Description
Book SynopsisThis book makes a unique contribution to the internationalisation of criminological knowledge about gender and desistance through a qualitative cross-national exploration of the female route out of crime in Sweden and England. By situating the female desistance journey in diverse penal cultures, the study addresses two major gaps in the literature: the neglect of critical explorations of gender in desistance-related processes, and the lack of internationally comparative perspectives on the lived experience of desistance.
Grounded in a feminist methodology underpinned by a critical humanist perspective this book draws on 24 life-story narrative interviews with female desisters across Sweden and England. The discussion covers departure points, qualitative experiences of criminal justice, as well as barriers and ladders' in the female route out. While some cross-national symmetry is detected, particularly in the areas of victimisation and issues around short custodial sentences
Trade Review
"Linnéa Österman's book makes an important contribution to the international literature on desistance. Not only does it focus on women’s experiences of desistance but, more significantly, by comparing the experiences of female desisters in England and Sweden, it highlights the role of broader penal cultures – characterised as ‘Anglophone Excess’ and ‘Nordic Exceptionalism’ – in shaping barriers to desistance and routes out of crime."
– Gill McIvor, Professor of Criminology and Co-Director of the SCCJR, University of Stirling, UK
Table of Contents1. Introducing penal cultures and female desistance 2. Gender, penality and desistance in cross-national contexts 3. Researching women’s journey towards desistance in diverse cultures and contexts 4. Mapping the female offender’s journey: Points of departure 5. Penological landscapes and female perspectives: ‘Nordic Exceptionalism’ and ‘Anglophone Excess’ 6. The female route out: Barriers, ‘ladders’ and the role of relationality 7. The female route out: Employment, inclusion and participation 8. Concluding thoughts on penal cultures and female desistance Appendix
