Deck 20: The Mark of a Criminal Record

Question 1

Pager's research employs which of the following methodologies?

A) triangulation with participant observation, survey methods, interviews.
B) experimental design using matched pairs of individuals.
C) participant observation of job applicant interaction with employers.
D) survey design using questionnaire administered to both employer and job seekers.

Answer 1

experimental design using matched pairs of individuals.

Question 2

The purpose of Pager's study is to

A) examine recidivism rates for white and black offenders as well as employment patterns after prisoner release.
B) assess the impact of prison work programs on subsequent employment after release.
C) assess the effect of a criminal record on white and black job seekers.
D) determine the causes of bias in the criminal justice system.

Answer 2

assess the effect of a criminal record on white and black job seekers.

Question 3

What is the effect of a criminal record on whites?

A) Reduces likelihood of callback from employers by 75%.
B) Increases likelihood of callback from employers by 25%.
C) Reduces likelihood of callback from employers by 25%.
D) Reduces likelihood of callback from employers by 50%.

Answer 3

Reduces likelihood of callback from employers by 50%.

Question 4

What was the effect of race on job seekers in terms of callbacks from employers for those WITHOUT and WITH criminal records?

A) large effect: blacks WITHOUT criminal records received fewer callbacks than whites WITH criminal records.
B) large effect: whites WITHOUT criminal records received fewer callbacks than blacks WITH criminal records.
C) no effect: blacks and whites received about the same amount of callbacks for those WITHOUT and those WITH criminal records.
D) mixed effect: little no difference for those WITH criminal records but blacks WITHOUT criminal records received more callbacks than similar whites

Question 5

What were the racial differences in the effects of a criminal record in terms of callbacks from employers?

A) Ratio of callbacks for nonoffenders to offenders for whites was 4:1, and for blacks 2:1.
B) Ratio of callbacks for nonoffenders to offenders for whites was 1:2 and for blacks 1:3.
C) Little or no difference between blacks and whites.
D) Ratio of callbacks for nonoffenders to offenders for whites was 2:1 and for blacks 3:1.

Question 6

Pager's research offers what evidence about the effects of prison on employment?

A) Direct evidence that the nature of the crime and criminal record is a more important factor in employment, and may not always create a problem.
B) Direct evidence of a causal relationship between a criminal record and negative employment outcomes.
C) Little or no evidence that a criminal record alone serves as a barrier to employment for persons with criminal records.
D) Evidence of a correlation between a criminal record and employment outcomes.

Question 7

All of the following are important implications of Pager's research EXCEPT

A) millions of people with criminal records will likely face labor market inequalities.
B) blacks with or without criminal records face employment discrimination; higher prison rates of blacks means racial discrimination in employment will increase.
C) more job training and G.E.D. programs in prison are the only hope for employment after release for millions of offenders.
D) crime control policies may exacerbate the very conditions that lead to crime in the first place by ensuring that ex-offenders will not be able to find employment.

Question 8

All of the following describe the expansion of the prison population EXCEPT

A) the United States will release less than 40% of those incarcerated due to "3 strikes" life sentences, amounting to about 200,000 persons annually.
B) the United States prison population is now about 2 million persons.
C) the United States currently has the highest incarceration rate of any nation in the world.
D) the incarceration rate for young black men is about 10 times that of young white men.

Question 9

Discuss three implications of Pager's study for employment and criminal justice policy. What do you think is the single most important issue raised by her research? Explain.

Question 10

Discuss the implications of Pager's study for current crime control policies that have resulted in the growing rate of incarceration in our society-an increase of 600% in the inmate population since 1970. What alternatives to incarceration might be considered? Explain.

Question 11

Describe how Pager designed her research to examine on the effects of criminal history and race on future employment.