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                            Library & Multimedia
 Specialization and Versatility in Sexual Offenders Referred for Civil Commitment
NCJ Number
              226536
Journal

*Journal of Criminal Justice* Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2009 Pages: 37-44
Author(s)
          Danielle A. Harris;
                        Stephen Smallbone;
                        Susan Dennison;
                        Raymond A. Knight
Date Published

January 2009
Length
              8 pages
Annotation
              This study examined the extent of offense specialization versus versatility in the criminal histories of male sexual offenders referred for civil commitment.
Abstract
              Offense versatility was the more likely tendency across the sample. Committed and observed offenders did not differ. Although predominantly versatile, child molesters were significantly more likely than rapists to specialize in sexual offenses, and were also more likely to specialize in child molestation. Consistent with previous research with sexual offenders, both measures of offense specialization revealed substantial difference between child molesters and rapists. As expected, rapists had more versatile criminal records. The extent to which persistent sexual offenders specialize in sexual offenses, or the extent to which they also engage in nonsexual offenses, has only recently become the subject of empirical inquiry. This study explored the extent of both tendencies (specialization and versatility) in the criminal histories of 572 adult male sexual offenders referred to civil commitment. The specialization threshold and the diversity index were used to compare offender subgroups by referral status. Tables, notes, and references
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2003-WG-BX1002


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Research (Applied/Empirical)
    
  
  
Date Published: January 1, 2009
    
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