The professional ex- revisited - Cessation or continuation of a deviant career?

An ongoing question is whether participation in deviance is fluid or stable . In a 1991 article, Brown introduced the concept of the "professional ex-, " an individual who uses former deviant status as a springboard into a coun seling career: The professional ex- thus exits a deviant career; transformi ng it into a legitimate status. In the current article, the authors present a different perspective, grounded in self-control theory. The 1990s substa nce abuse treatment industry scandals in Texas provide the framework. A cas e study of one agency, in-depth interviews with fifteen professional ex-s e mployed by the agency, official records, and newspaper accounts of the scan dals are used to explore the issues of stability and generality. Findings s uggest that at least some professional ex-s continue to engage in other for ms of deviance, providing support to Gottfredson and Hirschi's claim that t he propensity to engage in deviance is both general and stable.