What Does Desistance Mean?

In the field of criminology, desistance is generally defined as the cessation of offending or other antisocial behavior.

What is an example of desistance?

The best example in criminology for a desistance theory that appeals to a basic trend is Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) theory of self-control. In this theory, any change in an individual's time series trend in offending over time is simply attributed to the “inexorable aging of the organism” (1990: 141).

What does desistance mean in criminology?

Desistance from crime, the long-term abstinence from criminal behaviour among those for whom offending had become a pattern of behaviour, is something of an enigma.