The wider network of social relationships and desistance from crime

Abstract

Prior research has focused on marriage as a key relationship associated with crime cessation. Yet particularly within the contemporary context, relationships with parents, peers, and other family members may also foster or inhibit progress toward desistance. We rely on a symbolic interactionist perspective on social learning that not only centers on the behaviors of these significant others but foregrounds the role of communication processes within the context of these close ties. Drawing on data from a 22-year longitudinal study, results of mixed effects models indicate that partner and peer criminal behavior are linked to within-individual variations in crime, net of traditional marriage indicators. Additionally, parents’ early antisocial behavior was a modest between-subjects predictor, and a composite measure capturing behaviors across the full network suggests a negative effect of “network encapsulation.” In-depth interviews (n = 99) with a subset of respondents, parents, and partners identify four specific dynamics related to communication across these relationships that may influence perspectives and behavioral outcomes: (1) co-constructing meanings, (2) buttressing specific hooks for change, (3) presenting possibilities for a united front, and (4) advancing cognitive contrasts. Results highlight the importance of attending to relationship assets and challenges as individuals attempt to accomplish a consistent pattern of desistance.