Desistance from crime and antisocial behavior

Abstract

There have been impressive developments in desistance research over the past two decades, and the body of knowledge in this area of research has grown significantly. In more recent years, due to the increasing numbers of entries and releases to/from prison, the topic of desistance from crime has also piqued the interest of policy-makers. This chapter offers an overview of advances in desistance research. It discusses some of the methodological challenges associated with this area of research, and provides a summary of the key findings in classic and more recent studies. Future research needs, as well as the contributions of Marc Le Blanc to this field of study, are also highlighted.