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Extreme career criminals

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Abstract

Although murder, rape, and kidnapping are considered extremely serious crimes, little criminal career research has focused on these perpetrators. This study examines 500 habitual offenders who have accumulated at least 30 entries in their arrest histories. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and negative binomial regression solutions indicate that murderers, rapists, and kidnappers totaled more violent Index arrests, netted more felony convictions and prison sentences, and offended for a longer span than other chronic recidivists. Given the policy relevance of career criminal research, more scholarly attention should focus on extreme offenders.

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  1. Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, 203A East Hall, IO 50011-1070, Ames

    Matt DeLisi

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DeLisi, M. Extreme career criminals. Am J Crim Just 25, 239–252 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02886848

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