Understanding Desistance from Crime and Social and Community Reintegration

This book gives voice to justice-involved Canadian youth and young adults by sharing their views on their journey towards desistance from crime and social and community (re)integration.

Building on interviews with 140 justice-involved youth and young adults (aged 16 to 35), the book explores the challenges they faced while they were under the control of the justice system, the ways in which they navigated the obstacles they came up against, and the support they needed to overcome them. What and who they consider to be facilitators in their journeys is presented. The book also examines experiences of assisted desistance in different settings, such as incarceration, addiction services, and community supervision. What distinguishes this book is its focus on how justice-involved youth and young adults perceive their own experiences of desistance from crime and social and community (re)integration.

An accessible and compelling read, Understanding Desistance from Crime and Social and Community (Re)Integration will be of interest to those engaged with desistance studies, rehabilitation, re-entry, juvenile and adult justice, and recovery from addiction.

Isabelle F. Dufour is Professor of Psychoeducation at Université Laval in Canada.

Natacha Brunelle is Professor of Psychoeducation at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in Canada.

Roxanne Couture-Dubé is a doctoral candidate at Université Laval in Canada.

David Henry is Director of the Association des services de réhabilitation sociale du Québec in Canada.