Black Men, Emerging Adulthood, and Criminal Desistance in the Urban Context

• In Event: Desisting from Offending

Abstract

Despite slight reductions in the U.S. penal population, young adult Black men who are transitioning into adulthood remain at increased risk of recidivating. While there have been advances in knowledge about factors that are positively associated with criminal desistance, less is known about the events, stages, and processes that formerly incarcerated young adult Black men perceive to support their desistance from crime. As such, with Critical Race Theory as the guiding frame, this paper applies the counter-narrative storytelling methodology to critically examine formerly incarcerated young adult Black men's perceptions of the transitions that facilitate their desistance from crime within the urban context. Eight young Black men, aged 18-25, who were formerly incarcerated and resided in Los Angeles County participated in at least one in-depth interview. Three themes illuminate participant's perceptions with regards to the transitions required to successfully desist from crime, including 1) "Getting out of that old mentality"; 2) "You can't stay with the same habits"; and 3) "I have to find a way to maintain." This paper is significant in that it uncovers the meanings that Black men gave to their lived experiences in a disadvantaged, urban community, and its impact on their criminal desistance processes.

Author

• Charles H. Lea, University of Washington