By Steve Kirkwood

Mentoring is an increasingly popular approach for supporting people who have a history of offending. Previous research provides some evidence that it may contribute to reductions in offending behavior and support desistance from crime. The present study analyzed interviews with 33 people who used mentoring services in Scotland to examine the relationships between mentoring, motivation, and desistance. The findings suggest that the offer of mentoring may translate a general desire to change into motivation by providing the means to achieve this change. Mentoring may help people develop ‘hooks for change’ through practical assistance that leads to positive changes and by encouraging people to see the value of such changes. Mentors can also model ways of being that outline possible future selves and services can be structured in pro-social activities that support stakes in conformity. The article contributes to theoretical understandings of motivation and desistance by specifying the interplay of agency and structure.

Criminology & Criminal JusticeVolume 23, Issue 2, April 2023, Pages 183-199