Bringing together leading figures, and drawing upon case studies from around the world, this book seeks to fill a vacuum in the contemporary literature on desistance by considering processes and practices at a societal level that influence how and why people desist from crime.

Part One: Setting the Scene 1. The Architecture of Desistance: Exploring the Structural Sources of Desistance and Rehabilitation Part Two: Cross-Cultural Stories of Desistance and Rehabilitation 2. Comparing the temporal and spatial dynamics of desistance 3. Structural ‘ladders’ and the female path to desistance: Comparative lessons from Sweden and England 4. Exploring Processes of Desistance by Ethnic Status: The Confluence of Community, Familial and Individual Processes Part Three: New Places and New Topics in Desistance Research 5. Structural changes and desistance in a developing country: how transformations in the recent Chilean history aided shaping distinctive routes out of crime 6. How does the penal system and criminal involvement impact the desistance process? Trajectory analysis of young offenders in Brazil 7. Desistance and the Parisian probation service: The paradox of a limited institutional effect on the processes of desistance 8. Religiosity and Desistance from Crime 9. Structuring Desistance: Exploring socio-cultural pathways to change in Ireland 10. Offending, victimisation and desistance: the lives of adult young men from the Sheffield Desistance Study Part Four: Turning Ideas Into Workable Policies: The Implementation and Implications of Research Into Desistance From Crime 11. Recovery and communities: The role of structure in stable addiction recovery and desistance 12. Introducing ‘Desistance’ into Criminal Justice Supervision Policies and Practices: Possibilities and Challenges

"Architecture is a product of both structure and culture – two aspects that have been badly neglected in the desistance discussion to date. This fascinating collection of some of the most important voices in the desistance literature may represent the redemption the field needs in this regard. Very exciting work!"Shadd Maruna, Professor of Criminology, Queen’s University Belfast, UK "The Architecture of Desistance sheds valuable light on the social forces impacting offending and desistance from crime. Collectively, the contributors challenge traditional perspectives on desistance to more directly consider cultural, historical, institutional, and systematic factors that influence the process of desisting. This timely contribution will enhance the field's cross-national understanding of desistance."Bianca Bersani, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts, USA