Deck 14: Aboriginal Offenders Psychology of Criminal Behaviour

Question 1

Wilson and Gutierrez (2014) found that when examining recidivism among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal offenders using the Level of Service Inventory (LSI):

A)all eight subscales predict recidivism equally well for both groups
B)predictive accuracy was weaker for Aboriginal offenders on five of the subscales
C)predictive accuracy was weaker for Aboriginal offenders on two of the subscales
D)all eight subscales predicted recidivism better for Aboriginal than non-Aboriginal offenders

Answer 1

predictive accuracy was weaker for Aboriginal offenders on five of the subscales

Question 2

As a result of colonization policies,there

A)has been a consistent effort by the government to maintain Aboriginal culture
B)was a concerted effort to eradicate Aboriginal culture
C)was an unintentional tendency to marginalize Aboriginals from mainstream culture
D)has been a massive effort to undo all damage caused by past actions

Answer 2

was a concerted effort to eradicate Aboriginal culture

Question 3

In Search of Your Warrior (ISOYW) is best described as

A)a crime prevention program targeting female Aboriginal youth
B)an individual-based violence prevention program involving one-on-one mentorship between an elder and an offender
C)group-based,high-intensity violence prevention program for male Aboriginal offenders
D)a community-based restorative justice program

Answer 3

group-based,high-intensity violence prevention program for male Aboriginal offenders

Question 4

Research on the Custody Rating Scale conducted on Aboriginal offenders has revealed the following:

A)they are involved in more conflicts in prison than non-Aboriginal offenders
B)they receive fewer mental health services than non-Aboriginal offenders
C)females' risk of reoffending is lower on average than males'
D)their security classifications are often higher than their level of risk requires

Question 5

Aboriginal offenders are more likely than non-Aboriginal offenders to report experiencing:

A)high levels of parental supervision
B)less serious trauma
C)more serious childhood trauma
D)much higher levels of abuse,but much less parental absence

Question 6

Many of the risk factors associated with Aboriginal offenders are similar to non-Aboriginal offenders.

Question 7

Most researchers who study Aboriginal issues argue that extra care is required when conducting research with Aboriginal participants,particularly:

A)recognizing that the world views of Aboriginal people differ from typical world views held by non-Aboriginal researchers
B)ensuring that you have a complete and thorough understanding of Aboriginal Law in Canada
C)guaranteeing that cultural knowledge will not affect the interpretation of your study results
D)that researchers should avoid using quantitative research methods and should choose instead to conduct qualitative research

Question 8

One of the cultural aspects that differs in Aboriginal concepts of justice compared to that of western perspectives is that:

A)there is no concept of property in Aboriginal communities
B)in the Aboriginal perspective,only certain people should be able be witnesses and have a say at trial
C)in Aboriginal cultures,refusing to talk is approved as a way to avoid self-incrimination
D)in Aboriginal cultures,refusing to make eye contact is a sign of respect for authority,but may be misinterpreted as evading the truth or lying

Question 9

Though Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal offenders tend to share the same risk factors for crime,Aboriginal offenders are much more likely to have:

A)a parent who is a criminal offender
B)a history of substance abuse
C)antisocial attitudes
D)a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome

Question 10

Bill C-41,section 718.2(e),introduced by Parliament in 1996,has changed:

A)sentencing practices for Aboriginal offenders
B)policing policies for First Nations communities
C)the types of crimes that people of Aboriginal heritage can be charged with
D)the levels of secure custody that can be used with people of Aboriginal heritage

Question 11

Aboriginal Treatment programs

A)clearly all reduce recidivism rates and are highly effective
B)clearly all increase recidivism rates and accordingly,may be harmful
C)do not impact recidivism rates and are ineffective
D)are encouraging as offenders are more likely to complete the treatment and meet treatment goals

Question 12

A criticism of the theory that Aboriginal overrepresentation is due to a culture clash between Aboriginal and Western concepts of justice is that most Aboriginal offenders hold a Western view of justice.

Question 13

According to research by Holsinger,Lowenkamp,and Latessa (2006) LSI-R scores for Aboriginal offenders more accurately predict reoffending than LSI-R scores do for non-Aboriginal offenders.

Question 14

Bill C-41 has emphasized the consideration of alternative sentencing options.However,one development that may work in opposition to the reforms that followed Bill C-41 is:

A)overrepresentation of Aboriginal people in prison
B)the Safe Streets and Communities Act,which limits judges' discretion in sentences
C)the creation of the Gladue Courts,which must take the culture of the offender into account
D)the legalization of marijuana

Question 15

One of the solutions to overcoming the problem of overclassification of Aboriginal people using the Custody Rating Scale (CRS) has been to:

A)use a culture specific tool instead
B)use the CRS in combination with professional judgment and psychological assessment
C)use multiple risk assessment instruments along with the CRS and take the average risk level
D)decrease the rated risk level by 25 percent

Question 16

The case of R v.Gladue (1999) was important because:

A)it acknowledged the role of domestic violence as a factor in intimate partner homicide for Aboriginal women
B)it was a notorious case and Canada received international criticism
C)Aboriginal courts were created to focus on the processing of Aboriginal offenders
D)it upheld that people of Aboriginal heritage without knowledge of their culture could not participate in Aboriginal Healing Lodges

Question 17

Aboriginal peoples are the most over-represented group in the Canadian justice system.

Question 18

The Corrections and Conditional Release Act (1992) contains policies that ensure Aboriginal offenders are able to receive treatment that is culturally appropriate.

Question 19

Aboriginal specific risk-assessment tools:

A)are commonly used to determine potential for recidivism
B)do not exist
C)are not really designed or validated as predictors of recidivism
D)are powerful predictors of recidivism for Aboriginal offenders

Question 20

In Search of Your Warrior (ISOYW) may be effective in that recidivism patterns indicate that those who complete the program much less likely to:

A)be re-admitted for a new violent offence than those in a comparison group
B)re-offend
C)be re-admitted to a federal facility for a technical violation
D)be re-admitted to a federal facility for a new offense

Question 21

Explain how colonialism may have lead to Aboriginal overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.

Question 22

Because incorporating culture into treatment makes intuitive sense,research on efficacy of culturally-based programming for Aboriginal offenders is unnecessary.

Question 23

In Aboriginal treatment programs,a healing lodge is mainly used to detoxify offenders from the effects of drugs and alcohol

Question 24

Describe the Y?kw't?l and explain how it differs from other types of risk assessment instruments.

Question 25

Aboriginal offenders are rated as being "higher need" than non-Aboriginal across the entire range of domains.

Question 26

Describe the foundation,structure,and efficacy of the In Search of Your Warrior (ISOYW) program.

Question 27

Outline the childhood risk factors associated higher rates of Aboriginal offending.

Question 28

Outline the four potential explanations of overrepresentation of Aboriginals in the Canadian justice system.

Question 29

Aboriginal-specific risk assessment tools are specifically designed to guide management of an offender and are not designed to assess recidivism risk.

Question 30

Discuss the possible role of fetal alcohol syndrome in Aboriginal offending.

Question 31

Six months post-release,a higher percentage of non-Aboriginals are reconvicted of a violent crime than Aboriginals.

Question 32

Discuss the magnitude of the problem of Aboriginal overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.

Question 33

Discuss the success rates of Aboriginal-specific treatment programs.

Question 34

The significance of Ewert v.Canada (2015) is that it established all risk assessment tools as "culture-neutral" and therefore accurate in predicting recidivism of Aboriginal offenders.

Question 35

The Security Reclassification Scale for Women (SRSW; Blanchette & Taylor,2007) is more accurate for Aboriginal women than for non-Aboriginal women.