Deck 10: Reviving Classical Theory: Deterrence and Rational Choice Theories

Question 1

The classical school of criminology argued that

A) Most criminals are pathological.
B) The purpose of the criminal justice system should be rehabilitation.
C) To teach criminals a lesson, judges should have as much discretion as possible to give offenders any sentence they want to.
D) Individuals choose to engage in crime based on a rational calculation of the costs versus benefits of crime.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to Cornish and Clarke's rational choice theory, which of the following is true?

A) Most offenders are pathological.
B) Factors studied by other theories-such as psychological factors and previous learning-have no influence on the initial decision of a person to become involved in crime.
C) Situational factors have a substantial effect on whether a person decides to break the law and an actual criminal event takes place.
D) The decision to go into crime is mostly unaffected by the costs and benefits of breaking the law.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following policies would Cornish and Clarke argue, based on their rational choice theory, would be most effective in reducing the occurrence of criminal events?

A) Rehabilitation programs within the correctional system.
B) Ending patriarchy and the privileges it gives to men.
C) Burglar alarms on houses.
D) Displacement programs.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to deterrence theory, what determines the extent to which a potential offender is deterred?

A) Effective formal, legal punishment.
B) Lifestyle and daily activity patterns.
C) Personality.
D) Effective neighborhood networks of informal social control.

Question 5

The idea that punishment reduces future crime among the people who have been punished is referred to as

A) Bounded rationality.
B) Specific deterrence.
C) Celerity.
D) General deterrence.

Question 6

Evidence shows that increasing the swiftness of punishment among those caught

A) Does not reduce subsequent offending.
B) Has substantial short- and long-term deterrent effects.
C) Has a substantial short-term deterrent effect only.
D) Reduces subsequent offending among men, but not among women.

Question 7

According to deterrence theory, all the following are aspects of punishment thought to (i.e., theorized to) deter offending except

A) Certainty.
B) Severity.
C) Equality.
D) Swiftness.

Question 8

The idea that punishment lowers crime among the general population, including those not punished, is referred to as

A) Bounded rationality.
B) Specific deterrence.
C) Celerity.
D) General deterrence.

Question 9

Stafford and Warr claim that direct avoidance of punishment plays a role in whether _____ occurs.

A) Bounded rationality.
B) Specific deterrence.
C) Celerity.
D) General deterrence.

Question 10

Cornish and Clarke's rational choice perspective was developed in which period?

A) Late 1700s.
B) Mid-1970s.
C) Mid-1980s.
D) Late 1800s.

Question 11

Which of the following is true regarding the empirical research on general deterrence?

A) When the certainty of punishment reduces crime, it is often short lived and confined to a specific area.
B) Punishments administered outside one's area have been shown to affect crime within one's area substantially.
C) The certainty of punishment must be 80 percent or higher for crime to be deterred.
D) There is no evidence from research that punishment can be a general deterrent.

Question 12

Which of the following aspects of punishment shows the most promise in terms of affecting crime, according to the research on general deterrence?

A) Certainty.
B) Severity.
C) Equality.
D) Swiftness.

Question 13

Stafford and Warr extend previous work on deterrence theory most obviously with their attention to

A) General deterrence.
B) Specific deterrence.
C) Punishment avoidance.
D) Punishment.

Question 14

Stafford and Warr's reconceptualization of deterrence theory is most compatible with which other theory?

A) Anomie theory.
B) Coercion theory.
C) Social bonding theory.
D) Social learning theory.

Question 15

In their rational choice theory, Cornish and Clarke assume which of the following?

A) Individuals are fully rational actors.
B) Individual rationality is constrained by all sorts of biological, psychological, and social factors.
C) Individual offenders are not rational, but legal punishments are rationally administered.
D) Punishment avoidance is irrational.

Question 16

According to Cornish and Clarke's rational choice theory, which of the following is true?

A) Costs and benefits associated with crime vary by crime type.
B) Decisions to become involved in crime tend to be permanent for most offenders.
C) Criminal involvement decisions tend to be most heavily influenced by immediate situational factors.
D) Crime event decisions tend to be most heavily influenced by individual traits and social and demographic background factors.

Question 17

The idea that choices about the costs versus benefits of crime might be constrained by the availability of time and/or relevant information is referred to as

A) Bounded rationality.
B) Specific deterrence.
C) Celerity.
D) General deterrence.

Question 18

Wright and Decker found that most armed robbers are motivated by the

A) Thrill of the crime.
B) Immediate access to cash.
C) Power they have over their victims.
D) Reputation they gain on the street.

Question 19

Stafford and Warr argue that deterrence researchers should focus on

A) Specific deterrence only; general deterrence is not operative.
B) General deterrence only; specific deterrence is not operative.
C) Both general and specific deterrence.
D) Rehabilitation of offenders rather than deterrence.

Question 20

According to Wright and Decker, after committing a robbery, the offenders usually

A) Save the money and spend frugally.
B) Pay back any debts they may have outstanding.
C) Spend the money on necessary items for day-to-day living (e.g., shelter, food, child care).
D) Spend the money recklessly gambling, buying drugs, and/or drinking heavily.

Question 21

Explain the notion of specific deterrence and summarize the state of the research regarding the specific deterrent effect of punishment.

Question 22

Provide a thorough discussion of the criticisms of specific deterrence. Why might specific deterrence not work in the manner posited by deterrence theory?

Question 23

Explain the notion of general deterrence and summarize the state of the research regarding the general deterrent effect of punishment.

Question 24

Describe how Stafford and Warr reconceptualized deterrence theory.

Question 25

In discussing criminal involvement, Cornish and Clarke distinguished between the decisions to become involved in crime initially, to continue crime, and to desist from crime. They state that each of these decisions is influenced by different sets of factors. Describe the factors that might be relevant for each of these decisions.

Question 26

Rational choice theories argue for a crime-specific focus. Explain how Wright and Decker's study of armed robbers provided a crime-specific analysis. For example, how to do robbers decide to commit a robbery, how do they select a target, and what decisions do they make when committing the crime? How would these decisions differ from other types of criminal behavior?