On the Existential Aspects of Desistance from Crime

This article seeks to introduce several core insights of existential thought and existential sociology to study why people desist from crime (stop offending). By investigating the internal processes associated with desistance, existential sociology can contribute to our theoretical understanding of this phenomenon. The article demonstrates the usefulness of this approach by presenting a case study of one ex-offender who has successfully desisted. The study demonstrates that gaining employment and rebuilding familial relationships were important factors in the process of creating a new sense of self. In addition, successful desistance entails developing a sense of what the future may hold for the individual and a sense of how this future can be realized. The implications of these findings for both theory and practice are discussed.