Source: (2004) Probation Journal. 51(3): 221–232
The notion of ‘desistance’ (or ‘going straight’) is becoming a more
prominent one in criminological discourse, and the Liverpool Desistance Study
(LDS) aimed to provide a deeper understanding of this process from the perspective
of the individuals taking this life path. However, the LDS was not intended to
address how the research might be applied in practice. This article therefore briefly
outlines the research and discusses some of the policy implications, in order to
open a debate with practitioners and others about the way that the research might
be relevant to everyday practice with people who offend. The papers that follow
this article were written in response to the challenge of applying the findings of the
LDS in probation practice.
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