Desistance Among Drug Users: Differences in Men and Women

• In Event: Women and Desistance from Crime

Abstract

The paper is based on a PhD study about turning points in the criminal careers of Belgian drug-using offenders. It consists of a quantitative part (overview of the criminal careers of drug-using offenders) and a qualitative part (focus on desistance and recovery). In this paper, special attention is paid to the differences/similarities in the criminal and drug-using career among female and male Belgian drug-using offenders. Firstly, based upon a – within the context of Belgium- unique longitudinal data set of the criminal career of 800 Belgian drug-using offenders, we describe the criminal careers of (male versus female) drug-using offenders. Secondly, based upon qualitative data (40 semi-structured interviews with desisting drug-using offenders) we examine why and how (male versus female) offenders stop offending and stop using drugs. In this part, we focus on the interplay between recovery and desistance. Furthermore, we do not only focus on their social events that serve as turning points, but also on their subjective processes (and their relation to social events) that help shape desistance and recovery.

Author

• Charlotte Colman, Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy