Beyond Recidivism and Desistance
Beyond Recidivism and Desistance
Feminist Criminology, Ahead of Print.
Reflecting on research following formerly incarcerated Massachusetts women for more than a decade, this paper questions whether conventional understandings of recidivism and desistance are meaningful frames for understanding women’s life trajectories. Drawing on our ongoing ethnographic work we argue that conventional measures of recidivism and desistance tend to (1) overstate the significance of distinctions between licit and illicit behavior—especially for women, (2) undervalue macro/structural and institutionalized barriers to stable housing and employment, (3) overly focus on individual choices and narratives in contexts where freedoms are constrained by structural and institutional policies and practices, (4) overlook the risks and erratic nature of daily and family life for women and other vulnerable, marginalized and poorly-resourced populations.
Reflecting on research following formerly incarcerated Massachusetts women for more than a decade, this paper questions whether conventional understandings of recidivism and desistance are meaningful frames for understanding women’s life trajectories. Drawing on our ongoing ethnographic work we argue that conventional measures of recidivism and desistance tend to (1) overstate the significance of distinctions between licit and illicit behavior—especially for women, (2) undervalue macro/structural and institutionalized barriers to stable housing and employment, (3) overly focus on individual choices and narratives in contexts where freedoms are constrained by structural and institutional policies and practices, (4) overlook the risks and erratic nature of daily and family life for women and other vulnerable, marginalized and poorly-resourced populations.
Susan Starr Sered