Education and Desistance: Connecting Life-course Transitions with Desistance from Offending behavior through Higher Education

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

The question of ‘what works’ when talking about ex-offender’s reintegration into their communities is an on-going discussion. In examining life-course transitions, my work looks at ex-offenders in college and aims to identify the critical turning point in the participant’s life, and what aspect of higher education plays a more significant role in desistance. Areas of developmental concentration focuses on self control, self identity, and peer group influence on individual experiences. The purpose is to learn more about why education works to encourage desistance, and essentially what part of the education process helped to transform the lives of individual ex-offenders.

Author

• Kevin M. Gonzalez, California State University, Los Angeles