This book examines desistance from offending amongst men in County Cork – the largest county in the Republic of Ireland. It examines the bigger picture of desistance, namely how offending and recovery from addiction are inseparable processes. It draws on in-depth interviews with 40 men who had engaged with the criminal justice system, and the chapters which follow trace the participants’ life histories: from the hardships they endured as children through their recollection of their reckless teenage years into active addiction and their often numerous attempts at recovery and eventually, for most, full recovery. It challenges some of the dominant assumptions that exist around desistance, and discusses topics such as toxic masculinity. It offers a practice friendly account of the academic work on desistance and a multidisciplinary holistic account of the process of doing desistance.
Graham Cambridge is a project worker with Churchfield Community Trust, Ireland; a probation funded initiative. Graham completed his PhD in Criminology in 2019 at University College Cork.
Orla Lynch is Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at University College Cork, Ireland. Until 2015 she was Director of Teaching and a Lecturer in Terrorism Studies at CSTPV at the University of St Andrews.
James Windle is Lecturer in Criminology at University College Cork, Ireland. He was previously Senior Lecturer of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of East London.