Exit from the game: Ex-pimps and desistance in the U.S.A

Abstract

Pimps involved in illegal street prostitution in the U.S.A often proclaim that ‘pimping is for life’ and that pimps ‘pimp or die’. But lifelong adherence to these mantras by individuals is called into question when pimps leave The Game and become ex-pimps. Based on in-depth interviews with nine pimps, mostly retired, this paper will examine the motivations and incentives offered within respondents’ narratives about their exit from this criminal career. Exceptional time could be granted to the various highly nuanced issues within this phase of pimping, but this paper is intended to provide a brief overview of retirement through the presentation of concise data, analysis and discussions covered in the narratives of ex-pimps. Factors ranging from incarceration to debilitating drug addiction were offered as motivating factors for retirement by those who did not ‘choose’ to leave The Game, and for those who felt their exit was voluntary, their decision to retire was influenced by a range of factors from risk of incarceration to emotional stresses. Ultimately these ex-pimps reached a point where the costs of engagement in The Game, whether experienced or anticipated, outweighed the benefits of remaining active.