Deck 19: Race Ethnicity and Corrections

Question 1

African Americans make up roughly 13 percent of the entire U.S. population, but make almost 40 percent of the U.S. prison population.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Western states tend to have the highest incarceration rates of African Americans in the United States.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Drug crimes are the only place we see discriminatory incarceration rates.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Which president signed the Fair Sentencing Act eliminating the mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession of crack and powder cocaine?​

A) ​President Obama
B) ​President Bush
C) ​President Reagan
D) ​President Clinton

Question 5

Those with a felony conviction are not allowed to vote. This is referred to as:​

A) ​criminal disability.
B) ​civil death.
C) ​pervasive disability.
D) ​disenfranchisement.

Question 6

Disparity of income by racial groups is no longer a basic characteristic of U.S. society.

Question 7

Discrimination occurs when groups are differentially treated without regard to their behavior or qualifications.

Question 8

African American youths are more likely to be arrested for all crimes than any other race.

Question 9

According to the authors, race is very controversial to the extent that it has been recognized as having both political and biological implications.

Question 10

The argument that African Americans are more criminal than whites by nature is not sustained by the evidence.

Question 11

There have always been more African American men in prison than in college.

Question 12

Ethnicity relates to a person's language, religion, and group traditions.

Question 13

Sentencing for drug crimes contributes to the high incarceration rate of African Americans.

Question 14

One of the most disturbing aspects of contemporary U.S. society is the increasing proportion of children who live in poverty.

Question 15

Most Americans associate race with crime.

Question 16

Many observers believe the relationship between racism and the criminal justice system is reciprocal.

Question 17

Race is a sociological concept used to distinguish people by their cultural characteristics.

Question 18

Examination of self-report studies of criminality has often revealed that African American and white youths admit to similar participation levels in criminal and deviant activity.

Question 19

Hispanics and whites are subjected to the criminal justice system at much higher rates than blacks.

Question 20

As long as some groups in the United States are unfairly excluded from society's opportunities, they will have less motivation to obey its laws.

Question 21

The gap between unemployment rates for African American men and every other group in society grows when:​

A) ​prisons do not allow inmates to work.
B) ​men who are behind bars are released.
C) ​men who are behind bars are included in the unemployment rate.
D) ​prisoners are not included in the unemployment rate.

Question 22

The argument that African Americans are more criminal than whites by nature:​

A) ​is a fact.
B) ​is not sustained by the evidence.
C) ​is sustained by evidence in the court system.
D) ​shows that racism is well hidden in the criminal justice system.

Question 23

Which of the following contribute to high rates of incarceration of African Americans?​

A) ​drug sentences
B) ​poverty
C) ​unemployment
D) ​all of these

Question 24

One in three African American men are:

A) ​on parole.
B) ​on probation.
C) ​in college.
D) ​under correctional supervision.

Question 25

Criminal justice officials make a variety of decisions that disadvantage minority males. These include:​

A) ​where police patrol.
B) ​the cost of bail.
C) ​the ability to hire a private attorney.
D) ​all of these.

Question 26

The fact that African Americans and Latinos are subjected to the criminal justice system at considerably higher rates than other ethnic and racial groups is:​

A) ​indisputable.
B) ​arguable.
C) ​not borne out by research.
D) ​a myth.

Question 27

The victim's perception of the race of the offender:​

A) ​is usually accurate.
B) ​differs from the race of those arrested.
C) ​has influence over sentencing.
D) ​is neither here nor there.

Question 28

Referrals to juvenile court for African American males occur more than the rate for whites.

A) ​twice
B) ​five times
C) ​triple
D) ​half

Question 29

A consequence of the view of differential criminality would be that:​

A) ​race would not be a factor in the criminal justice system.
B) ​the view is vulnerable to charges of racism.
C) ​it can inform preventative detention policies.
D) ​the view is vulnerable to charges of racism and it would mean the creation of a "criminal class" of people who are dangerous.

Question 30

adults have committed a serious offense in their lifetime.

A) ​Few
B) ​Most
C) ​About half of
D) ​All

Question 31

Prison surpassed college as a place for young African American men after:

A) ​1950.
B) ​1960.
C) ​1970.
D) ​1980

Question 32

No one can dispute the impact of the prison system's growth on young men of color.

A) ​underwhelming
B) ​insignificant
C) ​disparate
D) ​equitable

Question 33

Recent sociological studies have demonstrated that:​

A) ​employers are hesitant to hire young men who have been in prison.
B) ​employers are more likely to do a background check on young African American men.
C) ​young African American men are barred from many forms of employment.
D) ​employers are both hesitant to hire young men who have been in prison and are more likely to do a background check on young African American men.

Question 34

Many observers believe that the relationship between racism and the criminal justice system is:​

A) ​reciprocal.
B) ​one-sided.
C) ​unrecognizable
D) ​invisible.

Question 35

African Americans make up 40 percent of the prison population but of all U.S. residents.

A) ​5 percent
B) ​13 percent
C) ​25 percent
D) ​32 percent

Question 36

Patterns of disproportionate representation in the criminal justice system:​

A) ​start with juveniles.
B) ​are a rural phenomenon.
C) ​have always existed.
D) ​are a relatively new occurrence,

Question 37

The high percentage of young African American men behind bars results in:​

A) ​their lack of earning a wage.
B) ​their not being able to parent children.
C) ​their not being able to support their partners.
D) ​all of these.

Question 38

In terms of culture, the United States is a:​

A) ​homogenous society.
B) ​melting pot.
C) ​disassimilated culture.
D) ​mosaic.

Question 39

When groups are treated differently without regard to their behavior or qualifications, _______ occurs.

A) ​racism
B) ​homogeneity
C) ​ethnic cleansing
D) ​discrimination

Question 40

The problem of disproportionality is if the problem is not racist people but disadvantageous rules and practices.

A) ​more complicated
B) ​less complicated
C) ​easy to fix
D) ​simple

Question 41

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Race​

Question 42

Racial disparities become racial ___________ if people who are otherwise similar in their criminality are treated differently by the criminal justice system because of their race.

A) ​discrimination
B) ​bias
C) ​exploitation
D) ​favoritism

Question 43

Self-report studies show that have committed a crime.

A) ​very few people
B) ​most people
C) ​more white people
D) ​fewer people of color

Question 44

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Racial threat hypothesis​

Question 45

The unequal treatment of one group by the criminal justice system, compared with the treatment afforded other groups, is referred to as______________.

A) ​bias
B) ​disparity
C) ​exploitation
D) ​discrimination

Question 46

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Discrimination​

Question 47

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Disparity

Question 48

Whites tend to admit to more crimes than African Americans or Hispanics when completing a self-report survey.

A) ​theft
B) ​drug
C) ​burglary
D) ​alcohol

Question 49

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Nearly everyone​

Question 50

Some people believe that factors result in large numbers of Hispanics and African Americans being processed by the criminal justice system.

A) ​biological
B) ​physiological
C) ​sociobiological
D) ​sociological

Question 51

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Ethnicity

Question 52

Racial disparities become racial if people who are otherwise similar in their criminality are treated differently by the criminal justice system.

Question 53

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Self-report studies​

Question 54

An investigation of behavior (such as criminal activity) based on a subject's responses is a(n) .​

Question 55

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a.Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b.Inequality of treatment
c.A difference explained by legitimate factors
d.Complex concept with changing definitions
e.Cultural characteristics
f.White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g.Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h.ommitted a crime in their lifetime
Crack cocaine​

Question 56

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.

-Disenfranchisement?

A)Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
B)Inequality of treatment
C)A difference explained by legitimate factors
D)Complex concept with changing definitions
E)Cultural characteristics
F)White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
G)Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
H)ommitted a crime in their lifetime

Question 57

Young people who live in poverty and disadvantage may develop what has been called "____________," which includes a greater willingness to commit violence.

A) ​puttin' work
B) ​street cred
C) ​jivin'
D) ​code of the street

Question 58

Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.

-State presence?

A)Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
B)Inequality of treatment
C)A difference explained by legitimate factors
D)Complex concept with changing definitions
E)Cultural characteristics
F)White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
G)Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
H)ommitted a crime in their lifetime

Question 59

distinguishes people according to language, religion, and group traditions.

Question 60

African Americans are now _________________ times more likely to than whites to be incarecated at some time in their life in a state or federal prison.

A) ​2
B) ​5
C) ​3
D) ​7

Question 61

President Barack Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act of , eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for crack and powder cocaine use by offenders.

Question 62

is a difference between groups that can be explained by legitimate factors.

Question 63

The is the belief that white fear of African Americans is least when whites are the majority.

Question 64

Discuss what impact a high level of incarceration has on both African American and Latino communities. What implications does this impact have for the effectiveness of community-based corrections?​

Question 65

Racist _____________, it is argued, help produce the higher crime rates among minorities, and then racist fears of minorities help justify treating them more harshly when they are caught.

Question 66

The sentencing for _____________ crimes, starting in the 1980s, has led to a rapid increase in incarceration rates of African Americans.

Question 67

The disparity between ___________ and punishment patterns is key to the claim by some scholars that the criminal justice system is biased against minority groups.

Question 68

The _____________ perception of the race of the offender often differs from the race of those arrested.

Question 69

is assumed to be a biological concept that divides humankind into categories related to skin color and other physical features.

Question 70

_________________ such as poverty, single parent families, and unemployment contribute to higher crime rates.

Question 71

are seven times more likely than whites to have been incarcerated at some time in a state or federal prison.

Question 72

According to the authors, some people believe that factors result in large numbers of Hispanics and African Americans being processed in the criminal justice system.

Question 73

Describe the significance of race and punishment. What steps can be made to reduce the racial differences in punishments? In your opinion, will this significant problem ever be fully addressed? Be sure to explain your answer.

Question 74

Racial disparities become racial ______________ if people who are otherwise similar in their criminality are treated differently by the criminal justice system because of their race.

Question 75

The overrepresentation of African Americans in the criminal justice system has led to ________________.

Question 76

Discuss how the relationship between politics and criminal justice policy are reflective of race and punishment. Are there differences? How have the differences changed over time?​

Question 77

Some people claim that eliminating racism from the criminal justice system is not likely to occur, because the system is embedded in a larger racist ________.

Question 78

List and explain three ways in which the criminal justice system operates to allow for an overrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos/as in the prisons. Be sure and give one example involving the police, one involving the courts, and one involving corrections. In your opinion, what can be done to change this issue facing corrections?​