Protecting Parents, Idealizing the Past, Blaming Friends: Life Stories of Men Imprisoned for Violence.

Life-stories emerge from a wide variety of facts and events in individual lives and weave a selected few of these together to make meaning in the present. They are crucial for constructing identity and influence action by establishing worldviews and a persona that narrators will seek to confirm. In this study we describe three main themes in the life-stories of six incarcerated men in Argentina: a) Protecting family, especially parents; b) reconstructing an ideal past, and contrasting it with a more cynical present; and c) blaming criminal neighborhoods, friends, and girlfriends for their crimes. We discuss how these themes are intertwined, what function they fulfill, and the identities and masculinities they produce. Combining research on life-stories with narrative and psychosocial criminology the analysis reveals how life-stories of incarcerated men can be seen as attempts at countering stigma and defending a self that is under attack. The life-stories portray a believable, 'good', and multifaceted image of the self, but most importantly, create coherence and unity in otherwise chaotic lives.

"This is where I belong:" a narrative study of professional commitment to a new criminal justice agency.

Scholars of penal change have established a rich theoretical understanding of the macro- and meso- level processes that explain the emergence, diffusion, and success of penal developments. Similarly enthusiastic examinations of the agentic aspects of professional commitment to criminal justice institutions are necessary to better understand the relationship between micro-level individual processes and the endurance and success of penal projects. The present study builds on existing analyses of cause lawyering and indigent criminal defense to examine the personal narratives of penitentiary defenders, lawyers working for the Unit of Penitentiary Defense, a novel Chilean public agency that offers legal assistance and enables convicted prisoners to file grievances and report rights violations before criminal courts. By drawing on 45 in-depth semi-structured interviews, I analyze the ways in which these attorneys incorporate biographical experiences and life events into coherent stories that both support and construct their professional identity as legal aid lawyers despite adverse working conditions. Four narratives are prevalent in their accounts: identification, privilege, calling, and admiration. These narratives demonstrate that criminal justice professionals engage in meaning-making processes through the creation of biographical accounts that tie personal and professional self-understandings together. The contribution of the article is thus twofold: it situates the role of individual agency in the development of penal projects and provides a novel explanation as to how legal aid lawyers become personally and professionally invested in indigent defense.

"I have to be a man for my son": The narrative uses of fatherhood in prison.

Research on incarcerated fathers tends to accentuate the harmful familial consequences of parental incarceration and discuss how having children might prompt incarcerated fathers to desist from crime. Less attention has focused on how narratives of fatherhood shape the day-to-day dynamics of incarceration. Drawing on 93 qualitative interviews with incarcerated fathers in Western Canada, we focus specifically on our participants' parenting narratives. Such narratives are significant interventions in the world, allowing incarcerated fathers to frame their identities in particular ways while simultaneously shaping personal behaviour. Our research, 1. Identifies important fatherhood narratives provided by our participants, and 2. Details how such narratives operate in prison, allowing our participants to advance personal agendas that are themselves related to the dynamics of incarceration. In doing so, we provide insights into incarcerated fathers' situations and advance criminological efforts to appreciate how different actors entangled in the criminal justice system conceive, manage, and narrate their situation.

Female Murderers and Stigma: Coping With the "Bad Woman" Label.

Among the stereotypes of female delinquency, the article focuses on "bad women" par excellence, that is to say, those convicted of murder who have not benefited from the possibility of being perceived and portrayed as "victims" because of their unorthodox femininity. The aim of the study was to understand how the label of "bad woman" is incorporated into the narration of identity of five women condemned for murder; to this end, we focus on the narratives implemented in order to cope with the stigma (narrative criminology), tracing them back to their past and the traumatic experiences they lived (psychosocial criminology). Four narratives emerge: the denied stigma, the disregarded stigma, the despairing stigma and the processed stigma. Psychosocial criminology consents to "go beyond" the surface and to find a "fil rouge" that can explain the discrepancies and the contradictions found in the way of coping with the imposed label.

Corona crimes: How pandemic narratives change criminal landscapes.

The epidemic psychology of pandemics creates an atmosphere of panic and fear that can expedite new laws and facilitate criminogenic narrative arousal. Using narrative criminology, we discuss crimes that emerged from pandemic narratives in the early phases of the disease in Mexico. We show how pandemic master narratives have unexpected criminogenic effects; can be negotiated to make them criminogenic; and are opposed by more fundamentally criminogenic counter-narratives. We also show how pandemics repurpose justifications for traditional crimes and offer an opportunity for narrative repositioning of "criminals". Societal crises intensify the continuous narrative negotiation that always underlies the meaning of crime. Pandemics can therefore act as a prism through which social scientists can see how crime is an ongoing narrative accomplishment.

El sentido de la vida en los relatos de discontinuidad de la carrera delictiva: análisis cualitativo de dos casos / The meaning of life in the stories of discontinuity of the criminal career: qualitative analysis of two cases / O sentido da vida nas histórias de descontinuidade da carreira riminosa: análise qualitativa de dois casos

Resumen El estudio de la relación entre el sentido de la vida y la persistencia o desistimiento de la carrera delictiva, así como su aplicabilidad en el tratamiento de delincuentes, han recibido escasa atención en el ámbito de la criminología. El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en explorar la presencia o ausencia del sentido de vida desde el paradigma de la criminología narrativa. Para ello, estudiamos los relatos de dos varones españoles con extensa carrera delictiva: uno que dejó de delinquir hace 21 años y otro que persiste en la actualidad. Se llevó a cabo un análisis cualitativo sobre tres categorías indicadoras del sentido de vida: comprensión de la propia vida, propósito de vida y sentimiento de importancia. Los resultados indicaron que el relato de desistimiento contenía múltiples referencias al hallazgo de un sentido de vida, en tanto que el entrevistado observó que su hallazgo contribuyó a la finalización del comportamiento ilícito. Por el contrario, el relato de persistencia destacó una experiencia de vacío existencial, la cual condicionaba la continuidad delictiva. Los programas de intervención, cuyo propósito es la prevención de la delincuencia o de la reincidencia, podrían beneficiarse de las aportaciones de un modelo centrado en el sentido de la vida que favorezca el desarrollo de nuevas narrativas resilientes.

Abstract The study of the relationship between the meaning of life and the persistence or withdrawal of the criminal career, as well as its applicability in the treatment of offenders, has received little attention in the field of Criminology. The aim of this work was to explore the presence or absence of the meaning of life from the paradigm of narrative criminology. To do this, we studied the stories of two Spanish men with extensive criminal careers: one who stopped committing crimes 21 years ago and another who persists today. A qualitative analysis was carried out on three categories indicating the meaning of life: understanding of one's own life, life purpose and feeling of importance. The results indicated that the withdrawal report contained multiple references to the finding of a sense of life, while the interviewee observed that its finding contributed to the end of the illicit behavior. On the contrary, the story of persistence highlighted an experience of existential emptiness, which conditioned the criminal continuity. Intervention programmes, whose purpose is the prevention of crime or recidivism, could benefit from the contributions of a model focused on the meaning of life that favours the development of new resilient narratives.

Resumo O estudo da relação entre o sentido da vida e a persistência ou retirada da carreira criminosa, bem como sua aplicabilidade no tratamento dos infratores, tem recebido pouca atenção no campo da Criminologia. O objetivo deste trabalho foi explorar a presença ou ausência do sentido da vida a partir do paradigma da criminologia narrativa. Para isso, estudamos as histórias de dois espanhóis com extensas carreiras criminosas: um que parou de cometer crimes há 21 anos e outro que persiste até hoje. Uma análise qualitativa foi realizada em três categorias indicando o sentido da vida: compreensão da própria vida, propósito de vida e sentimento de importância. Os resultados indicaram que o relatório de retirada continha múltiplas referências à constatação de um sentido de vida, enquanto o entrevistado observou que seu achado contribuiu para o fim do comportamento ilícito. Pelo contrário, a história da persistência destacou uma experiência de vazio existencial, que condiz com a continuidade criminal. Os programas de intervenção, cujo objetivo é a prevenção do crime ou da reincidência, poderiam beneficiarse das contribuições de um modelo focado no sentido da vida que favoreça o desenvolvimento de novas narrativas resilientes.

Narrative Rehabilitation: Manifestation of Chinese and Western Reform Ideals and Practices.

The existing literature has shown that in Western penal systems there is often an official demand for narrative rehabilitation during treatment programs, and has criticized the requirement for a narrative change to correspond with the "judicial-correctional truth." This study is based on participant observation in a male prison in mainland China. Through a comparative lens, this paper found that offenders in Western treatment programs are required to demonstrate a change in narrative identity that is immersed in details from their personal history and from judicial discourse, whereas the Chinese penal system scrutinizes individuality less and focuses more on adherence to a unified narrative form and structure. While both systems are concerned with social control and the legitimation of penal power, Chinese prisons are less concerned with cognitive specifics and more with overt behavioral compliance. Both practices of narrative rehabilitation may be insufficient in facilitating the complex needs of offenders to desist from reoffending.

"If Someone Would Have Showed Me": Identifying Pivotal Points in Pathways to Crime and Incarceration Through Prisoner Self-Narratives.

Criminologists and correctional administrators are continuously interested in understanding criminal career trajectories, including desistance, particularly to further develop correctional programming. One program that seeks to promote successful reentry by triggering desistance for youth and adults is the IF Project, founded in 2008 in Washington State. A central component of the IF Project program requires participants to write narratives that ask them to reflect on their journey to crime and to think about what they would have needed to break away from their criminal career trajectory. This research reports on a content analysis of 171 of these writings by adult prisoners in Washington State. Results from the content analysis reveal distinct and overlapping themes for both men and women that highlight the identity change process. Research and policy implications are discussed.

A Descriptive Model of Desistance From Sexual Offending: Examining the Narratives of Men Released From Custody.

Despite an increasing interest in desistance from sexual offending, a comprehensive theoretical account of the process has yet to be provided. This study examines the narratives of 60 men interviewed in the community, who were incarcerated for sexual offenses and released. Recent findings from this research conclude that men desist from sexual offending, but they seldom follow the processes described by traditional criminology. In many cases, in fact, they desist in spite of their inability to pursue Sampson and Laub's "informal social controls" or Giordano et al.'s "hooks for change." The relentless impact of current public policies such as community notification and electronic monitoring further impedes their likelihood of experiencing Maruna's "Pygmalion effect" or achieving true cognitive transformation or agentic change. The descriptive model introduced here identifies four styles of desistance from sexual offending: "age," "resignation," "rote," and "resilience." Relevant implications are discussed.