Out of prison, out of crime? The complex interplay between the process of desistance and severe resource disadvantages in women‘s post-release lives

Abstract

We examine the influence of social capital, subjective changes and post-release resource disadvantages on women‘s desistance and reentry pathways. Using a sample of 1478 formerly incarcerated women, we estimate logistic hybrid random-effects models to assess the influence of several factors on offending during a 7-year follow-up period. We use interviews with a subsample of women to explore the mechanisms underlying the quantitative findings. Results show that the effect of often-studied forms of social control are to a large degree dependent on (unmeasured) individual differences and circumstances, such as pre- and post-incarceration adversities, and the quality of forms of social control. A desire to desist from crime is often blocked by severe resource advantages.