Two major hypotheses have been put forward to describe the criminal activity of sexual offenders in adulthood. The first hypothesis states that sexual offenders are specialists who tend to repeat sexual crimes. The second hypothesis describes sexual offenders as generalists who do not restrict themselves to one particular type of crime. The current state of knowledge provides empirical support for both the specialization and the generality hypothesis. The presence of both generality and specialization in the offending behavior of sexual offenders is not as contradictory as it may first appear. However, methodological problems limit the possibility of drawing firm conclusions. Indeed, the specialization hypothesis is based on just one parameter of criminal activity, that is, recidivism, which only takes into account two consecutive crimes. The generality hypothesis is focused mainly on two criminal activity parameters, participation and variety, which do not take into account the dynamic nature of criminal activity over time. Developmental criminology provides a new paradigm to explore the issue of generality and specialization in the offending behavior of sexual offenders. Key words: criminal activity; specialization; versatility; sex offenders. REFERENCE: Lussier, P. (2005). The Criminal Activity of Sexual Offenders in Adulthood: Revisiting the Specialization Debate. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 17 (3), 269-292. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to P. Lussier, Pavillon Charles-De Koninck, 1030, ave. des Sciences-Humaines, Quebec, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada. Tel.: +1 418 656 2131x5978. E-mail address: patrick.lussier@svs.ulaval.ca.
THE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS 2The Criminal Activity of Sexual Offenders in Adulthood: Revisiting the Specialization DebateIn the criminal justice system, individuals having committed a sexual offence are considered a special kind of offender in need of a specific intervention (Simon, 1997(Simon, , 2000. Over recent years, in North America and many European countries, various treatment programs were elaborated to rehabilitate sexual offenders . Although much controversy surrounded the evaluation of treatment effectiveness (Alexander, 1999;Hall, 1995;Marshall & Pithers, 1994;Quinsey, Harris, Rice, & Lalumière, 1993), many efforts were made to develop the risk management of sexual offenders. These efforts led to the identification of risk factors associated with sexual recidivism , as well as the emergence of various risk assessment scales designed specifically for sexual offenders (Boer, Hart, Kropp, & Webster, 1997;Hanson, 1997;Hanson & Thornton, 1999;Quinsey, Harris, Rice, & Cormier, 1998). At the same time, legal dispositions were introduced, such as the "Sexual Predator Laws" in the United States (Lieb, Quinsey, & Berliner, 1998) and the "Dangerous Offender Legislation" in Canada (Petrunik, 2003). These legislative changes were accompanied by measures attempting to reinforce formal and informal social control against...