“I’m Not the Worst of the Worst”: Redemption and Condemnation Scripts of Sex Offenders

• In Event: Sex Offenders and Criminal Careers

Abstract

Some desistance theorists suggest that in order to stop offending, one must cognitively transform from a criminal to a non-criminal identity. One of the cognitive processes examined in the literature is the presence of redemption and condemnation scripts in offender’s narratives and their link to desistance or persistence in offending. However, studies have not examined the relevance of these concepts for sex offenders who might experience a different cognitive process because of stigma, deviant identities and their exposure to cognitive behavioral therapy. The current study examines the presence of Maruna’s (2001) concepts of redemption and condemnation in sex offender’s narratives. Qualitative, longitudinal data from a sample of sex offenders are used to examine these constructs and how they are related to various desistance outcomes.

Author

• Kimberly Kras, University of Missouri - St. Louis