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Fisher, D. G. (2021). Desistance from terrorism. In M. Haner, & M. Sloan (Eds.), Theories of Terrorism: Contemporary Perspectives (pp. 239-261). Routledge.
Understanding how and why people and groups desist from committing acts of terrorism is a central but understudied topic. As recent findings suggest that recidivism from terrorism is higher than for other crimes, the value of understanding terrorism desistance has large policy implications for the reduction and prevention of future terrorism. Despite the increasing attention that has been paid to why people commit acts of terrorism and the impacts of specific counterterrorism initiatives, insights on terrorism desistance have lagged behind this progress. Leveraging developments from criminology, this chapter discusses some of the key perspectives on the nature and measurement of desistance. It then examines some of the key theoretical perspectives on desistance from the criminological literature, including deterrence, rational choice theory, control theories, and general strain theory, and explores how these perspectives inform our understanding of desistance from terrorism. The chapter concludes by providing guidance for future research on desistance from terrorism.