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The Professional Ex- Revisited

Cessation or Continuation of a Deviant Career?

University of Oklahoma

TRINA L. HOPE

University of Oklahoma

An ongoing question is whether participation in deviance is fluid or stable. In a 1991 article, Brown introduced the concept of the "professional ex-," an individual who uses former deviant status as a springboard into a counseling career. The professional ex- thus exits a deviant career, transforming it into a legitimate status. In the current article, the authors present a different perspective, grounded in self-control theory. The 1990s substance abuse treatment industry scandals in Texas provide the framework. A case study of one agency, in-depth interviews with fifteen professional ex-s employed by the agency, official records, and newspaper accounts of the scandals are used to explore the issues of stability and generality. Findings suggest that at least some professional ex-s continue to engage in other forms of deviance, providing support to Gottfredson and Hirschi's claim that the propensity to engage in deviance is both general and stable.

Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Vol. 30, No. 6, 678-703 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/089124101129024312


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