An Intersectional Test of the Health-Based Theory of Desistance

• In Event: New Insights from the Roads to Desistance Study: Health, Risk, Religion, Victimization, and Criminal Careers

Abstract

The health-based theory of desistance (Link et al., 2019) proposes that health plays a central role in shaping the desistance process, yet empirical tests of this theory remain limited. This study examines the relationship between health and desistance using longitudinal data from the Roads to Desistance study. Quantitative analyses use repeated measures of self-rated level of overall health and specific health conditions across multiple waves following release from prison to assess whether changes in health predict subsequent offending and whether these relationships vary across intersections of race and gender. To contextualize these patterns, qualitative interviews with participants are analyzed to explore how individuals describe the ways health challenges, treatment, and recovery shape daily routines, opportunities, and motivations related to crime. The findings highlight how health trajectories and the resources available to address them may shape desistance processes differently across intersectional groups.

Authors

• Sishi Wu, California State University, San Bernardino

• Rachel Novick, University of New Haven

• Kristin Lurie, University of Cincinnati

• Ronet Bachman, University of Delaware