Stories of persistence and desistance: A study on Maltese ex-inmates’ pathways in and out of crime
(2022) SOCM04 20221Sociology
Department of Sociology
- Abstract
- This thesis investigates five ex-inmates’ narratives on their pathways in and out of crime in Malta. In-depth interviews were conducted to generate their stories. Previous studies on criminal pathways tend to prioritise either the persistence or desistance path and present each path as a linear process. Within this context, the complexities of a criminal path and barriers towards desistance tend to be ignored. To contribute to the body of works aimed at minimising this gap, I analyse past, present and future identities in relation to individual
agency and social influences. Additionally, barriers and pains of both desistance and persistence were also considered to exemplify multifaceted criminal paths further. Therefore, the theoretical... (More) - This thesis investigates five ex-inmates’ narratives on their pathways in and out of crime in Malta. In-depth interviews were conducted to generate their stories. Previous studies on criminal pathways tend to prioritise either the persistence or desistance path and present each path as a linear process. Within this context, the complexities of a criminal path and barriers towards desistance tend to be ignored. To contribute to the body of works aimed at minimising this gap, I analyse past, present and future identities in relation to individual
agency and social influences. Additionally, barriers and pains of both desistance and persistence were also considered to exemplify multifaceted criminal paths further. Therefore, the theoretical framework expands on narratives, identity and symbolic interactionism to illustrate how past, present and future identities and social actors influence a persister or desister identity. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Recidivism continues to be prevalent in Malta, and at 66%, it is one of the highest in the world (Borg, 2018). Previous studies within the field of sociology have presented a variety of explanations for persistence in criminal careers. They portray a variety of environmental and social constraints that limit the individual from moving beyond their criminal behaviour. This notion makes one wonder, how do individuals manage to move away from crime? Why do
they choose to persist with crime involvement? What changes need to be made? What
influences impact their choices and decisions? This study presents five unique stories of ex-inmates in Malta to answer these questions. The data gathered recognises their pathways as complex and... (More) - Recidivism continues to be prevalent in Malta, and at 66%, it is one of the highest in the world (Borg, 2018). Previous studies within the field of sociology have presented a variety of explanations for persistence in criminal careers. They portray a variety of environmental and social constraints that limit the individual from moving beyond their criminal behaviour. This notion makes one wonder, how do individuals manage to move away from crime? Why do
they choose to persist with crime involvement? What changes need to be made? What
influences impact their choices and decisions? This study presents five unique stories of ex-inmates in Malta to answer these questions. The data gathered recognises their pathways as complex and constantly evolving. The main contributors to their pathways in and out of crime were identity shifts and influences from social actors. Past, present and future identities were
discovered to be interconnected in determining a persister or desister identity within my sample. Meanwhile, social actors such as the family, peers, role models, NGOs and the prison aided or restricted progress in their criminal paths, whether towards or away from crime. This study also recognised a criminal label's impact on their criminal path. Also, a multifaceted perspective is presented, and a bridge between the various theories and concepts on pathways in and out of crime was generated. Central to my study are the stories generated through time, and the interviews aided this process by offering the ex-inmates a chance to share parts of their stories. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9098533
- author
- Mifsud, Jolin LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Stories of persistence and desistance
- course
- SOCM04 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- desistance, persistence, identity, criminal pathways, narratives, social interactions
- language
- English
- id
- 9098533
- date added to LUP
- 2022-08-29 19:01:52
- date last changed
- 2022-09-01 10:44:04
@misc{9098533,
abstract = {{This thesis investigates five ex-inmates’ narratives on their pathways in and out of crime in Malta. In-depth interviews were conducted to generate their stories. Previous studies on criminal pathways tend to prioritise either the persistence or desistance path and present each path as a linear process. Within this context, the complexities of a criminal path and barriers towards desistance tend to be ignored. To contribute to the body of works aimed at minimising this gap, I analyse past, present and future identities in relation to individual
agency and social influences. Additionally, barriers and pains of both desistance and persistence were also considered to exemplify multifaceted criminal paths further. Therefore, the theoretical framework expands on narratives, identity and symbolic interactionism to illustrate how past, present and future identities and social actors influence a persister or desister identity.}},
author = {{Mifsud, Jolin}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Stories of persistence and desistance: A study on Maltese ex-inmates’ pathways in and out of crime}},
year = {{2022}},
}