Desistance from Crime in a Non-Western Context: A Qualitative Study of Formerly Incarcerated Individuals in Diyarbakır, Türkiye

Abstract

This study examines whether Western desistance theories explain crime cessation in a non-Western context. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 36 formerly incarcerated individuals-all crime-free for at least two years post-release-in Diyarbak & imath;r, T & uuml;rkiye, a region characterised by strong collective family structures, pervasive religious practices, and rates of burglary and drug-related offences that exceed national averages, we explore the factors facilitating desistance and reintegration. Analysis identified eleven factors: family support, the deterrent effect of imprisonment, employment, social environment, personal motivation, education, prison programmes, drug cessation, probation, religiosity, and age. While these broadly resonate with Western frameworks-including life-course, cognitive transformation, and social control theories-three contextual themes shape how they operate. First, family functions as the primary site of relational identity and collective obligation, not merely as informal social control. Second, religiosity operates as a culturally embedded moral framework intertwined with family honour, rather than primarily as an individual coping resource. Third, the deterrent effect of imprisonment is perceived with particular intensity, amplified by the social stigma that incarceration carries for the entire family in collectivist settings. These findings suggest that while desistance mechanisms may be broadly universal, their expression and weight are shaped by local cultural, familial, and religious structures. The study contributes to cross-cultural desistance scholarship, arguing for reintegration policies grounded in local socio-cultural realities rather than the direct transfer of Western models.