Deck 4: To the Vanquished Belong the Spoils: Who Is Winning the Losing War Against Crime

Question 1

An ideology is a widely held set of beliefs that justify the status quo.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The poor commit more crimes than the rich do.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The persistent belief that the most dangerous crimes are committed by poor people is an example of one of the effects of historical inertia.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Those who suffer most from the failure to reduce street crime are not in a position to change criminal justice policy.

Question 5

TV violence is an example of one of the elements that shapes public perception of criminal justice.

Question 6

By blaming the individual for a crime, the society is acquitted of the charge of complicity in that crime.

Question 7

Essentially, crimes of the well-to-do redistribute property among the have-nots.

Question 8

The most powerful criminal justice policy makers are from the __________.

A) middle class
B) upper class
C) lower class
D) impoverished class

Question 9

The term "ideology" can be used in a neutral fashion to describe ___________.

A) societal threats
B) economic conditions
C) value systems
D) social deception

Question 10

How has the American criminal justice system been used throughout history to protect the interests of the powerful?

A) CEOs were allowed to indefinitely detain their employees.
B) The poor were not allowed to be released on bail.
C) Politicians could not be arrested for financial fraud.
D) Police forces were summoned to repress dissent.

Question 11

According to Marx, the wealthy have "control over the means of mental production." What is a contemporary example of this?

A) The wealthy directly control what is presented on television.
B) The wealthy directly control everything that is disseminated on the Internet.
C) The wealthy control all copyrights in the United States.
D) The wealthy officially censor members of the middle class.

Question 12

What is an example of one of the factors that shape the distribution of income in the United States?

A) your height relative to others in your age group
B) your criminal status
C) your mother and father's professions
D) your fitness habits

Question 13

What is an example of how the identification of crime and poverty benefits the rich?

A) It provides wealthy victims with the justice they deserve.
B) It lessens the number of people in prison.
C) It proves that the wealthy are morally superior.
D) It reinforces hostility toward the poor.

Question 14

In the criminal justice system, who would be most likely to benefit from the bonus of bias?

A) a black female prisoner
B) a middle-class Hispanic man
C) a poor black woman
D) a wealthy white woman

Question 15

How does the Pyrrhic defeat theory explain the current state of the criminal justice system?

Question 16

Identify specific examples to support the assertion that the criminal justice system reinforces the belief that poverty is itself a sign of poor or weak character.

Question 17

Apply your knowledge of the "the American dream" to describe how this construction shapes the perception of success in America.

Question 18

Analyze the role of greed in the evolution of prisons.

Question 19

Evaluate why the criminal justice system is allowed to function in a way that neither protects society nor achieves justice. Use specific examples from the text to support your arguments.

Question 20

Propose some principles of a new ideology that would more accurately reflect and address the current sociopolitical realities that pertain to criminality in the United States.