Skills for success: Understanding routes to desistance

Abstract

Researchers and practitioners may argue that in order to reduce instances of reoffending behavior needs to be modified. The author contends that there is a good deal of work that needs to be done in recognizing the importance of enabling skills for employment, the so-called soft skills. These are often an expectation, but not a given. The article builds upon current knowledge and understanding, highlighting the significance of this skill-set in successful resettlement, providing evidence of how improving life-skills for people can be just as important as any formalized certification in supporting change in offending behavior.

Keywords:

• behavior
• change
• soft skills
• desistance and rehabilitation
• victims

Note

Notes

1 Although violent crime increased slightly in the preceding 24 months, preliminary data from the first 6 months of 2017 showed a reduction in violence in 2017 (https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/preliminary-report).