Deck 9: Social Conflict Theories

Question 1

According to Ralf Dahrendorf, constructive change increases __________within society.

A) cohesiveness
B) tension
C) conflict
D) stasis

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following statements best describes instrumental Marxism?

A) Capitalism is a self-maintaining system
B) The legal system is a tool used by the powerful to control the poor and keep them disenfranchised
C) The law and the criminal justice system works to perpetuate the existing system of power relationships
D) The rich are subject to laws preventing them from behaviors that might undermine the capitalist system

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Austin Turk and many other conflict criminologists see crime as

A) a consensus of opinion.
B) an agreement among various factions within society.
C) the interests of those who hold social and economic power in society.
D) a natural consequence of intergroup struggles over control.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following probably would not be expected of a modern radical criminologist?

A) A call for the abolition of capital punishment
B) A demand for the elimination of gender and racial inequity in the criminal justice system
C) An emphasis on increasing funding for the construction of new prisons
D) A call for the elimination of police misconduct

Question 5

A demand for the elimination of the traditional divisions of power and labor between the sexes would probably come from a(n) __________ feminist.

A) socialist
B) radical
C) liberal
D) Marxist

Question 6

__________criminology consists of a proactive call for change in the social conditions leading to crime, whereas __________ criminology is a way of critiquing social relationships leading to crime.

A) Critical; radical
B) Radical; critical
C) Radical; pluralistic
D) Critical; pluralistic

Question 7

According to the conflict perspective, the fundamental nature of group conflict centers on

A) the accumulation of wealth.
B) the exercise of political power.
C) socially significant differences.
D) individual personal characteristics.

Question 8

Which of the following is not one of the principles characterizing the consensus perspective?

A) A belief in the existence of core values
B) A belief that law violators are representative of society as a whole
C) The idea that laws reflect the collective will of society
D) The assumption that the law serves all people equally

Question 9

Which of the following is not a major contribution made by feminist scholarship and practice to criminological thinking?

A) A focus on gender as a central organizing principle of contemporary life
B) The recognition that social reality must be understood as a process
C) An emphasis on the application of semiotics to the concept of crime
D) A heightened sensitivity to the way social context helps shape human relationships

Question 10

Richard Quinney suggests that the problem of crime will be solved only by the creation of

A) a class structure.
B) a capitalist society
C) hedonistic values.
D) a socialist society

Question 11

Which conflict theory is mainly deconstructionist?

A) Feminist criminology
B) Postmodern criminology
C) Left realism
D) Convict criminology

Question 12

According to Chambliss and Seidman, the __________ a group's political or economic position, the __________ the probability that it's views will be reflected in laws.

A) lower; greater
B) lower; less
C) higher; greater
D) higher; less

Question 13

Which of the following is not one of the basic principles of the pluralistic perspective?

A) Society consists of many and diverse social groups.
B) The legal system is concerned with the best interests of society.
C) The law serves all people equally.
D) The legal system is value neutral.

Question 14

Which of the following is not one of the three main analytical perspectives discussed in the text?

A) Consensus
B) Radical
C) Conflict
D) Pluralist

Question 15

The __________ perspective holds that although different viewpoints exist, most individuals agree on the usefulness of the law as a formal means of dispute resolution.

A) consensus
B) radical
C) conflict
D) pluralist

Question 16

The major goal of _________ is to achieve a just and orderly society through a practical emphasis on social justice.

A) left realism
B) convict criminology
C) postmodernism
D) feminist criminology

Question 17

Which of the following crime control policies probably would not be supported by a left realist?

A) Community policing
B) Neighborhood justice centers
C) Dispute resolution mechanisms
D) Mandatory minimum sentences

Question 18

Which of the following statements would be an argument put forth by a socialist feminist?

A) The primary source of women's oppression is gender role socialization
B) The cause of women's oppression is patriarchy
C) Women's oppression is caused by their subordinate working-class status in capitalist societies
D) Gender oppression is a consequence of the interaction between the economic structure of society and gender-based roles

Question 19

Stuart Henry and Dragan Milovanovic are known for their development of __________ criminology.

A) constitutive
B) anarchic
C) peacemaking
D) semiotic

Question 20

According to Karl Marx, the __________ are the exploited working class who are without power.

A) proletariat
B) bourgeoisie
C) petit bourgeoisie
D) materialists

Question 21

__________criminology suggests that social control agencies and citizens should work together to alleviate social problems and human suffering and thus reduce crime.

A) Constitutive
B) Peacemaking
C) Semiotic
D) Anarchic

Question 22

Radical feminists would suggest that the elimination of male domination would reduce rates of female crime and male violence against women.

Question 23

One criticism of radical-critical criminology is its failure to recognize that there is a fair degree of public consensus about the nature of crime.

Question 24

Donald Black's argues that conflict increases with the speed and intensity of

A) social time.
B) social interaction.
C) static conditions.
D) moral time.

Question 25

Which is not a component of the Balanced and Restorative Justice Model?

A) Community protection
B) Deconstructionism
C) Competency development
D) Accountability

Question 26

The conflict perspective suggests that the fundamental nature of group conflict centers on the exercise of political power.

Question 27

Left realism sees the criminal justice system and its agents as pawns of the powerful.

Question 28

Karl Marx believed that the natural outcome of the struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie would be the overthrow of a communistic social order.

Question 29

In general, the main policy implication of social conflict theory is

A) Social action programs to reduce social disorganization will lead to a decline in crime
B) Programs to enhance self-control and build prosocial bonds will prevent crime
C) Bring about social change and redistribute the wealth in society, and crime rates will fall
D) Develop ways to influence personality characteristics and crime will decrease

Question 30

Dispute resolution centers are based on

A) deconstructionism.
B) just deserts.
C) semiotics.
D) participatory justice

Question 31

Left realism emphasizes the development of realistic social policies out of radical ideas.

Question 32

__________ criminologists argue that the only effective way to reduce conflict in society is to replace the existing capitalist system in the U.S. with a socialist economic structure.

A) Radical-Marxist
B) Peacemaking
C) Left-realist
D) Postmodern

Question 33

The conflict perspective sees conflict between groups as unavoidable.

Question 34

The prototype convict criminologist is

A) John Irwin.
B) Richard Quinney.
C) John Braithwaite.
D) Harold Pepinsky.

Question 35

Instrumental Marxism sees the criminal law and the criminal justice system as tools used to keep the poor disenfranchised.

Question 36

Which of the following is a characteristic of restorative justice?

A) Crime is seen as an act against the state and a violation of a law
B) Crime is an individual act with individual responsibility
C) Victims are central to the process of resolving a crime
D) Offender accountability is defined as taking punishment

Question 37

The primary method used by convict criminologist is based in

A) social survey research.
B) ethnography.
C) archeology.
D) medical research.

Question 38

A peace model is based on

A) cooperation.
B) retribution.
C) just deserts.
D) All of the above

Question 39

According to the pluralist perspective, law violators suffer from some lapse that makes them unable to participate in the widespread agreement on values and behavior.

Question 40

According to Chambliss and Seidman, that the probability of a group having its normative system embodied in law is distributed equally throughout society.

Question 41

The gender gap in crime refers to the differential treatment of men and women by the criminal justice system.

Question 42

The primary method used by convict criminologists is ethnographic

Question 43

According to the __________ perspective, the law serves all people equally.

Question 44

__________social thought rejects the enlightenment belief in scientific rationality as the main vehicle to knowledge and progress.

Question 45

_______ states that radical ideas must be translated into realistic social policies.

Question 46

Extreme radical-Marxist criminologists feel that the only effective way to reduce conflict is to replace the existing capitalist system with a socialist economic structure.

Question 47

Early feminist criminologists, such as Adler and Simon, explained gender differences in crime rates as being due primarily to _____________.

Question 48

According to Marx, the natural outcome of the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat would be the overthrow of the __________ social order.

Question 49

The main tenant of ________ feminism is the oppression of women caused by their subordinate working-class status in capitalist societies.

Question 50

According to George Vold, laws are a(n) __________ statement

Question 51

Contemporary radical theory attributes much of the existing propensity toward criminality to differences in __________.

Question 52

_________criminology is a proactive call for change in the social conditions leading to crime.

Question 53

Recommendations stemming from convict criminology mainly stem from traditional forms of social scientific research.

Question 54

Adversarial court proceedings are based on the principle of dispute resolution.

Question 55

Postmodern criminologies challenge existing criminological perspectives to debunk them and work towards replacing them.

Question 56

Convict criminology tends to be very personal and issue-based

Question 57

According to Freda Adler and Rita Simon, existing differences in crime rates between men and women are due primarily to biology.

Question 58

According to Elliott Currie, as countries emulate the market society culture of the United States, crime rates throughout the world will __________.

Question 59

Peacemaking criminology emphasizes reintegration into society.

Question 60

Donald Black sees the fundamental cause of conflict as the movement of social time.

Question 61

________criminology emphasizes practical applications of the principles of conflict resolution.

Question 62

Crime itself is a socially constructed category, so ___________, or the study of signs and symbols, can be applied to the idea of crime.

Question 63

Explain the differences between retributive and restorative justice. Identify some problems that may arise as the result of a shift to a restorative justice model.

Question 64

The primary goal of restorative justice is ____________.

Question 65

Explain the basic perspective Chambliss and Seidman presented in their 1971 book, Law, Order, and Power. List and explain their four main propositions.

Question 66

Explain how radical and critical criminology differ and how they are similar.

Question 67

Miami's drug court is an example of a(n) __________ program.

Question 68

Discuss the major criticisms of radical-critical criminology.

Question 69

__________criminology is a body of writings by convicted felons.

Question 70

What are the main policy implications of the various types of conflict theories discussed in this chapter? For each theory, identify at least one possible solution to the problem of crime that would be advocated by supporters of that theory.

Question 71

What are the five strands of feminist thought that inform feminist criminology today? Outline the main ideas of each of these perspectives.