Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012:2012:657671.
doi: 10.1100/2012/657671. Epub 2012 Dec 30.

"Recovery came first": desistance versus recovery in the criminal careers of drug-using offenders

Charlotte Colman  1 , Freya Vander Laenen
Affiliations

"Recovery came first": desistance versus recovery in the criminal careers of drug-using offenders

Charlotte Colman et al. ScientificWorldJournal. 2012.

Abstract

The aim of our paper is to gain insight in the desistance process of drug-using offenders. We explore the components of change in the desistance process of drug-using offenders by using the cognitive transformation theory of Giordano et al. as a theoretical framework. The desistance process of drug-using offenders entails a two-fold process: desistance of criminal offending and recovery. The results however indicate that desistance is subordinate to recovery because of the fact that drug-using offenders especially see themselves as drug users and not as "criminals." Their first goal was to start recovery from drug use. They were convinced that recovery from drug use would lead them to a stop in their offending. In the discussion, we explore the implications of this result for further research.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Farrall S, Bowling B. Structuration, human development and desistance from crime. British Journal of Criminology. 1999;39(2):253–268.
    1. Farrall S, Calverley A. Understanding Desistance From Crime. Theoretical Directions in Resettlement and Rehabilitation. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press; 2006.
    1. Laub J, Sampson R. Shared Beginnings, Divergent Delinquent Boys To Age 70. Cambridge, UK: Harvard University Press; 2003.
    1. Maruna S. Making Good: How Ex-Convicts Reform and Rebuild Their Lives. Washington, DC, USA: American Psychological Association; 2001.
    1. Sampson R, Laub J. Crime in the Making: Pathways and Turning Points Through Life. Cambridge, UK: Harvard University Press; 1993.