Deck 3: Explaining Crime

Question 1

Which of the following best captures the classical criminologist's concept of "utility"?

A) "winning isn't everything; it is the only thing"
B) "the greatest happiness shared by the greatest number"
C) "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
D) "all's fair in love and war"

Answer 1

"the greatest happiness shared by the greatest number"

Question 2

Which of the following is a general criticism of positivism?

A) Positivistic theories generally account for too much crime and, at the same time, they have difficulty explaining exceptions.
B) Positivistic theories generally ignore the criminalization process.
C) Positivistic theories generally ignore the multitude of fundamental conflicts of value and interest in society.
D) All these answers are correct.

Answer 2

All these answers are correct.

Question 3

Which of the following scientists suggested that some people were "less highly evolved or developed than others," and that some people "were nearer their apelike ancestors than others in traits, abilities, and dispositions"?

A) Charles Darwin
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Emile Durkheim
D) Alida Merlo

Answer 3

Charles Darwin

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT a problem with psychotherapy?

A) It rests on faith; much of its theoretical structure is scientifically untestable.
B) The emphasis in psychotherapy as an approach to rehabilitation is on the individual offender and not the individual offender in interaction with the environment in which the criminal behavior occurs.
C) The behaviors that are treated in psychotherapy are not criminal, but are the deep-seated problems.
D) Psychotherapy is unable to make patients aware of unconscious and deep-seated problems in order to resolve the symptoms associated with them.

Question 5

From whose theory can it be inferred that crime may be a means by which individuals satisfy their basic human needs?

A) Sigmund Freud
B) Alfred Adler
C) Abraham Maslow
D) Seymour Halleck

Question 6

There are at least three policy implications of Seymour Halleck's humanistic psychological theory. Which of the following is NOT one of the three policy implications listed in your textbook?

A) Sources of social oppression should be eliminated wherever possible.
B) Psychotherapy should be provided for subjective oppressions.
C) Psychoactive drugs should be provided as part of the psychotherapy process.
D) Alternative legal ways of coping with oppression should be provided.

Question 7

For the Chicago theorists, social disorganization is defined by several characteristics. Which of the following is NOT one of the characteristics of social disorganization?

A) There is little encouragement, training, or opportunity for legitimate employment.
B) The usual controls over delinquents are largely absent.
C) There are many opportunities for delinquent behavior.
D) There is an absence of gangs and gang-related delinquency.

Question 8

According to Cohen, what is the cause of anomie for juveniles?

A) the inability to achieve status among peers by socially acceptable means
B) the social structure's inability to provide legitimate institutional means for achieving the goal of wealth
C) the usual controls over juveniles being largely absent
D) the dissociation of the juvenile from the collective conscience

Question 9

Which of the following theorists modified Sutherland's theory by introducing role theory and by arguing that criminal behavior could be learned by identifying with criminal roles and not just by associating with criminals?

A) C. Ray Jeffery
B) Daniel Glaser
C) B. F. Skinner
D) H. H. Goddard

Question 10

Your textbook states four general ways that punishment can be administered effectively, according to learning theory. Which of the following does NOT belong?

A) Punishment must be combined with the positive reinforcement of alternative, prosocial behaviors.
B) Punishment must be applied consistently and immediately.
C) Punishment must include fines or some kind of restitution.
D) Punishment must be combined with extinction.

Question 11

What is the focus of labeling theory?

A) the ways criminals are different from noncriminals
B) competition among competing interest groups
C) the way people and actions are defined as criminal
D) the transformation of human beings, mutual dependence, reduction of class structures, creation of communities of caring people, and universal social justice

Question 12

For which of the following theories is reintegrative shaming a policy implication?

A) labeling theory
B) radical theory
C) British or left realism
D) peacemaking criminology

Question 13

Classical criminologist Cesare Beccaria favored the death penalty as a way of achieving general deterrence.

Question 14

Chemical castration is legal in some states.

Question 15

Mark, age 21, grew up in a low-income neighborhood where gangs were common. He dropped out of school because it was much more lucrative to engage in criminal behavior. His mother raised him in a single-parent family; he had no siblings, just his gang members. He joined a gang and soon became involved in vandalism, stealing cars, and burglaries. Which theories best explain the facts in the scenario?

Question 16

Virginia was adopted at age 2 into a middle-class family with strong ties to the community. Virginia began eating large quantities of sugar and became hyperactive in her elementary school years. She started shoplifting in her early teen years, with each incident preceded by large amounts of soda and candy. Her family sought help for her through counseling. Later, her family discovered that Virginia had an identical twin, who was also adopted by another family experiencing the same types of issues. It was also learned that Virginia's biological mother had served a 10-year prison sentence for various fraud charges using stolen identities. Which theories best explain the facts in Virginia's scenario?

Question 17

Martin was a member of a politically-radical group known as the Weathermen. This group was a branch of a student society at school that advocated a radical means to overthrow the government. Martin met with a group of his friends in an empty apartment building and decided to make some homemade pipe bombs to plant throughout the community. The plan included contact with a newspaper after the bombs were set off, identifying the group, and trying to convince people that the current government positions in various parts of the world were wrong. The bombs would be a way to terrorize others and bring attention to the Weathermen's cause in hopes of changing international policies of promoting capitalism in the name of democracy. The plan failed when Martin and his group accidentally blew themselves up. What crime theories could be applied to this scenario?

Question 18

Thomas was raised knowing the fundamental differences between right and wrong. Nevertheless, he wasn't making enough money to purchase a new car as quickly as he liked. He knew of a gambling pool that was running numbers illegally, and decided to try getting rich quickly. He weighed the consequences of getting caught, and felt pretty confident that engaging in a few bets-especially with guidance from an "insider"
who had information that assisted him on what numbers to bet-would bring him instant wealth. He was right. He bet on a few games with his inside information and won enough money to buy the car. However, federal authorities had their own inside information and arrested everyone involved in the illegal gambling-including Thomas. Which theories best explain why Thomas engaged in criminal behavior?