Recidivism studies vary widely in their methods, samples, and outcomes, but few have tested the effect of offense specialization on rate of re-offense. This paper analyzes state level sentencing and recidivism data to outline the relationship between offense specialization and recidivism outcomes in a large sample of serious offenders. Using five years of data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (PCS) and the Pennsylvania State Police, I study recidivism patterns among five offender types — specialists in violent, drug, property, and sex offenses, and generalists (i.e. versatile offenders). Using a specialization threshold of prior convictions, I find that a small percentage of offenders specialize in a specific crime type, but do not recidivate at rates significantly different from versatile offenders. Sex offense specialists recidivate at rates higher than generalists and other specialist types, but this is driven by the positive effect of a current sex offense, not specialization.
