Understanding and Measuring Desistance from Sexual Offending

• In Event: Advances in Sexual Offense Policy Research: Sex Offending over the Life Course

Abstract

While there is a substantial body of work on desistance from crime in general, comparatively little is known about desistance from sexual crime. Scholars have generally relied on a lack of sexual recidivism as a measure of desistance, which can be misleading because desistance and the lack of recidivism are two distinct constructs and should be assessed as such. Desistance consists of gradual cognitive and affective transformation, whereas the lack of reoffending could include several influences such as the natural aging process, the lack of opportunity, or increases in social bonds. The current study reviewed narrative life histories of 72 sex offenders who have been in the community anywhere from 1-15 years and have not reoffended to determine if they have truly desisted or simply have not reoffended.

Authors

• Brooke Cooley, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Lisa Sample, University of Nebraska at Omaha