The literature on desistance from crime shows that desisters often engage in a process of rebiographing, crafting life stories – or “redemption scripts” (Maruna, 2001) – that make sense of their move away from crime. However, this literature has largely excluded non-White offenders and people who offend sexually. The current study addresses these gaps by examining the desistance narratives of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men convicted of sexual offending. Drawing on interviews with these men, as well as professionals who support them following their release from prison, it identifies ways in which cultural identity can foster desistant identities among people who have sexually offended.

Dr Kelly Richards is an Associate Professor in the School of Justice at Queensland University of Technology, where her research focuses primarily on sexual offending against children and especially on the reintegration of those who perpetrate sexual violence. She recently finalised three projects funded by Australia’s National Organisation for Women’s Safety on community-based approaches to reintegrating those who sexually offend, as well as the views of victim/survivors of sexual violence about offender reintegration. 

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