Onset age and offense specialization

The age at which people begin to offend and the variety of different offens es that they commit while active have independently received a considerable amount of attention from researchers. However there has been little attemp t to connect these two relatively distinct lines of inquiry Recently, two p rominent criminological theories, Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime and Moffitt's taxonomy of offending behavior have advanced formal theoretical models that include predictions about the relationship between onset age and offense versatility. The authors test the validity of these p redictions using data from the second Philadelphia birth cohort study condu cted by Tracy, Wolfgang, and Figlio. In support of the predictions from the se theories, the authors find a relationship between onset age and offense versatility. More detailed analyses, however show that this association van ishes after controlling for age. Thus, there was a tendency for offenders t o become more specialized in their offending over time regardless of the ag e at which they initiated offending. The theoretical implications of this f inding are discussed.