‘Less than the average citizen’: stigma, role transition and the civic reintegration of convicted felons
Year: 2013
Type: book
Abstract: Previous research in life-course criminology has shown how desistancefrom crime is linked to the successful transition to adult roles (Sampson
and Laub 1993; Uggen 2000). In particular, offenders who establish a
stable work history and a strong marriage appear to have better postrelease adjustment than those who have yet to enter such work and
family roles. More generally, the transition to adulthood is characterized
by the assumption of age-graded roles and the attainment of specific
behavioural markers. Completing formal education, obtaining a fulltime job, marrying and voting are all markers signalling adult status,
although their sequence and timing may vary over time and space
(Shanahan 2000). Specifying the social-psychological process underlying role transition among offenders has therefore emerged as a critical
question for theory and empirical research on the desistance process
(Shover 1996; Maruna 2001).
Institutions: University of Minnesota, Northwestern University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2679897489