Deck 15: Deterrence, Routine Activity, and Rational Choice Theories

Question 1

Based on a review of the research published in 2011 by Durlauf and Nagin which of the following statements is most accurate?

A)Long prison sentences are difficult to justify on a deterrence-based,crime prevention basis.
B)Long prison sentences tend to moderately decrease crime.
C)Long prison sentences are easy to justify on a deterrence-based,crime prevention basis.
D)Long prison sentences are easy to justify on a deterrence-based,crime prevention basis,but only for young offenders.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons that has been put forth explaining why mandatory minimum sentences do not deter crime?

A)Offenders may not feel they are at risk of getting caught.
B)The rate of incarceration for crimes is so low that harsh sentences only affect a small minority of serious offenders.
C)Those with drug or alcohol abuse problems are probably not deterred.
D)Most offenders are quite aware of the sentence they face if convicted.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to the textbook,the likelihood of being arrested,convicted,and punished is so low that tinkering with the level of punishment makes no difference.What is the implication of this statement for deterrence theory?

A)It supports this theory.
B)It is not relevant to this theory.
C)It undermines this theory.
D)It is relevant to this theory,but only for non-violent offenders.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What does the "three strikes and you're out" law in California mandate?

A)three years in prison for every felony one commits
B)three extra years in prison for every felony one commits
C)a life sentence for a third felony conviction following two earlier convictions for serious felonies
D)a mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison for a third felony conviction following two earlier convictions for serious felonies

Question 5

What is the name applied to the technique of concentrating police resources in high-crime locations?

A)geo-spatial police concentration theory
B)response time policing
C)hot spots policing
D)selective patrolling

Question 6

Which of the following theories argues that people break the law because they believe crime will provide a reward?

A)routine activity theory
B)group conflict theory
C)rational Choice theory
D)interactionist theory

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT an assumption underlying deterrence theory?

A)The best way to control crime is to set up a system of punishments to prevent crime.
B)Most people do not want to be punished.
C)Most criminal offenders are irrational people who do not weigh the costs and benefits of committing a criminal offence.
D)Punishment should be swift and certain.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true with respect to the deterrence effect of increasing?the certainty of punishment?

A)A large body of research does not support the deterrent effect of increasing the certainty of punishment.
B)A large body of research supports the deterrent effect of increasing the certainty of punishment.
C)Little research has been conducted into techniques that increase the certainty of punishment.
D)There are few techniques available to increase the certainty of punishment.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true concerning California's 1994 three strikes law?

A)California was forced to release 32,000 prisoners because of overcrowding.
B)The majority of California's prison inmates were serving their time under this legislation.
C)California's crime rate increased after it was passed.
D)There was a decrease in the homicide rate after it was passed.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true with respect to mandatory minimum sentencing laws brought in by the federal Conservative government in Canada?

A)They were the first mandatory minimum laws ever introduced in Canada.
B)Canadian courts have upheld all aspects of the laws indicating that they do not violate Charter rights.
C)The Supreme Court of Canada have overturned parts of these "tough on crime" laws on the grounds they violate Charter rights.
D)The courts have yet to rule on the mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT an example of an individualized deterrence strategy?

A)the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy
B)Operation Ceasefire
C)hot spots policing
D)Project HOPE

Question 12

Which pre-20th century thinker can best be considered the grandfather of deterrence theory?

A)Beccaria
B)Lombroso
C)Freud
D)Bandura

Question 13

What pre-20th century school of thought on crime can best be considered an important forerunner for deterrence theory?

A)the Classical school
B)the statistical school
C)the positive school
D)the Chicago school

Question 14

Which of the following contradicts rational choice theory?

A)Most criminal offenders are rational decision makers when selecting targets.
B)Most criminal offenders are irrational decision makers when selecting targets.
C)Short-term costs and benefits are more important in the minds of offenders compared with the long-term repercussions of their actions.
D)Criminal behaviour is purposive behaviour.

Question 15

What theory argues that an individual's decision whether to commit a crime can be influenced by criminal laws and the criminal justice system?

A)routine activity theory
B)deterrence theory
C)group conflict theory
D)interactionist theory

Question 16

In general,according to research,does harsh sentencing deter crime?

A)yes
B)no
C)only if prison spaces are available
D)only when young offenders face the prospect of turning 18 and being sentenced in adult court

Question 17

In terms of most effectively deterring crime,which of the following is most accurate?

A)Severity of punishment is more important than certainty of punishment.
B)Certainty of punishment is more important than severity of punishment.
C)Celerity of punishment is more important than certainty of punishment
D)Celerity of punishment is more important than severity of punishment.

Question 18

Which of the following strategies involves warning offenders who are heavily involved in criminal activity that their actions are being monitored and that future violations of the law will be dealt with immediately?

A)hot spots policing
B)broken windows policing
C)individualized deterrence
D)mandatory minimum sentencing

Question 19

According to deterrence theory,the criminal justice policies of governments are quite influential in determining the extent to which criminal laws and the criminal justice system can deter crime.Within this context,which of the following statements is true,according to your textbook?

A)It has been easier for governments to pass tougher sentencing laws than to increase the certainty of punishment.
B)It has been easier for governments to increase the certainty of punishment than to pass tougher sentencing laws.
C)It has been easier for governments to increase the certainty of punishment than to pass mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
D)It has been easier for governments to pass mandatory minimum sentencing laws than tougher sentencing laws.

Question 20

According to chapter 15,which of the following theories have been particularly useful for developing ways to prevent crime that are not premised on penalties?

A)deterrence theories
B)interactionist theories
C)group conflict theories
D)routine activity theory

Question 21

According to lifestyle/exposure theory,who among the following is least likely to become a victim of crime?

A)a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang
B)a person who spends most of his or her nights at home
C)a person who spends time at night in bars with his or her friends
D)a person who spends most nights in public places with people who commit crimes

Question 22

Which of these theories acknowledges that not everyone has the same way of life and that some people place themselves at more risk of victimization than others?

A)environmental criminology
B)lifestyle/exposure
C)lifestyle/situational
D)rational choice

Question 23

Which of the following is the principal goal of the Perry Preschool Project?

A)to reduce the risk of gun men entering elementary schools
B)to provide jobs to unwed mothers who live in poverty
C)to remove excuses for crime and delinquency on school grounds by setting clear rules and limits
D)to remedy the impact of the children's impoverished backgrounds on their later school success

Question 24

Into which of Ronald Clarke's categories of situational crime prevention techniques does the disabling of stolen cell phones fit?

A)reducing provocations
B)remove excuses
C)increase the risks
D)reduce the rewards

Question 25

Implementing a neighbourhood watch program,in which local residents are trained to keep an eye out for suspicious people and activity,satisfies which of the following situational crime prevention strategies?

A)increasing the risk
B)reducing provocations
C)removing excuses
D)increasing the rewards

Question 26

Improving the parenting skills of high-risk parents,providing job training and employment for young people who are cut off from the labour market,and intensive pre-school for children who live in poverty are all examples of what kind of crime prevention strategy?

A)situational crime prevention
B)crime prevention through social development
C)provocation reduction crime prevention
D)deterrence-based crime prevention

Question 27

Which of the following theories argues that crime will not occur unless there is a motivated offender,a suitable target,and ineffective guardianship of that target?

A)routine activity theory
B)group conflict theory
C)rational choice theory
D)interactionist theory

Question 28

Which of the following concepts does NOT fit into environmental criminology?

A)ecology
B)node
C)path
D)edge

Question 29

Which of the following is a way to prevent crime by reducing the number of motivated offenders?

A)providing good jobs to young men who are hard to employ
B)installing burglar alarms
C)developing "smart" guns
D)having servers in pubs intervene when necessary

Question 30

Which of the following is not a category of crime facilitators discussed in the textbook?

A)physical facilitator
B)social facilitator
C)chemical facilitator
D)psychological facilitator

Question 31

In environmental criminology,what is the name applied to places where would-be offenders live,work,and socialize and which are close to where they commit crimes?

A)edges
B)nodes
C)street segments
D)paths

Question 32

Into which of Ronald Clarke's categories of situational crime prevention techniques does alcohol-free events fit?

A)increase the risks
B)remove excuses
C)increase the effort
D)reduce the rewards

Question 33

Which of the following is a social facilitator,according to routine activities theory?

A)friends who support an offender
B)alcohol
C)someone with sufficient knowledge to control the offender
D)a gun

Question 34

In terms of Ronald Clarke's categories of situational crime prevention techniques,which of the following is an example of "reducing provocations"?

A)breathalyzers in pubs
B)neighbourhood watch
C)entry phones
D)separate enclosures for rival soccer fans at sports stadiums

Question 35

The lifestyle/exposure theory of crime attempts to account for which of the following?

A)personal victimization
B)all crime
C)all types of property crime
D)all forms of violent crime

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a component of Cohen and Felson's routine activities theory of crime?

A)ineffective guardianship
B)police inefficiency
C)target suitability
D)motivated offenders

Question 37

Which of the following did the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy NOT employ?

A)mandatory minimum 5-year sentences for repeat offenders
B)engine immobilizers
C)individualized deterrence
D)support programs for high-risk offenders and their families

Question 38

What is the school of criminology that argues that criminal offenders are more likely to commit their offences along the paths they travel in the course of their daily activities?

A)routine activity criminology
B)environmental criminology
C)ecological criminology
D)interactionist criminology

Question 39

According to routine activities theory,which of the following is likely to affect the attractiveness of consumer items as objects of theft?

A)size and ease of concealing only
B)size and value only
C)size,value,and colour
D)size,ease of concealing,and value

Question 40

In the routine activities approach,what is the name applied to a person who is susceptible to informal social control by virtue of his bonds to society?

A)a handled offender
B)a physical facilitator
C)a social facilitator
D)a motivated offender

Question 41

Deterrence theory focuses on the backgrounds,character and psychological make-up of offenders.

Question 42

It has been easier for governments to increase the certainty of punishment than pass tough sentencing laws.

Question 43

Research has shown that when trying to deter crime the certainty of punishment is more important than the severity of punishment.

Question 44

Routine activities theory takes the motivated offender as a given.

Question 45

Prosecutors and judges would never try to evade mandatory minimum sentences even if they felt the sentence was too severe for a particular defendant.

Question 46

Research on rational choice theory found that offenders' behaviour was influenced more by long term repercussions of their actions than short term costs and benefits.

Question 47

Mandatory minimum sentences for certain criminal offences exist in the United States,but not in Canada.

Question 48

The high frequency of repeat victimization supports lifestyle/exposure theory.

Question 49

There is insufficient credible evidence to conclude that mandatory minimum sentences have significant deterrent effects on criminal offenders.

Question 50

Beccaria's Classical theory of crime is an important antecedent to modern deterrence theory.

Question 51

A large body of research supports the deterrent effect of increasing the certainty of offenders being arrested.

Question 52

A Florida study found that a majority of young offenders reduced their criminal behaviour when they turned 18 because of the prospect of being tried in an adult court.

Question 53

According to routine activities theory,an example of a social facilitator of a crime is a friend of an offender who provides lessons on techniques of committing a crime.

Question 54

The main thesis of rational choice theory is that crime is the result of deliberate choices made by offenders based on their calculation of the risks and rewards.

Question 55

An underlying assumption of rational choice theory is that offenders are irrational decision-makers.

Question 56

Situational crime is premised on the belief that much crime is opportunistic.

Question 57

An example of effective guardianship is to keep less cash at home.

Question 58

Durlauf and Nagin's 2011 review of the research showed that long prison sentences do not necessarily serve as a deterrent to crime.

Question 59

Research has shown that the best way to deter crime is to increase the severity of sentences.

Question 60

According to environmental criminology,criminal offenders are more likely to commit offences along the paths travelled in their daily routines.

Question 61

Discuss the need for comprehensive crime prevention initiatives,emphasizing how different strategies can be combined to most effectively reduce both the opportunities for crime as well as the root causes of criminal behaviour.

Question 62

Citing research findings,explain why minimum mandatory sentences such as those handed out under California's "three strikes" legislation do not have significant deterrent effects on crime.

Question 63

Discuss the routine activities approach to crime,including its assumptions.

Question 64

Describe situational crime prevention,the assumptions underlying this approach,and the specific techniques used to prevent crime.

Question 65

Identify and discuss critiques of rational choice theory and routine activities theory.

Question 66

What are mandatory minimum sentences? Cite specific examples of offences that are subject to mandatory minimum sentences in Canada,including new provisions introduced by the federal Conservative government.

Question 67

Describe the Perry Preschool Project and how it satisfies the dictates of crime prevention through social development.What were the results of the project according to the most recent follow-up?

Question 68

Describe crime prevention through social development.Compare and contrast this approach to situational crime prevention.

Question 69

One way to increase the risks of an offender being caught is to increase levels of formal or informal surveillance within a neighbourhood.

Question 70

What is meant by increasing the certainty of punishment? Provide on example of these strategies.To what extent does this strategy deter crime?

Question 71

To what extent does imprisonment deter crime?

Question 72

Describe the efforts undertaken to reduce gang violence under Boston's Operation Ceasefire,and document the effects of the program.

Question 73

Discuss the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy and how it represents a comprehensive crime prevention approach.

Question 74

Describe Project Hope and the main results of its evaluation.What implications does this project have for individualized deterrence?

Question 75

Using information from General Social Surveys,indicate how the pattern of who commits what crime against whom fits with a lifestyle/exposure theory of crime.

Question 76

Discuss the assumptions of rational choice theory and how this theory conceptualizes the decision-making process of offenders as to whether or not to commit crimes.

Question 77

Discuss the assumptions of environmental criminology and how this theory conceptualizes the decision-making process of offenders as to whether or not to commit crimes.

Question 78

Discuss the extent to which criminal laws are effective at preventing crime,citing research findings to support your views.

Question 79

A fundamental assumption of crime prevention through social development is that opportunities make the criminal.