Deck 11: Crime and Criminal Justice

Question 1

The perspective that human behavior can be effectively controlled by punishment is:

A)the radical perspective
B)the liberal perspective
C)the conservative perspective
D)the reactionary perspective.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Among the major issues in criminal justice for conservatives is that of:

A)aspects of society which adversely affect people.
B)the political nature of defining crimes.
C)over-institutionalization.
D)favoring the rights of criminals over victims.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the examples below is an example of Social Victim Theory?

A)Cultural Deviance
B)Radical Criminology
C)Differential Association Theory
D)Psychological Control Theory

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Among the issues that concern liberals about criminal justice are all of the following,except:

A)labeling and stigmatization.
B)excessive leniency toward criminals.
C)over-institutionalization.
D)discrimination and bias in the system.

Question 5

The radical perspective of criminal justice believes that:

A)human nature is basically good and that if people behave badly,as in breaking laws,it is because they have somehow been corrupted by their social environment
B)the criminal justice system is one of the primary tools that the capitalist ruling class uses to dominate and exploit the rest of the population.
C)individuals are fully responsible for their own actions and that this includes the breaking of laws.
D)none of the above

Question 6

Social Control Theory states that:

A)most people do not commit crimes because there is a bond between them and society.People internalize the norms of the society in which they live,and in so doing they become moral beings sensitive to the needs of others.
B)locate the causes of criminal behavior within the psychological development of the individual rather than in his or her genetic makeup.
C)on the belief that rehabilitation programs are totally without merit and that the criminal justice system should return to the practice of responding to crimes,not criminals.
D)none of the above

Question 7

The liberal perspective on criminal justice believes that:

A)human nature is basically good and that if people behave badly,as in breaking laws,it is because they have somehow been corrupted by their social environment
B)the criminal justice system is one of the primary tools that the capitalist ruling class uses to dominate and exploit the rest of the population.
C)individuals are fully responsible for their own actions and that this includes the breaking of laws.
D)none of the above

Question 8

Examples of status offenses would include all but:

A)drinking alcohol.
B)petty larceny.
C)violation of curfew.
D)running away.

Question 9

The idea that punishment will deter criminals from further crimes is termed:

A)rehabilitation.
B)diversion.
C)general deterrence.
D)specific deterrence.

Question 10

The punishment approach would include:

A)the justice model.
B)probation.
C)parole.
D)correctional services.

Question 11

Smoking marijuana would be considered:

A)mala in se
B)mala prohibita
C)a status offense.
D)a capital offense.

Question 12

Mala in se would include:

A)burning the United States flag.
B)rape.
C)prostitution.
D)growing marijuana.

Question 13

Those who are concerned about the current crop of young people are most likely to be:

A)liberals.
B)conservatives.
C)radicals.
D)reactionaries.

Question 14

Conservatives attack parole because:

A)they believe that parole results in criminals being released before they should be and thus is partially responsible for the increase in crime.
B)they believe that the decisions of parole boards are arbitrary and based on no reliable data and that the hope of parole is used to coerce prisoners into participating in treatment programs they really don't desire.
C)Both A and B
D)Neither A nor B

Question 15

The conservative view on criminal justice believes that:

A)human nature is basically good and that if people behave badly,as in breaking laws,it is because they have somehow been corrupted by their social environment
B)the criminal justice system is one of the primary tools that the capitalist ruling class uses to dominate and exploit the rest of the population.
C)individuals are fully responsible for their own actions and that this includes the breaking of laws.
D)none of the above

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true?

A)crime is an overwhelmingly male activity.
B)criminal behavior tends to be highly concentrated among the older age groups.
C)Asian Americans and Whites are overrepresented,particularly in the area of violent crime.
D)because children are considered to be responsible for their actions,punishment is almost always chosen over rehabilitation as a response to juvenile crime.

Question 17

Truancy would be considered:

A)mala in se
B)mala prohibita
C)a status offense.
D)a capital offense.

Question 18

Which of the following is one of the three main points Beccaria made regarding how society should react to crimes:

A)Punishment should not be proportional to the severity of the crime
B)Punishment should be certain and should be just severe enough so that the cost of committing a crime exceeded the benefits derived from it
C)Excessively severe penalties would act to deter people from committing major crimes
D)None of the above

Question 19

Differential Association Theory is the belief that:

A)crime is more closely related to characteristics of the neighborhoods in which people live than it is to any innate characteristics of the people who commit crimes.
B)people commit crimes for practical reasons involving costs and benefits
C)people who commit crimes have basically the same values as everyone else; however,the avenues for the achievement of success are greatly restricted for people in the lower class.
D)people learn criminal behavior through the groups with which they associate.

Question 20

The approach to corrections known as New Penology states that:

A)juveniles,women,and first-time offenders should be housed with older,hardened male criminals.
B)indeterminate sentences are ineffective deterrants to crime.
C)convicts should be treated humanely and should be given meaningful and productive work to occupy their time.
D)None of the above

Question 21

The form of rehabilitation which attempts to get people out of the criminal justice system as soon as possible is:

A)incapacitation.
B)probation.
C)diversion.
D)restitution.

Question 22

The form of punishment in which a criminal is forced to repay victims for the crime committed is called:

A)restitution.
B)retribution.
C)incapacitation.
D)specific deterrence.

Question 23

There are serious flaws with crime statistics.These involve:

A)incomplete and unrepresentative data.
B)inconsistent definitions across jurisdictions.
C)fraud and manipulation.
D)all of the above.

Question 24

African Americans and American Indians are over-represented in crime statistics.This is because:

A)their cultures reward anti-social behavior.
B)selective enforcement.
C)crime statistics are not compiled in rural settings.
D)all of the above.