pregnant or parenting women with histories of substance dependence and criminal offending. Their experiences are explored through the concepts of social and human capital. The results demonstrate the advantages of social capital but reveal the reality of extremely limited social networks for these women, including few positive peers, under-resourced families, and, frequently, abusive romantic relationships. Additionally, women parenting young children in these adverse contexts face significant barriers to obtaining education and employment. The analysis concludes with recommendations for supporting desistance and recovery in this population.