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Juvenile Homicide Offenders: Factors in Desistance after Incarceration

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  • Norair Khachatryan

    (School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

  • Kathleen M. Heide

    (Department of Criminology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA)

Abstract

While several prior studies have examined the prevalence and predictors of recidivism among juvenile homicide offenders (JHOs), much less scholarly attention has been devoted to exploring the post-release factors that influence JHOs to desist from criminal behavior. Given relatively recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, individuals who commit homicide offenses as juveniles are less likely to spend the rest of their lives in prison. Accordingly, it is important to understand the factors associated with desistance in the post-incarceration lives of JHOs. The present study was designed to assess the effects of post-release factors on JHOs’ recidivism outcomes, using a sample of 19 male JHOs from a southeastern U.S. state who were convicted as adults and sentenced to serve time in prison in the 1980s. These men were interviewed approximately 35 years after their original homicide offense about their adjustment to life in prison and after release, as well as their reasons for engaging in criminal behavior during adolescence. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to identify the post-release factors that were prevalent in the lives of the JHOs who desisted from crime. These five factors included avoiding old neighborhood and friends, positive intimate relationship, stable employment, human agency, and generativity. The implications of the findings for the prevention of recidivism among JHOs, as well as avenues for future research, are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Norair Khachatryan & Kathleen M. Heide, 2023. "Juvenile Homicide Offenders: Factors in Desistance after Incarceration," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:3:p:2354-:d:1049774
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Caudill, Jonathan W. & Trulson, Chad R., 2016. "The hazards of premature release: Recidivism outcomes of blended-sentenced juvenile homicide offenders," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 219-227.
    2. Marguerite Q. Warren, 1969. "The Case for Differential Treatment of Delinquents," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 381(1), pages 47-59, January.
    3. Kathleen M. Heide, 2020. "Juvenile Homicide Offenders Look Back 35 Years Later: Reasons They Were Involved in Murder," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-16, June.
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