All in the family: the importance of support, tolerance and forgiveness in the desistance of male Bangladeshi offenders

Calverley, Adam

Abstract

In contrast to the widespread (and, rightly, controversial) public and academic focus on ethnicity in relation to engagement in offending, existing research has largely overlooked whether processes associated with desistance from crime vary by ethnicity. This is despite known ethnic differences in factors frequently identified as affecting disengagement from offending, such as employment, place of residence, religious affiliation and family structure, suggesting good reasons for believing differences may exist. This relative neglect of ethnicity as a potentially important factor in the desistance process has not gone unnoticed. Indeed, the leading researchers in this field, Laub and Sampson, have speculated:

We expect that variations by race, ethnicity and structural context in promoting successful transitions to young adulthood will have effects on the desistance process. We know that rates of marriage and employment vary by race and social class. We also know neighbourhood contexts vary as well, and it is expected that these neighbourhood differences will interact with individual differences to increase the probability of crime and violence. But exactly how these interactions between person and context affect the desistance process is the key research question.

Citation

Calverley, A. (2010). All in the family: the importance of support, tolerance and forgiveness in the desistance of male Bangladeshi offenders. In S. Farrall, R. Sparks, S. Maruna, & M. Hough (Eds.), Escape routes: contemporary perspectives on life after punishment (182-201). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203835883

• Acceptance Date: Dec 17, 2010
• Online Publication Date: Dec 15, 2010
• Publication Date: Dec 17, 2010
• Publisher: Routledge
• Pages: 182-201
• Book Title: Escape routes: contemporary perspectives on life after punishment
• Chapter Number: 7
• ISBN: 9780415550345 ; 9780415628679
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203835883
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/405180