Towards a Rhizomatic Understanding of the Desistance Journey
| Author | JAKE PHILLIPS |
| Published date | 01 March 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/hojo.12193 |
| Date | 01 March 2017 |
The Howard Journal Vol56 No 1. March 2017 DOI: 10.1111/hojo.12193
ISSN 2059-1098, pp. 92–104
Towards a Rhizomatic Understanding
of the Desistance Journey
JAKE PHILLIPS
Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Sheffield Hallam University
Abstract: Although the ‘desistance as a (zigzag) journey’ metaphor has proved useful in
terms of translating theory into practice, this article makes the case that it is insufficient for
conveying the truly complex, social, unpredictable and ‘messy’ process of desistance from
crime. The article uses what we know about the process of desistance to discuss the utility
of Deleuze and Guattari’s (2013) rhizomatic theory in recasting the desistance journey
metaphor. In doing so it is suggested that the desistance journey should be understood
in terms of its endless and multiplicitous nature, a symbol of metamorphosis, and it
argues that our focus should be on understanding the ‘desister as nomad’. This, the
article concludes, holds important ramifications for the way in which we understand and
implement desistance-focused practice in the criminal justice system.
Keywords: desistance; metaphor; practice; rhizomatic theory
This article argues that much of the work on desistance (how and why
people stop offending) has been translated into policies through the use
of metaphor which has unwittingly obfuscated the truly complex nature
of desistance. Thus, the article offers a recasting of the desistance journey
metaphor using Deleuze and Guattari’s (2013) book, A Thousand Plateaus,
to consider what ‘rhizomatic’ desistance might look like. The article begins
by discussing some of the main theories of desistance and the ways in
which they have been translated into practice through the use of certain
metaphors. Whilst acknowledging that these metaphors have been useful
in enabling practitioners to make sense of theories of desistance, I make
the argument that they risk being simplistic, obscuring the truly complex
nature of desistance. Thus I offer a possible means of extending the way in
which the metaphor of the ‘desistance journey’ is considered. In doing so
I use rhizomatic theory to help us think about desistance as a multifaceted
process which has no discernible beginning or end and comprises multiple
paths. In this model, desistance is seen as a process of metamorphosis,
highlighting the paths between turning points rather than the turning
points themselves. All in all, I argue, this reflects more accurately the way
in which people desist from offending.
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2017 The Howard League and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK
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