Offense escalation and specialization among juvenile offenders

This research investigated the prevalence of escalation and specialization among juvenile offenders and determined whether selected demographic factors influenced the occurrence of these offense patterns. A sample of 365 juveniles from Tennessee was used in the study. Farrington's Forward Specialization Coefficient was used to study both escalation and specialization.

The major findings were (1) only a negligible amount of specialization could be detected indicating that juveniles are not likely to specialize and (2) juveniles do not demonstrate any progression of seriousness in offenses on successive referrals. Of particular significance was the finding that the number of prior referrals had no impact on what future offenses may be committed. It was concluded that though juveniles were quite versatile in their offenses, researchers should continue to attempt to identify the factors that influence the manner in which their careers develop. Sociodemographic factors like race, gender, age, and home environment may affect juvenile career development in a subtle manner unforeseen by this and previous research.

Several policy implications are suggested by this research. As a suggestion, research on juvenile careers should begin after the third offense has been committed. Resources spent on combatting juvenile crime any earlier would seem inappropriate since career patterns would not have become very distinctive. Even then, the vast majority of juvenile offenders remain status offenders and display no tendency toward escalating into more serious crimes. This shift in focus would in turn allow juvenile justice agencies to better manage their already scarce resources by targeting those offenders who are at the greatest risk of developing serious criminal careers.