Stepping Stones to Self-Change: A Narrative, Psychosocial Mapping of the Desistance Journey

Research on desistance, transitioning away from crime after being involved in crime, has amassed a vast body of knowledge. However, this has, arguably, translated poorly into criminal justice practice in the UK, despite interest from policymakers. While growing evidence suggests self-change is key to desistance, our understanding of this process has been limited by a tendency to focus on persister/desister dichotomies. In overlooking the nuanced change that occurs between each endpoint, research has yet to address critical questions, such as how agentic and structural factors interact to produce change. This has particularly limited uptake of agentic perspectives, whose focus on self-change and identity is currently at odds with the prevailing Risks-Needs-Responsivity model, which favours measurable and, typically, socio-cognitive factors. To address these limitations, the present research mapped stepping stones in desistance, exploring self-change as a multiphasic process with varying support needs. Two studies explored narratives of self-change throughout the desistance process, applying a holistic approach to the self-concept interpreted through Gadd and Jefferson's (2007) psychosocial criminology alongside social psychological theory. The first study employed a retrospective interview design, drawing on Earthy and Cronin's (2008) form approach to analyse the structure of desistance narratives and identify key phases in the production of desister identities. A six-phase framework was produced, distinguishing key transitional points within self-change from persistence to successful desistance. The second study used a cross-sectional design, comparing narratives within and between groups at different phases of desistance (identified in study one), by integrating narrative and psychosocial methods into an analytic framework focused on the content (Earthy & Cronin, 2008) of life stories. Findings highlighted differences in the self-concept and desistance needs between groups, demonstrating how these are reflected in, and accessible through, narratives. Overall, the research produced a more structured and nuanced interpretation of selfchange through desistance, identifying transitional phases between persistence and desistance. By exploring the needs of people across the desistance journey, a deeper insight into the interaction of agency and structure was developed, which emphasised the role of psychosocial motivations in the internalisation of change. The findings also demonstrated how narratives may be employed as a proxy for understanding the self, providing avenues for quantitative narrative measures of self-change that can overcome the persister/desister ichotomy. These insights have implications for policy and practice, through the development of more targeted interventions and measures of self-change that can monitor desistance in alignment with the actuarial nature of the justice system.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Ph.D.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

PhD thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Westminster

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Felix, Simon

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Aresti, A.
• Mackenzie, J.-M.
• Gerard, F.J.

Identifier

oai:westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk:x6y95

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk:x6y95