Deck 23: The Strategies of Deterrence and Incapacitation

Question 1

Get-tough measures, which are designed to reduce delinquency, involve efforts by the juvenile justice system to:

A) increase juveniles' stake in conformity
B) increase indirect control
C) increase direct control
D) all of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to the text, the major strategy for controlling juvenile crime is:

A) prevention
B) deterrence
C) incapacitation
D) rehabilitation
E) none of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The strategy of deterrence involves increasing the:

A) certainty and severity of punishment
B) strength of bonds to conventional society
C) fairness and justness of punishment
D) direct and indirect social controls of family, school, and religion
E) all of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

According to Agnew and Brezina, punishment is an ineffective specific deterrent because:

A) the juvenile justice system does not punish in an effective way
B) punishment is sometimes a source of status for many juveniles
C) punished offenders often believe that they can get away with crime in the future
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 5

Studies that compare the subsequent delinquency of juveniles who receive more severe punishments with those who receive less severe punishments are designed to test the strategy of:

A) prevention
B) rehabilitation
C) general deterrence
D) specific deterrence
E) incapacitation

Question 6

Based on studies that examine the effectiveness of punishment as a specific deterrent of delinquency, Agnew and Brezina conclude that punishment by the juvenile justice system:

A) is moderately effective in reducing delinquency in general
B) probably increases some juveniles' delinquency and reduces others' delinquency
C) may be more effective in reducing the delinquency of females than of males
D) is one of the better approaches currently available for reducing delinquency

Question 7

The restorative justice approach to punishment involves:

A) victims selecting punishments for offenders
B) offenders repairing harm caused to victims
C) little or no sanctioning of offenders
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 8

In studies that examine the effect of punishment on general deterrence, certainty of punishment is often measured in terms of:

A) arrest rates
B) juvenile court referral rates
C) adjudication rates
D) probation rates
E) confinement rates

Question 9

In terms of general deterrence, data suggest that increasing the ___________ greatly reduces delinquency.

A) severity of punishment
B) certainty of punishment
C) length of punishment
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 10

One strategy for reducing delinquency involves locking up delinquents for long periods so these juveniles cannot commit crimes on the street. This strategy is known as:

A) specific deterrence
B) general deterrence
C) incapacitation
D) prevention

Question 11

Several researchers claimed that incapacitation would prevent a large amount of crime. It turns out that this claim was greatly exaggerated, in part because researchers failed to consider what is called a:

A) substitution effect
B) militant effect
C) primacy effect
D) modeling effect

Question 12

Selective incapacitation refers to:

A) efforts to target high-rate offenders for long prison terms
B) an attempt to combine prison with community treatment
C) the overrepresentation of minorities in prison
D) an effort to give judges more discretion in imposing prison sentences

Question 13

It is difficult to effectively implement the strategy of selective incapacitation because:

A) it is unclear how selective incapacitation would reduce crime
B) many politicians, along with the public, are opposed to the basic ideas behind selective incapacitation
C) it is difficult to distinguish high-rate from low-rate offenders
D) none of the above

Question 14

Which of the following statements is TRUE about punishments?

A) Punishments may increase the likelihood of negative treatment by others.
B) Punishments may reduce many types of social control.
C) Punishments may increase the social learning of crime.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 15

The rate at which juveniles are confined is:

A) more than half the adult rate
B) less than half the adult rate
C) equal to the adult rate
D) none of the above

Question 16

Some criminologists argue that the best way to determine whether people are deterred by the threat of punishment is to:

A) ask them to estimate the certainty and severity of punishment
B) ask them to estimate the likelihood that they will be punished if they commit a particular offense
C) ask them to estimate what their punishment would be if they were punished for a particular offense
D) all of the above

Question 17

Incapacitation has become the major strategy in the United States for controlling:

A) adult crime but not juvenile crime
B) juvenile crime but not adult crime
C) both juvenile crime and adult crime
D) neither juvenile crime nor adult crime

Question 18

Data suggest that rehabilitation programs combined with punishment are effective:

A) in reducing initial offending
B) even if offenders are forced to participate in them
C) in community settings but not institutional settings
D) in institutional settings but not community settings
E) none of the above

Question 19

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding life sentences and juveniles:

A) Mandatory sentences of life without parole are constitutional when applied to juveniles.
B) Mandatory sentences of life without parole are unconstitutional when applied to juveniles.
C) The court banned life without parole for juvenile murderers.
D) none of the above

Question 20

What is one reason why the juvenile court often fails to impose severe sanctions:

A) They lack good evidence.
B) Juvenile courts and correctional staff are limited.
C) Politicians are reluctant to make substantial investments in the juvenile justice system.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 21

A common criticism of the juvenile court is that it is not tough enough, especially in dealing with serious offenders. Based on discussion in the text, develop a cogent argument that supports or challenges this criticism.

Question 22

Explain why efforts to impose severe sanctions on juvenile offenders are often ineffective in reducing delinquency.

Question 23

Identify the delinquency theories that best fit with the strategy of deterrence as a means of reducing delinquency. Defend your choices.

Question 24

Provide an example of state efforts to deter delinquency.

Question 25

Design a study to examine whether arrest serves as a specific deterrent for juvenile marijuana use.

Question 26

Design a self-report study that examines whether the certainty and severity of punishment serve as a general deterrent for juvenile marijuana use.

Question 27

Research findings suggest that arrest or conviction of juveniles fails to reduce juvenile crime. Based on discussion in the text, discuss three reasons why such punishment may not deter juveniles from committing delinquent acts.

Question 28

How does the strategy of deterrence differ from incapacitation?

Question 29

Early researchers overestimated the amount of crime that incapacitation prevents. Why?

Question 30

Discuss why it is difficult to determine how much juvenile delinquency can be prevented through incapacitation.

Question 31

Describe the basic ideas behind the strategy of selective incapacitation. Then discuss the difficulties in effectively implementing such a strategy.

Question 32

Explain why restorative justice approaches may increase the effectiveness of punishment in reducing delinquency.

Question 33

A common criticism of the juvenile court is that it is not tough enough, especially in dealing with serious offenders. Research findings, however, suggest that the arrest and conviction of juveniles often fail to reduce juvenile crime. Explain why such punishment may not deter juveniles from committing delinquent acts.

Question 34

In a recent study, researchers compared juvenile crime trends in California and Texas to determine the extent that incapacitation prevents crime among juveniles. What were the crime-control strategies used in California and Texas? What conclusions did the researchers draw from this study?

Question 35

Discuss the importance of the Graham v. Florida (2010) U.S. Supreme Court case. What was the Court's ruling? Do you agree with the Court's decision?

Question 36

What reasons did the U.S. Supreme Court provide for its ruling in Graham v. Florida (2010)? What does the Court's ruling NOT address?

Question 37

Explain the differences between adult courts and juvenile courts in regard to sentencing serious offenders, sanctions, and length of sentence. Why do these differences exist?

Question 38

What are graduated sanctions? Provide examples given in the textbook.

Question 39

What are mandatory minimum sentences and sentencing guidelines? How are they similar to one another and how do they differ?