The literature on desistance from crime has gone global in recent decades, but lacks a comparative framework for understanding cultural differences in these socio-cognitive dynamics. With this fascinating cross-cultural analysis, Dana Segev has opened up an exciting and much needed new direction in the field that will become a catalyst for future work of this kind.
Shadd Maruna Professor of Criminology Queens University Belfast
By examining desistance amongst probationers in England and Israel, Dana Segevs book makes a critically important contribution to the coming of age of desistance research. Through a careful and compelling elaboration of previously under-developed connections between sociological theory, comparative criminal justice and desistance theories and via her own empirical work Segev helps us understand the socio-structural, cultural and interactional dynamics at play in desistance processes. This book is a must-read for desistance and probation scholars, students and practitioners alike.
Fergus McNeill Professor of Criminology & Social Work University of Glasgow
Desistance and societies in comparative perspective extends desistance literature beyond Anglo-European countries to include Israel, uses a comparative lens lacking in much prior work and identifies social/societal factors that differ between locations. Dana writes beautifully and this is a major work for desistance scholars to consider.
David Best Professor of Criminology The University of Derby
Desistance and Societies in Comparative Perspective
Scholarly exploration into how and why people stop offending (desistance from crime) has focused on the impact of internal and external factors in processes of desistance. Prior research has, in general, been undertaken within one nation and neglected the fact that desistance processes are situated within a broad social context which shapes an individuals perceptions and actions. This book begins to fill this gap by exploring how societies and cultures shape desistance processes and experiences.
Desistance and Societies in Comparative Perspective offers findings from a cross-national comparative mixed-method study of desistance processes in England and Israel: two countries with different social-political systems and distinct cultural attributes. The study is the first of its kind in criminology, both in terms of its key objectives and the methods utilised. The findings uncover how social structures and cultures shape individual-level experience. In particular, the findings illustrate how external and internal mechanisms in desistance processes were oriented in particular ways, in accordance with contextual factors. The book outlines five contextual factors which were key in shaping the dynamics of desistance across societies and cultures. These are:
- cultural scripts;
- social climates;
- shared values and norms;
- social interactions and encounters; and
- distinct cultural characteristics.
These five factors provide a contextual framework within which to understand the role of cultures and social structures in shaping agency and experiences in processes of desistance, and with which to account for variances and similarities across societies and cultures. Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to students and scholars in criminology, sociology, cultural studies, social theory and those interested in learning about why and how people desist from crime.
Dana Segev completed her PhD at the University of Sheffield; MSc at the University of Oxford; and BA at Monash University. She is an independent researcher and her work explores desistance processes across countries and cultures, with the objective of uncovering the impact of contextual factors on individual-level experience. She also co-authored the edited book Positive Criminology.
International Series on Desistance and Rehabilitation
The International Series on Desistance and Rehabilitation aims to provide a forum for critical debate and discussion surrounding the topics of why people stop offending and how they can be more effectively reintegrated into the communities and societies from which they came. The books published in the series will be international in outlook, but tightly focused on the unique, specific contexts and processes associated with desistance, rehabilitation and reform. Each book in the series will stand as an attempt to advance knowledge or theorising about the topics at hand, rather than being merely an extended report of specific a research project. As such, it is anticipated that some of the books included in the series will be primarily theoretical, whilst others will be more tightly focused on the sorts of initiatives which could be employed to encourage desistance. It is not our intention that books published in the series be limited to the contemporary period, as good studies of desistance, rehabilitation and reform undertaken by historians of crime are also welcome. In terms of authorship, we would welcome excellent PhD work, as well as contributions from more established academics and research teams. Most books are expected to be monographs, but edited collections are also encouraged.
General Editor
Stephen Farrall, University of Derby
Editorial Board
Ros Burnett, University of Oxford
Thomas LeBel, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA
Mark Halsey, Flinders University, Australia
Fergus McNeill, Glasgow University
Shadd Maruna, Queens University, Belfast
Gwen Robinson, Sheffield University
Barry Godfrey, University of Liverpool
Desistance and Societies in Comparative Perspective
Dana Segev
Governing Delinquency Through Freedom
Control, Rehabilitation and Desistance
Graldine Bugnon
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/criminology/series/ISODR
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2020 Dana Segev
The right of Dana Segev to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Segev, Dana, author.
Title: Desistance and societies in comparative perspective / Dana Segev.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2020. |
Series: International series on desistance and rehabilitation |Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019057756 | ISBN 9780367253691 (hbk) |ISBN 9780429287411 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Criminals--Rehabilitation--England. |Criminals--Rehabilitation--Israel.
