A critical review on how social and personal factors can act as barriers to desistance prospects

Abstract

Desistance is a process that offenders who want to shed their offending identity behind will embark upon. The social and personal challenges they can face will be discussed throughout this essay in conjunction with the theories that underpin those challenges. The differences between social and personal aspects will be discussed at length alongside how they can act as barriers to the desistance journey. The contrasting and interlinking theories of agency and structure will be explained and investigated with consideration for these factors. Alongside this, the responses, including government and society, that individuals may encounter along their journey will be investigated. Due to the many conflicting definitions of desistance, the responsibility of changing one’s life often falls solely in the duty of the desister. This responsibility means it is often unseen how personal and social factors can weight so heavily onto someone struggling through desistance. Agency and structure help to understand the nature behind social and personal aspects as well as how they interlap, they can also have layers that further disadvantage an individual known as intersectionality. The roles of the government as well as the probation will be considered and analysed in conjunction with the presence of these obvious barriers in an offender’s desisting journey.