Strategies for reducing criminal behaviour emerge from research undertaken in UCD, writes Deirdre Healy
Every day, newspaper readers are confronted with stories about crime. The image often portrayed is that of the recalcitrant offender, seemingly unrepentant and impervious to the harm caused by his or her actions.
What we rarely read about are the success stories - people who were involved in crime but subsequently turned their lives around. In fact, the majority of people who commit crime stop offending eventually. The termination of the criminal career often coincides with the transition to adult roles in work and family life. This phenomenon, known as desistance from crime, is well-documented in the criminological literature.
A study carried out at the UCD Institute of Criminology examined pathways to desistance among adult men under the supervision of the probation service. The study drew on a variety of sources, including in-depth interviews and official records, to produce a detailed account of the shifts that occurred in participants' offending, thinking and social circumstances as they negotiated the transition to desistance. Their progress was followed over a four-year period.
The men had a history of serious or persistent offending and had been in contact with the criminal justice system from a relatively young age. On average, they reported that they began offending at around 12 years. Many had been incarcerated at some point in their lives and had acquired an average of seven convictions each.
Around a quarter had spent time in a special school during their childhoods and 70 per cent had served a prison sentence as an adult. They were on probation for a variety of offences, including serious crimes such as assault, robbery and selling drugs.
The vast majority said they wanted to stop offending
and most believed they could succeed in becoming crime-free. Almost all aspired to lead what they described as a "normal life", centred around conventional adult roles in work and family life.
There was clear evidence to suggest that participants were beginning to change their lives. At the time of the interview, 60 per cent reported that they had stopped offending.
Only a quarter received a new prison sentence during the four-year follow-up period. This rate is much lower than that found in a national study of recidivism among Irish prisoners, where almost half were re-imprisoned within four years. This suggests that many had stopped offending or were at least moving towards desistance.
Pathways to desistance are rarely straightforward. The men expected to face a range of structural, personal and interpersonal barriers to change. In particular, they were concerned about social exclusion, poverty and drug addiction. Many lived in disadvantaged areas and regularly witnessed episodes of violence, drug use and crime in their neighbourhoods. They had limited educational and vocational experience.
At the time of the interview, only 10 per cent were in full-time work. On a more positive note, their personal relationships were strong. Over half were living in the family home and had close bonds with their parents and siblings. Those who had children reported that they had good relationships with them.
Despite these external challenges, many were beginning to muster their personal resources to help them embark on meaningful and productive lives. Those who succeeded in desisting tended to have good coping skills and strong social support networks.
They embraced opportunities for change, sought meaning in their lives, and had confidence in their ability to achieve conventional life success. These personal resources helped them to maintain their commitment to change when they encountered barriers.
In contrast, participants who were still involved in crime often felt overwhelmed by their personal problems. They felt trapped by their life circumstances and could not envisage any alternatives to crime. They struggled to cope with challenges and were unable to resist the temptation to offend. This reduced their commitment to change and increased the attractiveness of the criminal lifestyle.
Young men serving short sentences for relatively minor crimes constitute the largest number of committals to Irish prisons. The results of this study suggest that there may be a more effective way to deal with criminality.
First, efforts should be made to keep people who break the law within the community, enabling them to preserve their social ties and fulfil their responsibilities as citizens. Second, people who are involved in crime often lack social resources and have limited possibilities for upward social mobility. They should be given opportunities to develop their cognitive, social and vocational skills.
This approach would provide ex-offenders with hope and the chance to achieve better life success in the future.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it would offer them a realistic alternative to crime, which is in everyone's interests.
Deirdre Healy is an IRCHSS post-doctoral research fellow at the UCD Institute of Criminology. Her book, Dynamics of Desistance: Charting Pathways through Change(Willan Publishing), will be launched on Wednesday, June 9th, at a seminar in the National University of Ireland, 49 Merrion Square, Dublin from 10am to 1pm.
Speakers include Prof Ian O'Donnell, director of the Institute of Criminology; Maura Butler, Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development; Michael Donnellan, director, Irish Probation Service; Dr Gwen Robinson, senior lecturer, University of Sheffield and Dr Colin Webster, reader in criminology, Leeds Metropolitan University.