The Liverpool Desistance Study and probation practice: Opening the dialogue

Abstract

The notion of 'desistance' (or 'going straight') is becoming a moreprominent one in criminological discourse, and the Liverpool Desistance Study(LDS) aimed to provide a deeper understanding of this process from the perspectiveof the individuals taking this life path. However, the LDS was not intended toaddress how the research might be applied in practice. This article therefore brieflyoutlines the research and discusses some of the policy implications, in order toopen a debate with practitioners and others about the way that the research mightbe relevant to everyday practice with people who offend. The papers that followthis article were written in response to the challenge of applying the findings of theLDS in probation practice.