Book Review: Everyday desistance: The transition to adulthood among formerly incarcerated youth

• Author: Rebecca Ogden,Beverly Reece
• Date: 01 September 2022
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016819855695
• Published date: 01 September 2022
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Abrams, L. S., & Terry, D. (2017). Everyday desistance: The transition to adulthood among formerly incarcerated

youth. Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 237 pp. $28.95, ISBN 978-0-8135-7446-2.

Reviewed by: Beverly Reece Rebecca Ogden, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA

DOI: 10.1177/0734016819855695

In Everyday Desistance: The Transition to Adulthood Among Formerly Incarcerated Youth, Abrams

and Terry provide an engaging contribution to our understanding of desistance from crime among

emerging adults. Desistance is important to study when considering reoffending rates, as the majority

of detained youth return to the justice system within 2–5 years after release. Thus, if we understand

how desistance works for youth, then we can perhaps f‌ind ways to “trigger desistance”before being

caught in a continual cycle of involvement with the justice system. Using narratives of emerging

adults, Abrams and Terry examine “(1) how the process of desistance unfolds for young adults in

a particular urban context, (2) specif‌ic strategies used to navigate challenges related to desistance,

and (3) gender differences in these experiences and navigation tools”(p. 173).

Everyday Desistance details almost3 years of f‌ield research. Their work includes 70 in-depthinter-

views with 25 formerly incarceratedyouth between 18 and 25 years of age, who experienced at least 6

months of incarceration. All participants completed two interviews, while 10 participants completed

three or more. More information surrounding the methodology is provided in the appendix.

The book includes nine thematic chapters. Chapter 1, the introduction, sets the stage by discussing

juvenile incarceration rates and factors, theoretical perspectives surrounding the desistance process,

and the role of gender in desistance. In Chapter 2, “The Road to Juvie,”the authors discuss the envi-

ronmental context of their work in Los Angeles County. Here, the participants are introduced and

individual stories of their pathways into delinquency are provided.

Chapters 3 and 4 focus on experiences within and after the juvenile justice system. In Chapter 3,

“Locked Up and Back Again,”the participants’experiences from entry to exit are discussed, includ-

ing juvenile detention facilities, continuation school, probation camps, and group homes. Often these

youths were rearrested for minor probation violations and became entrapped within the system. Some

youth reported good experiences within the system, such as positive inf‌luences (caring family

members, friends, probation off‌icers, or volunteer mentors). Chapter 4, “And Now I’m an Adult,”

details the youths’experiences following involvement with the juvenile justice system. Abrams

and Terry note barriers related to housing and employment through two themes—“making ends

meet”and “on the margins.”Some youth struggled to support themselves, while others faced

several barriers that impeded their employment prospects.

Chapters 5 and 6 focus on the experiences of the young men. In Chapter 5, “Dangers and

Decisions…,”the authors discuss how male youth navigate life after incarceration. Three typologies

were discussed, although Abrams and Terry make the point that trajectories are not linear but instead

are a zigzag pattern representing the obstacles and setbacks that exist in the desistance process. Some

youth felt that changing their appearance was an important part of desistance. Further, in Chapter 6,

“You Can Run but You Can’t Hide,”youth discuss “being marked”and diff‌iculty escaping their

Book Reviews

Criminal Justice Review

2022, Vol. 47(3) 399–408

© 2019 Georgia State University

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

journals.sagepub.com/home/cjr