Deck 4: Rational Choice Theory

Question 1

Adding a security guard to reduce shoplifting in a department store is an example of a crime __________.

Answer 1

discourager

Question 2

Rational classical criminology is rooted in the classical school of criminology and is most closely identified with the thoughts of theorist _____________________.

Answer 2

Cesare Beccaria

Question 3

The prescribed method for dealing with the possessed was _____________, a practice that survived into the seventeenth century.

Answer 3

burning at the stake

Question 4

The Doorsteps Neighbourhood Program in Ontario, Canada, is a/an ________________ program to help to reduce crime.

Question 5

According to theorist ____________, "utilitarian calculus" is the idea that people choose to act when, after weighing costs and benefits, they believe that their actions will bring them an increase in pleasure and a reduction of pain.

Question 6

Areas with a greater than usual number of access streets from traffic arteries into the neighborhood are referred to as ______________________.

Question 7

The excitement or exhilaration of successfully executing illegal activities in dangerous situations is known as _________________.

Question 8

Beccaria argued that punishments for crimes should be _________ to the harm brought on by the crime.

Question 9

Defensible space theory is credited to ________________ in the 1970s.

Question 10

________________  is the eighteenth-century school of thought that believed that criminals chose to commit crime and that crime could be controlled by judicious punishment

Question 11

When efforts to prevent one crime actually benefit another crime or area, it is referred to as _________________.

Question 12

Professional shoplifters who steal with the intention of reselling stolen merchandise are known as _______________.

Question 13

____________________ theory  stat es that crime is a function of a decision-making process in which the potential offender weighs the potential costs and benefits of an illegal act.

Question 14

In Ronald Clarke's CRAVED model, the "C" stands for ___________________.

Question 15

During the eighteenth century ________________ period, social philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham began to embrace the view that human behavior was a result of rational thought processes.

Question 16

A program that seems successful because it helps lower crime rates at specific locations or neighborhoods may simply be redirecting offenders to alternative targets; this is known as__________________________.

Question 17

______________________ is the concept that a penalty for a crime may prompt commission of a marginally more severe crime because that crime receives the same magnitude of punishment as the original one.

Question 18

That a crime is __________________means that offenders will react selectively to the characteristics of an individual criminal act

Question 19

A well-publicized book called __________________, by Charles Murray and Louis Cox, went as far as to suggest that punishment-oriented programs could suppress future criminality much more effectively than those that relied on rehabilitation and treatment efforts.

Question 20

In a 1975 book that came to symbolize renewed interest in classical views, Thinking about Crime , political scientist ____________  debunked the view that crime was a function of exter nal forces .

Question 21

Placing offenders behind bars during their prime crime years should lessen their lifetime opportunity to commit crime. This theory is known as the _________ .

Question 22

The view that criminals are not robots who engage in random acts of antisocial behavior reflects _____ crime.

A) offense-specific
B) offender-specific
C) target-specific
D) risk-specific

Question 23

The theory of __________________ holds that criminal sanctions should be so powerful that known criminals will never repeat their criminal acts.

Question 24

Before choosing to commit a crime, ________ criminals evaluate the risk of apprehension, the seriousness of punishment, the potential value, and the immediate need for criminal gain.

A) reasoning
B) opportunity
C) specific
D) need

Question 25

Well-lit housing projects that maximize surveillance reflect Oscar Newman's concept of _______ that suggests that crime can be prevented via the use of residential architectural designs that reduce criminal opportunity.

A) permeability
B) accessibility
C) defensible space
D) target-hardening

Question 26

The philosophy of ___________________ asserts that those who violate the rights of others deserve to be punished.

Question 27

Beccaria believed that criminals choose to commit crime and that criminal choices could be controlled by:

A) fear of punishment.
B) improving economic conditions.
C) selective incapacitation.
D) situational crime prevention.

Question 28

Beccaria believed that humans were naturally:

A) geared to care for others.
B) egotistical and self-centered.
C) incapable of making rational decisions.
D) unaware of the consequences of their actions.

Question 29

Fear of shame, embarrassment, and humiliation can be powerful general deterrents to crime. An individual's fear of exposure and consequent shaming may vary according to _________ of community structure and type of crime.

Question 30

Rational choice theory is rooted in the classical school of criminology developed by:

A) James Q. Wilson
B) Cesare Beccaria
C) Jeremy Bentham
D) Andrew Von Hirsch

Question 31

The three elements of deterrence are certainty, severity, and __________________.

Question 32

Who wrote Seductions of Crime , a book that argues that there are immediate benefits to criminality?

A) Jack Katz
B) Cesare Beccaria
C) Jeremy Bentham
D) Andrew Von Hirsch

Question 33

If petty offenses were subject to the same punishment as more serious crimes, offenders would choose the worst crime. This is referred to as the concept of:

A) marginal deterrence.
B) "the tipping point."
C) specific deterrence.
D) general deterrence.

Question 34

Some law violators describe the adrenaline rush that comes from successfully executing illegal activities in dangerous situations. This integration of danger, risk, and skill is, for some, a seduction of crime and is referred to as:

A) rushwork
B) edgework
C) riskwork
D) thrillwork

Question 35

The belief that crime can be reduced by modifying the physical environment to reduce opportunity is called:

A) ​defensible space.
B) ​opportunity theory.
C) ​social perception theory.
D) ​power-control theory.

Question 36

Most burglars prefer to commit crimes in neighborhoods that contain a greater than usual number of access streets. These neighborhoods are referred to as:

A) accessible neighborhoods
B) permeable neighborhoods
C) arterial neighborhoods
D) open neighborhoods

Question 37

When urban planners consider the characteristics of sites that are at risk for crime, the factors that attract people to these sites, and what equips potential criminals to take advantage of the illegal opportunities offered, they are engaging in a practice known as:

A) situational crime prevention.
B) crime displacement.
C) crime discouragers.
D) situational displacement.

Question 38

Beccaria's beliefs and writings about the proportionality of crime and punishment have been credited as the basis for the elimination of what nineteenth-century practice?

A) public executions
B) hanging
C) the death penalty
D) torture

Question 39

________ violations involve encounters in which the grievant's essential character has been challenged.

A) Status-based
B) Crime
C) Personalistic
D) Market-related

Question 40

While outwardly considered the most irrational of offenders, serial murders are considered rational killers because:

A) They tend to have higher than average IQs.
B) They pick their targets with care.
C) They elude arrest for months and, sometimes, years.
D) They are rarely, in actuality, psychologically disturbed.

Question 41

Situational crime prevention is not without its problems. When crime-reduction programs redirect offenders to alternative targets, the practice is termed:

A) temporary deterrence.
B) crime displacement.
C) crime shifting.
D) temporary displacement.

Question 42

According to deterrence theory, if the probability of arrest, conviction, and sanctioning could be increased, crime rates should:

A) remain stable.
B) increase.
C) decline.
D) initially spike, then decline.

Question 43

According to rational choice theory, why might a criminal decide not to commit crime?

A) The criminal has developed a conscience as he/she matured.
B) The criminal has legitimate means to achieve financial success and does not need to commit crime.
C) The criminal perceives that crime is too risky.
D) The criminal has learned that crime is only one of many solutions to their personal problems.

Question 44

The philosophy of justice that asserts that those who violate the rights of others deserve to be punished is known as:

A) specific deterrence.
B) just deserts.
C) revenge.
D) retribution.

Question 45

Which statement best reflects the effect of informal sanctions aimed at shame and humiliation?

A) They are highly effective in reducing recidivism.
B) They are highly ineffective in reducing recidivism.
C) Their effectiveness depends on the cohesiveness of the community structure.
D) Their effectiveness depends on the amount of media attention they receive.

Question 46

The Kansas City, Missouri, police department's study of patrol effectiveness convinced criminologists that:

A) The mere presence of patrol officers on the street did not have a deterrent effect.
B) Doubling the amount of patrol officers on the street had a deterrent effect.
C) The mere presence of patrol officers on the street had a deterrent effect, but only in high-crime neighborhoods.
D) Decreasing the amount of patrol officers on the street increased crime.

Question 47

What do immediate impact studies indicate about capital punishment's deterrent effect on murder?

A) Impact studies indicate that the overall impact of executions might actually increase the incidence of homicide
B) Impact studies indicate that a deterrent effect does not exist even though the death penalty is being used more often over the past decade.
C) Impact studies are inconclusive regarding capital punishment's deterrent effect on murder.
D) Impact studies indicate a deterrent effect but only for expressive forms of murder.

Question 48

Evaluations of incarceration strategies reveal that their impact may be less than expected. Why might incarceration not work?

A) Because prison exposes young, impressionable offenders to higher-risk, more experienced inmates who can influence their lifestyle and shape their attitudes.
B) Because most criminal offenses are committed by old offenders, who are unlikely to be sent to prison for a single felony conviction.
C) Because incarcerated criminals are too young.
D) Because not enough offenders are being incarcerated.

Question 49

When efforts to prevent one crime unintentionally prevents another and when crime control efforts in one locale reduce crime in other, nontarget areas, this is called:

A) extinction.
B) diffusion of benefits.
C) crackdowns effects.
D) discouragement benefits.

Question 50

Criminologists argue that "three strikes" policies will not work because:

A) Most offenders are too young.
B) The punishments are still too lenient.
C) The punishment is not certain.
D) Current sentences for violent crimes are already too severe.

Question 51

The view that proposes placing offenders behind bars during their prime crime years in order to lessen their opportunity to commit crime is known as:

A) preventive incapacitation.
B) specific incapacitation.
C) opportunity reduction effect.
D) incapacitation effect.

Question 52

After the famous Minneapolis domestic violence study, other studies and analyses have been conducted. Overall, what are the implications of these domestic violence studies?

A) These studies indicate that even if punishment can produce a short-term specific deterrent effect, it fails to produce longer-term behavioral change.
B) These studies indicate that if offenders were released after arrest, no deterrent effect was evidenced.
C) These studies indicate a strong positive effect for arrest, but only if the offender had no prior arrests for domestic violence.
D) These studies indicate that actual prosecution and subsequent probation supervision or incarceration were stronger deterrents than arrest alone.

Question 53

When an effort to prevent one crime has the unintended consequences of preventing other crimes, this is referred to as:

A) displacement effect.
B) diffusion of benefits.
C) situational crime prevention.
D) environmental crime prevention.

Question 54

According to __________, punishment has the potential to discourage all individuals in the population from committing crime.

A) specific deterrence
B) general deterrence
C) diffusion of benefits
D) crime displacement

Question 55

Adding a security guard to reduce shoplifting in a department store is an example of a crime:

A) discourager.
B) eliminator.
C) barrier.
D) pusher.

Question 56

"Crackdowns" are sudden changes in police activity designed to lower crime rates through an increase in the communicated threat or actual certainty of punishment. What does research indicate about the effectiveness of crackdowns?

A) Merely saturating an area with police deters crime.
B) Crackdowns initially deter crime, but the effect soon wears off after the high-intensity police activity ends.
C) Crackdowns are ineffective when coupled with aggressive problem-solving and community-improvement techniques.
D) Crackdowns initially do not work but later lead to a long-term decrease in crime

Question 57

The three components of deterrence theory are severity, certainty, and speed of legal sanctions (punishment). Of these components, deterrence theorists tend to believe that the which component of punishment seems to have the strongest impact.

A) severity
B) certainty
C) speed
D) The impact of the components is equal.

Question 58

Brightly displaying "no littering" signs is an example of eliminating:

A) excuses.
B) rewards.
C) risks.
D) payout.

Question 59

________ argues that punishing an offender will prevent that offender from committing the same crime again.

A) Specific deterrence
B) General deterrence
C) Punishment logic
D) Classical punishment

Question 60

Officer Smith with the Charleston, SC, police department begins motorcycle patrols in an effort to reduce public intoxication offenses in the downtown area. The increased police presence reduces public intoxication offenses in downtown Charleston, but in neighboring communities, a spike in these offenses occurs. This is an example of:

A) ​displacement.
B) ​dismemberment.
C) ​diffusion.
D) ​distension.

Question 61

Curfew laws have been overwhelmingly effective at reducing crime rates.

Question 62

Target-reduction strategies are designed to reduce the value of crime to potential criminals,

Question 63

According to Von Hirsch's view on "just desserts," why is punishment based on deterrence or incapacitation wrong?

A) Punishment based on deterrence or incapacitation does not allow for the possibility of rehabilitation.
B) Punishment based on deterrence or incapacitation is used only  within the adult criminal justice system, thus, it ignores juvenile offenders.
C) Punishment based on deterrence or incapacitation involves an offender's future actions.
D) Von Hirsch did not view punishment based on deterrence or incapacitation as wrong.

Question 64

When studying serial killers, criminologists do not find any evidence to indicate that they make rational decisions when choosing victims.

Question 65

If a crime is offense-specific, offenders have weighed their abilities, resources, needs, and levels of fear.

Question 66

Clearly indicating a rational thought process, robbers avoid victims who may be armed and dangerous.

Question 67

To deter people from committing more serious offenses, Beccaria believed punishment should be as severe as possible regardless of the offense.

Question 68

The "A" in the CRAVED model of rational offending stands for Affordability.

Question 69

The concept of "just desserts" has been proposed by Von Hirsch as a theoretical model to guide justice policy. Which statement reflects that just desserts theory is concerned with the rights of the accused?

A) The offender should not be treated as more or less blameworthy than is warranted by the character of his or her offense.
B) An offender who violates others' rights deserves to be punished.
C) Punishment is needed to preserve the social equity disturbed by crime.
D) Retribution justifies punishment because people get what they deserve for past deeds.

Question 70

Some rational choice theorists believe that all criminal behavior, no matter how destructive or seemingly irresponsible, is actually a matter of thought and decision making.

Question 71

Research has depicted that the majority of drug users as being rational in their decision to use, and these users believe that the use of drugs and the benefits associated with usage outweigh the costs.

Question 72

British philosopher Jeremy Bentham helped popularize the view of utilitarianism.

Question 73

According to Bentham, the purpose of law is to produce and support the total happiness of the community it serves.

Question 74

Edgework is the exhilarating, momentary integration of danger, risk, and skill that motivates people to try a variety of dangerous criminal and noncriminal behavior.

Question 75

Status-based violations occur when an individual challenges a criminal's manhood or character,

Question 76

Rational choice theory has roots in the positivist school of criminology developed by Lombroso.

Question 77

Market-related offenses between drug dealers occur  primarily as a result of a turf or territory war.

Question 78

The choice of crime may be dictated by market conditions.

Question 79

British philosopher Sir Lawrence Driscoll wrote the book On Crimes and Punishment , from which the Classical School was developed.

Question 80

Situational crime prevention has many elements but one key element states that items which are disposable and can be easily sold by thieves are most likely to be taken.