Specialization and Criminal Careers: Integrating Time and Memory

• In Event: Longitudinal Examinations of Criminal Behavior

Abstract

The goal of this manuscript is to renew the discussion of specialization as a dynamic process. We argue that astute critiques of the role of sequence in the early specialization literature (Miethe et al 2006; Osgood and Schreck 2007, Sullivan et al 2006) resulted in a reconceptualization of criminal specialization as a static characteristic. Our objective is to advance the conceptual and theoretical development of criminal specialization by re-introducing the notion of “sequence’ into the conceptualization of specialization. In this paper, we examine whether the process that generates specialization has memory. A finding that the process that generates specialization has memory suggests that criminal specialization is not just a static feature that can be used to describe a criminal career holistically, but rather a dynamic feature of a criminal career that develops over time. Modeling specialization as a Markov process, we show strong evidence that specialization is a dynamic process and that sequence is a relevant specialization parameter.

Authors

• Sarah Tahamont, University of Maryland

• Kyle Thomas, University of Missouri-St. Louis

• Thomas Loughran, University of Maryland