Effective Interventions in the Lives of Criminal Offenders

?This book provides the most current thinking on effective interventions in the lives of criminal offenders. Original articles by leading criminologists provide in-depth analyses of "turning points" in the desistance process experienced by criminal offenders. An understanding of the sources of turning points (or interventions) across the life course is vital to assessing their impact on criminal behavior. Two sources of interventions in criminal careers are identified in the literature: structural location and human agency. Structural location refers to the social place occupied by an individual in the social structure, e.g., marital and occupational status, education and income, and so on. Human agency means the active will of an individual to change his or her behavior, that is, the decision to stop engaging in criminal activities. In addition, community-based programs and changes in life events are considered important interventions in the life course of criminal offenders. Community-based initiatives include re-entry, drug and alcohol and sex offender programs.  Changes in life events may be positive-establishing a supportive social network, or negative-contracting a serious illness or sustaining a life altering injury. This comprehensive book considers all three sources of turning points-structural location, human agency, and community initiatives-across the life course of criminal offenders. The book will also provide a section on cross-cultural perspectives on the effectiveness of interventions in the careers of criminal offenders. A final section assesses the policy implications of each intervention. In addition, the authors suggest a research agenda to further the understanding of the interplay among the key interventions across the life course.   ???This book will be of interest to researchers studying criminology from a life course perspective, as well as crime prevention, and public policy.