Advancing a Gendered Perspective of Desistance and Identity Transformation

• In Event: Identity Transformation and Resource Availability for Women Offenders

Abstract

A primary focus of criminology is understanding how individuals enter into and exit a life of crime. There is an ongoing discussion in the field about the role of identity work in desistance from offending, particularly through life stories or personal narratives. To date, relatively little attention has been given to how narrative identity theories of desistance might operate differently by gender. To address this gap, we analyze a comparative dataset of in-depth life story interviews with 50 men and women on community supervision, with the goal of building a theoretical and policy-relevant understanding of the role of gender identity, gender roles, and gendered experiences in the process of transformation from offender to ex-offender. We examine the construction of masculinities and femininities in narrative identity, as well as gender similarities and differences in participants’ sense-making of their experiences. Finally, we discuss the contributions of this study to theories of desistance and implications for policy and practice, particularly in the arenas of incarceration and community supervision.

Authors

• Rebecca Stone, Suffolk University

• Kim Kras, University of Massachusetts, Lowell