Maintenance and relapse in long-term desistance from crime and recovery from addiction

ended

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the dual processes of desistance from crime and recovery from addiction within the same population. The research therefore targets a thus far neglected area of scholarly study. Specifically, the aims of the Fellowship are twofold, i) to understand the personal, social, and structural factors that contribute towards ‘long-term’ desistance and recovery, and ii) to explore why individuals who had achieved more than three years success in both processes then experience relapse and recidivism. The research process will have three avenues of investigation, i) an interdisciplinary review of relevant literature and studies from the disciplines of Criminology and Addiction Studies, ii) an analysis of relevant legislature, and iii) sixty semi-structured qualitative interviews to uncover the nuances and complexities of maintenance and relapse in long-term desistance and recovery. Research data will be collected in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The researcher will work out of the host institution, Queens University Belfast, under the supervision of a world leader in the field, Prof. Shadd Maruna. Participants will be recruited through a careful and determined process, overseen by the research supervisor, which will engage with statutory and non-statutory supervision and support services for former offenders and recovering substance misusers. The project will generate new knowledge relevant for the H2020 societal challenges 1 (Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing) and 7 (Secure Societies). Further, the European Union Drugs Strategy 2013-20 identifies achieving a better understanding of addiction recovery and rehabilitation as central to the task of ‘Demand Reduction’.