The Road to Desistance: The Relationship Between Prosocial Bonds in Adulthood and Intermittency in Offending

• In Event: Life-Course Transitions and Desistance from Crime

Abstract

Research suggests that even the most chronic and persistent offenders take breaks from offending. Yet until recently, prior research did not explicitly examine intermittency as a key outcome. The view of desistance from crime as a process allows for the investigation into the factors that influence “crime-free gaps” in offending as potentially important steps in this process. While gaps in offending increase as offenders age, longer lengths of time between offenses may indicate that a criminal career is winding down. To date, few studies have examined whether the factors that we know influence desistance also impact gaps in offending. Further, there is a shortage of longitudinal research allowing for a fuller investigation into the correlates and mechanisms associated with the process of desistance. The current study investigated the effect of social bonds in adulthood on the time between offenses. Using multiple failure-time survival analysis, we examined whether social bonds lengthened the gap between offenses among a population of serious and high-frequency offenders. Results indicated that even after accounting for the effect of age, employment and relationship status significantly increased the time between offenses. Directions for future research and policy implications are discussed.

Authors

• Tamara Humphrey, University of Calgary

• Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot, University of Calgary