Making sense of Going Straight: Personal Accounts of Male Ex-Prisoners in Hong Kong

While most research on desistance targets Western contexts, we offer a point of comparison through an examination of the experiences of a selected group of male ex-offenders upon their discharge from prison in Hong Kong. To achieve this aim, this qualitative study gives a detailed account of Hong Kong ex-prisoners' accounts of desistance. Semi-structured interviews focusing on prisoner re-entry were conducted with 23 Hong Kong Chinese ex-prisoners. Particularly salient themes to explain the process of going straight in Hong Kong were the importance of social support and family, as well as religion. Ex-prisoners were particularly critical of the rehabilitative efficacy of Hong Kong's prisons as well as post-supervision programmes. These criticisms were related to concerns regarding Hong Kong's competitive and materialistic culture delimiting efforts to desist from crime.