Exam 3: Individual Views of Delinquency

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This is said to be at play when delinquency spreads as youth copy the behavior of peers and siblings.

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The contagion effect

On the surface, incapacitation may appear as a logical means to reduce juvenile offending.  However, strict incapacitation policies do not always produce the desired effects.  List four of the six arguments presented in the text that incapacitation may not actually reduce juvenile crime rates.  What is your position in regard to the arguments?  Do you agree or disagree?  Explain your position.

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Incarceration, especially in an adult prison, exposes younger offenders to higher-risk, more experienced inmates who can influence their lifestyle and help shape their attitudes.These prisons are "schools for crime." The short-term delinquency-reduction effect of incapacitating offenders is negated if the experience has the long-term effect of escalating the frequency and severity of their future criminality upon release.If crime and delinquency are functions of rational choice, the profits of illegal activity are sure to convince adolescents that "crime pays."There will always be someone ready to take the place of the incarcerated offenders and replace them in the gang, group, or clique.
New delinquents will be recruited and trained, offsetting any benefit accrued by incarceration.Imprisoning established offenders may open new opportunities for competitors who were suppressed by more experienced delinquents or controlled by their tougher rivals.Incarcerating gang members may open illegal markets to new groups and gangs who are even hungrier and more aggressive than the ones they replaced.Teens are unlikely to be incarcerated in a juvenile facility or sent to prison until well into their offending career.By the time they are arrested, waived, and sent to an adult prison, they are already past the age when they are likely to commit crime.
A strict incarceration policy may keep people in prison beyond the time they are a threat to society while a new cohort of high-risk adolescents is on the street.An incapacitation strategy is also terribly expensive.The prison system costs billions of dollars each year, and incarcerating a juvenile in some jurisdictions costs in excess of $50,000 per year.
Even if incarceration could reduce the crime rate, the costs would be enormous.Almost all delinquents eventually return to society.Because many of these delinquents are drug- and gang-involved, most come from comparatively few urban inner-city areas. 
Their return may contribute to family disruption, undermine social institutions, and create community disorganization.Rather than acting as a crime suppressant, incarceration may have the long-term effect of accelerating crime rates.
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The juvenile court has been a revolving door where Jill is concerned.  The impulsivity in her decision-making is the driving force for her participation in delinquent activities and Jill's counselor remarked that at times she feels Jill's conduct is almost instinctual.  What theory best fits Jill's behaviors?

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What theory links delinquency to biological and psychological characteristics that control human development?

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Cognitive theory focuses on the way people perceive and mentally represent the world around them as well as how they solve problems.

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Biosocial theories focus attention on biological and psychological conditions that promote antisocial behavior.  Identify and describe the four major biosocial theories, including the strengths of each of the four theories.  What is your opinion of biosocial theories?  Do you agree or disagree with the premise?  Explain your position.

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Research has linked ADHD to the onset and sustenance of a delinquent career.

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Antisocial behavior allegedly peaks in the teenage years because hormonal activity is at its highest level during this period.

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Discuss trait theory: When did this school of thought originate, when and why was the theory abandoned, and what is the status of trait theory today?   Include in your discussion criminal atavism and its meaning.  What are your views on trait theory?  Include a rationale for your view.

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Violence can be used to achieve a number of specific goals; what type of goal would align with youths who take the law into their own hands if they do not trust the law?

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Summarize contemporary research regarding the IQ and delinquency relationship.  What is your view of the relationship between intelligence and delinquency?  Support your view.

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Which of the following completes this sentence?  According to Hirschi and Hindelang, there is a clear link between criminality and

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Cohen and Felson posit that the interaction of three variables reflective of routine American lifestyles affects the volume and distribution of predatory crime. Cohen and Felson refer to this as routine activities theory.  Define this theory and list the three variables, providing at least three examples for each variable.  Would you agree or disagree with the premise of this theory?  Provide a rationale for your view.

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Representing the conscience and moral rules shared by most adults, what develops through interactions with parents and other significant people in a youth's life?

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Which of the following best describes Beccaria's position on punishment?

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Leo and Lila, high school students, were bored and wanted some excitement; they abducted an 8-year-old child from the playground, later killing the child.  When Leo and Lila were arrested a few days later, they testified that killing the child was an "awesome thrill."  What theory best describes their actions?

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Cohen and Felson posited that crimes against persons or crimes of theft are influenced by the interaction of three variables: capable guardian(s), suitable target(s), and motivated offender(s). What is the name of this theory?

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What three individual-level factors have been linked to antisocial behavior?

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What crime prevention method relies on reducing the opportunity to commit criminal acts by making them more difficult to perform, reducing their reward, and increasing their risks?

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A youth who often feels threatened, overreacts to perceived slights, blames others for fights he initiates, and is overly defensive demonstrates which of the following?

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