Specialization in cybercrime and offense versatility during early adolescence and the role of criminogenic needs

Abstract This study explores the intertwinement of cybercrime and traditional crime during early adolescence. We designed a cross-sectional survey compromising previously validated instruments, which was completed by 1,240 young people from the Netherlands. This survey measured the lifetime prevalence and past-year frequencies of a number of offending behaviors, and screened for key criminogenic needs. Analysis revealed that around half of the cybercrime offenders only committed cybercrime in their lives, while the other half was also involved in traditional crime. Technical cybercrime offenders in particular specialized in cybercrime, while financial-economic cybercrime offenders were more likely to be mixed offenders. Such patterns were found both in terms of offending prevalence and in terms of offending frequency. Here, we found evidence for correlations between specific forms of offline and online crimes, such as shoplifting and theft in virtual games. Finally, based on regression analysis utilizing the offense specialization coefficient, it appeared that being male, substance use, and online antisocial peer influences related to mixed offending, while older mean ages were associated with specialization in cybercrime. Our findings provide evidence for the hybridization of crime, and offer ground for future research endeavors to explore this topic more in-depth.