CJS 346 Desistence & Changing the Crim

Can hardened criminals really reform? The course will examine literature illustrating how repeat offenders who, by all statistical measures, should have continued on the criminal path but instead have created lives of productivity and purpose. Not only exploring literature describing the aging out process of criminality, this course will also introduce research illustrating that criminals who desist from crime have constructed powerful narratives that aided them in making sense of their pasts, finding fulfillment in productive behaviors, and feeling in control of their future. Prerequisite: CJS 111, Fall 2019