RT Article
T1 Assisted Desistance in Correctional Centers: From Theory to Practice
JF Criminal justice and behavior
VO 50
IS 11
SP 1623
OP 1642
A1 De Vel-Palumbo, Melissa
A2 Halsey, Mark
A2 Day, Andrew
LA English
YR 2023
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1869084845
AB A key issue for policy makers and practitioners is finding a way to identify what constitutes a rehabilitative prison. In this study, aspects of a carceral experience that successfully ignite desistance journeys, or that “assist” desistance are identified and measured. We report the findings of a measure to do this, the Macquarie Assisted Desistance Instrument (MADI), which was co-designed with staff and residents in two correctional centers in New South Wales, Australia. Analysis of data from both prison staff and residents (N = 604) revealed that the measure was generally coherent (unidimensional), internally consistent, and stable across time. In addition, those who felt their desistance journeys were being more strongly assisted reported a greater sense of self-efficacy, providing support for the idea that custodial experiences can lead to better rehabilitative outcomes. Suggestions for how to improve prison practice and more meaningfully to assist people to desist from crime are proposed.
K1 co-design
K1 Rehabilitation
K1 Crime
K1 Incarceration
K1 Desistance
DO 10.1177/00938548231193313