Constructing a Feminist Desistance: Resisting Responsibilization

Desistance theory, which examines how and why people stop offending, has occupied an increasingly central position in criminological discourse over the past 30 years. More recently, criminal justice policy and practice have witnessed a shift towards the uncritical proliferation of desistance (gov.uk, 2019; Carr, 2021) which, in turn, has taken an uncritical examination of ‘crime’ and ‘offending’ (Graham and McNeill, 2018). Whilst desistance theory was conceptualised around the experiences of white men (Gålnander, 2019), more recent examinations of the operation of desistance have explored women’s experiences (Rodermond et al, 2016; Hart, 2017a; Österman, 2018; Barr, 2019, Gålnander, 2019). Nonetheless, Criminology’s focus on desistance theory is illustrative of its phallocentric occupation and this chapter will discuss the implications of this wilful acceptance in criminal justice policy and practice on the experiences of criminalised women. The chapter goes on to consider an alternative anti-carceral, intersectional feminist way forward which directly challenges the current ineffective theory, policy and practice which dominates not only state responses, but also criminology