Frequency, specialization, and violence in offending careers

Do frequent, violent offenders possess the same characteristics as frequent , nonviolent offenders? Although only a few studies have examined this ques tion, a few limitations reduce the generalizability of the findings. In an effort to overcome some of those limitations, this article uses data from t he Philadelphia Collaborative Perinatal Project to examine two interrelated questions. First, do frequent, violent offenders possess the same characte ristics as frequent, nonviolent offenders ? Second, is there specificity or generality in violence? In general, the results suggest that frequent, vio lent offenders are indistinguishable from frequent, nonviolent offenders an d that involvement in violence is primarily a function of increasing offens e frequency; that is, there is no tendency to specialize in violence. Impli cations for future theoretical research are addressed.