Studying criminal career length through early adulthood among serious offenders

Much of the research on criminal careers has concentrated on the dimensions of prevalence, frequency, specialization, and desistance. One dimension that has not been the focus of research is career length. Knowledge on the distribution of - and correlates associated with - career length is important for matters related to theory and policy. Using data from a sample of parolees from the California Youth Authority, the authors studied the career-length issue and provide important descriptive and etiological information. The authors also present some comparisons across race to determine if race differences emerge in career length and its correlates. Theoretical and empirical directions for future research are also addressed.