Assessing Variability in Offending Between Sex and Non‐Sex Offenders Through Age 70

ABSTRACT

Background

The criminal career paradigm represented a fundamental shift within criminology as it drew attention to the longitudinal patterning of offending, with research findings leading to important new insights on matters related to theory, methods and policy.

Aims

This study examines the longitudinal crime mix among sex and non-sex offenders.

Materials and Methods

Administrative data of over 43,000 individuals released from incarceration in the State of Texas through age 70 are used to examine crime mixture patterns.

Results

Key findings show that: having a sex offence history significantly decreased the likelihood of arrest by age and that having a first arrest for a sex offence was associated with significantly lower odds of any subsequent arrest and violent non-sex offence arrests.

Discussion

The criminal career patterns of sex offenders are not more specialised, violent, nor frequent compared to non-sex offenders.

Conclusion

Theories and policy associated with sex offenders must take into account their lack of crime type specialisation.