Understanding Desistance Coaching in Juvenile Justice Interventions

When we talk about criminal justice, it’s common to focus on what went wrong—why offenders commit crimes or return to offending behavior. But desistance coaching shifts the focus to something more inspiring and impactful: what went right. Specifically, why do some offenders stop offending? How can we facilitate that process for teens and young adults?

This guide explores the power of desistance coaching as a transformative tool in juvenile justice interventions. You’ll learn what desistance means, why it matters, and how targeted coaching can help young people move toward a positive, crime-free future.

What Is Desistance?

Put simply, the term “desistance” means ceasing, stopping, or abstaining from something. When applied to the criminal justice context, desistance refers to the process of transitioning from a life of offending behavior to one of non-offending and prosocial living.

Desistance researchers study this shift from a strengths-based perspective, asking questions like:

• What factors help offenders stop offending?
• What circumstances support long-term change?

Unlike recidivism research, which investigates why offenders relapse into crime, desistance focuses on building pathways to success. It examines how individuals manage to step away from criminal behavior and what can be done to promote that change.

For juvenile justice, the focus is often on how to support young offenders who are ready to change. That’s where desistance coaching becomes essential.

Why We Should Support Desistance

Criminality, especially when it begins in adolescence, often stems from a complex mix of factors, many of which lie beyond the individual’s control. By understanding this context, we can better appreciate why interventions like desistance coaching are so crucial.

The Root Causes of Criminal Behavior

• Biological and Psychological Issues: These include trauma, mental health challenges, and cognitive impairments, which are disproportionately common among justice-involved youth.
• Social and Economic Factors: Poverty, lack of resources, and exposure to adverse environments can push young people toward delinquent behaviors.
• Developmental Vulnerability: Adolescence and young adulthood are times of heightened risk-taking, identity exploration, and susceptibility to external influences. This makes interventions during this window particularly impactful.

Sobering Statistics

To understand the gravity of the issue, consider these findings:

• Childhood Trauma:
• • 90% of juvenile offenders in the U.S. have experienced childhood trauma, with 30% meeting the criteria for PTSD (FBI, 2019).
  • By comparison, 64% of the general U.S. adult population reports experiencing childhood trauma.
• Substance Use Disorders:
• • 62-81% of justice-involved youth have substance use disorders, compared to just 6-10% of the general youth population (Salcedo, DiLeo, & Szydlowski, 2022).
• Non-Violent Crimes:
• • 95% of arrests in the U.S. were for non-violent offenses (FBI, 2019), with nearly half of federal prison offenses involving drugs.

Clearly, many young offenders are not hardened criminals but youth acting out of survival, environmental constraints, or developmental challenges. Desistance coaching aims to meet these young people where they are and help chart a better path forward.

The Age-Crime Curve and Why Timing Matters

One of the most well-documented findings in criminology is the age-crime curve. This curve shows that:

• Criminal behavior tends to rise during adolescence,
• Peaks in late adolescence or early adulthood,
• And steadily declines as individuals age.

Even prolific offenders tend to “age out” of crime by middle adulthood, a process confirmed by renowned criminologists Robert Sampson and John Laub.

But why wait for this natural progression? With the right interventions, like desistance coaching, we can accelerate the desistance process, particularly during the critical windows of adolescence and young adulthood.

Addressing Systemic Challenges

Desistance coaching also plays a role in addressing systemic inequalities, particularly the racial disparities that pervade the criminal justice system.

Racial Disparities in Juvenile Justice

• Overrepresentation of Minority Youth:
• • Black youth are 4-5 times more likely than White peers to experience incarceration.
  • Hispanic youth are 3 times more likely to be incarcerated compared to their White counterparts.
• Longer Sentences:
• • Minority youth often face harsher penalties and longer sentences than White youth for the same crimes.

These disparities perpetuate cycles of poverty and criminal behavior in underserved communities. By introducing desistance coaching, we can provide tailored support that helps youth, particularly those from marginalized groups, break free from these cycles.

The Process of Desistance

Desistance is not an overnight phenomenon. It’s a gradual process influenced by personal, social, and structural factors. Here are some key elements of the desistance process, as revealed by research:

1. Discontent with the Present Self:

• • Individuals become dissatisfied with their current lifestyle and recognize the risks of continuing down a criminal path.

2. Vision of a Desired Future Self:

• • They begin to imagine a different, positive identity and life trajectory.

3. Commitment to Change:

• • A strong will to transform emerges, accompanied by a sense of agency to take ownership of one’s choices.

4. Goal Setting and Planning:

• • Clear, actionable goals are established, along with strategies to achieve them.

5. Behavior Modification:

• • Efforts are made to distance from negative influences and environments while adopting positive habits and roles.

Desistance ultimately involves a profound shift in identity—from seeing oneself as a criminal to envisioning and embodying an entirely new, prosocial identity. But this identity shift doesn’t require a complete overhaul of who they are. It’s more about refining certain traits, behaviors, and attitudes to align with their newfound aspirations.

How Desistance Coaching Supports Change

Effective desistance coaching draws on these research-backed factors and incorporates them into a structured, supportive process. Coaches working with young offenders can:

• Facilitate self-reflection to help clients identify their discontent and envision a new identity.
• Provide guidance in setting realistic, inspiring goals and create actionable plans.
• Offer emotional support and encouragement to build self-efficacy and resilience.
• Help clients identify and access structural supports, such as education, employment, and pro-social networks.
• Model and teach self-regulation strategies to manage triggers and challenges.

Coaching provides a safe, non-judgmental environment where young people can explore their options, express their fears, and develop the confidence and skills needed to take charge of their futures.

A Call to Action for Educators and Advocates

Desistance is possible for every young person, especially with the right guidance and support. This is where professionals like educators, coaches, and social workers can truly make a difference.

By integrating desistance coaching techniques into your work, you can empower youth to break free from the cycle of crime and build meaningful, fulfilling lives.

Looking to enhance your skills in youth coaching? Explore our ICF-certified programs designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to foster resilience and transformation in young lives.

Together, we can create brighter futures and stronger communities.