Stands for
DESIST — The process by which individuals gradually and permanently stop offending.
How it works in KallosSim
- In practice language — The process by which individuals gradually and permanently stop offending.
- What it means — Desistance theory (Maruna, 2001; McNeill, 2006) describes how people — particularly young people — stop offending, not as a single event but as a process with setbacks. Key factors associated with desistance include: developing a positive identity and sense of purpose, forming pro-social relationships and attachments, gaining meaningful employment or education, and having a sense of agency and self-efficacy. The implications for practice are significant: a compliance-focused approach (enforcement-only) can impede desistance by reinforcing a criminal identity; a strengths-based approach that builds on what the young person wants their life to look like is more likely to support lasting change. The evidence base for desistance theory is among the strongest in youth justice, built across multiple longitudinal cohort studies.
- In KallosSim — Cases and formative debriefs may reference this concept when your sector pack and card selections call for it.
Training only. Fictional AI-generated cases only — not legal advice, not live decision support, not a substitute for supervision.
What it is not
- A substitute for reading primary statute or your organisation’s procedures.
- Competence assessment, ASYE sign-off, or Bar / SRA / CIPD accreditation.
- Advice for a live family, employee, client, or court matter.