Deck 14: Comparative Criminology and Globalization

Question 1

Comparative criminology is scholarly tradition that attempts to compare

A) one person's experience with a type of crime to another person's experience.
B) crime in different countries to create universal concepts and generalizations.
C) a particular form of crime in one U.S. city with the same type of crime in another U.S. city.
D) crime rates in one state to crime rates in another state to determine the effectiveness of each state's crime policies.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Comparative criminology might address problems of "monocultural" theories developed

A) primarily in English-speaking Western countries.
B) in Japan.
C) in Central Europe prior to the formation of the European Union.
D) in Latin America.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Comparative criminologists point out that few criminological theories have been tested against the empirical and theoretical evidence of other

A) social trends.
B) types of behavior.
C) theorists.
D) societies.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is a source of crime data for cross-national comparisons?

A) The Comparative Crime Data File
B) The Uniform Crime Reports
C) The International Crime Victimization Survey
D) The International Study of Juvenile Delinquency

Question 5

The homicide rate in Japan is about __________ the rate in the United States.

A) three-quarters
B) half
C) one-fifth
D) one-tenth

Question 6

The United Nations, in its efforts to create stability and peaceful international relations, promotes all of the following, EXCEPT

A) higher standards of living, full employment, and social and economic development.
B) intolerance of internal disputes within nations.
C) solutions of international economic, social, health, and related problems.
D) universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms regardless of race, sex, language, or religion.

Question 7

How many nations were members of Interpol in 2013?

A) 71
B) 190
C) 210
D) 420

Question 8

One of the major problems with the United Nations' official crime data is that

A) they focus exclusively on a legalistic definition of crime.
B) there is inconsistency in defining the crimes being measured.
C) the theoretical value is limited because some of it includes estimates.
D) there are no problems with the United Nations' data on crime.

Question 9

According to the International Crime Victimization Survey, which of the following has a rate of reporting to police that is 20 percent?

A) The United States
B) Sweden
C) Brazil
D) Switzerland

Question 10

How many types of victimization does the ICVS ask about?

A) 5
B) 11
C) 20
D) 35

Question 11

Which of these is not one of the reasons why scholars should be cautious about the victimization data from around the world?

A) Cultural relativism.
B) Question wording reflects legal definitions of crimes.
C) Some samples are extremely large
D) Some countries calculate rates based on households, but others calculate using per-capita victimizations.

Question 12

Epistemological relativism involves the claim that one can understand another culture only through the

A) prism of another's frame of reference.
B) prism of one's own culturally determined system of values, thereby implying that comparative studies are ultimately futile.
C) lens of a refined and humble scholar.
D) point of view of those victimized in that culture.

Question 13

Methodological relativism is a strategy that operates as a sensitizing device to variation in the

A) theoretical approaches one uses in the study of crime.
B) political power structures present in every country.
C) definition and meaning of crime in other cultures.
D) none of the above.

Question 14

In Brown's study of comparative sexual practices, she attempted to demonstrate that every known society has

A) a range of approved sexual practices and another range of practices subject to taboo.
B) some level of sexual repressiveness.
C) some level of sexual permissiveness.
D) strict and violent prohibitions against any nonheterosexual, nonprocreative sexual activity.

Question 15

Brown focused on all the following problems in her research, EXCEPT the

A) relative frequency with which specific types of sexual practices are considered deviant by different societies.
B) relative severity with which various deviant sexual practices are punished.
C) degree of correlation between relational and familial proximity between people and the prohibitions against incest.
D) degree of correlation between the frequency and the severity of punishments.

Question 16

From her study, Brown claimed that the most forbidden sexual practices are

A) abortion, male homosexuality, and incest.
B) incest, abduction, and rape.
C) lesbianism, abortion, and incest.
D) homosexuality, incest, and rape.

Question 17

From her study, Brown claimed that the least forbidden sexual practices are

A) sadomasochistic sexual practices.
B) homosexual affairs and group sex.
C) premarital affairs and sex with one's fiancé.
D) premarital and extramarital affairs.

Question 18

From her study of 110 societies' sexual practices, Brown concluded that in every society when a sexual practice is forbidden the most, it is

A) punished the most severely.
B) punished the least severely.
C) never punished because no one finds out about it.
D) moderately punished.

Question 19

Criticisms of Brown's research hinge on the fact that she made certain assumptions about the

A) cultural meaning of each type of sexual practice.
B) seriousness of punishment as a form of redress.
C) importance of sex in society.
D) both a and b.

Question 20

Criticisms of Brown's research include that her findings cannot be

A) denied by studying the same cultures over again.
B) confirmed by studying other cultures.
C) replicated.
D) validated by historical data.

Question 21

Which of the following is a problematic assumption made by Brown?

A) Homosexuality has been prohibited throughout time.
B) All sexual behavior is subject to societal regulation in culturally distinct ways.
C) Punishment is rank-ordered in terms of severity across all cultures at all times.
D) Incest practices across cultures are based on culturally sensitive definitions.

Question 22

The aim of comparative criminology is the construction of

A) one overall theory of crime.
B) distinct, discrete, and objective measures of crime.
C) culturally insensitive measures of crime and deviance.
D) cross-cultural generalizations on crime.

Question 23

Given the current state of comparative criminology, it appears suitable to make comparisons only between countries that have

A) different sociological and structural features.
B) common sociological and structural features.
C) common psychological and cultural patterns.
D) different psychological and cultural patterns.

Question 24

Comparative criminologists point out that because legal definitions vary from place to place and culture to culture,

A) strict offense-by-offense comparisons are nearly impossible.
B) the comparativist must define for himself or herself what is meant by the terms of his or her research.
C) scholars must be in agreement on the theoretical approaches they are using.
D) scholars must all agree on the political implications of the research.

Question 25

Wolfgang's proposal for developing a reliable cross-national source of crime data includes

A) standardizing national police data.
B) surveying state attorneys general for their definitions of crime.
C) eliminating the legalistic definition of crime.
D) both a and c

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT one of the three stages that a comparative criminological study must follow?

A) A generalization must be developed.
B) A generalization must be tested in one culture at a single point in time.
C) A generalization must be tested across two cultures that share the same common sociological features.
D) A generalization must be tested across cultures that are completely dissimilar.

Question 27

Among the five rules for constructing a cross-cultural generalization about crime are the following, EXCEPT:

A) Event x is not the cause of rising crime rates if it occurs when rising crime rates do not occur.
B) Event x is not the cause of rising crime rates if it does not occur when rising crime rates do occur.
C) X is not necessarily the cause of the rising crime rates if one or more variables are present at the same time.
D) The generalization "x causes crime" stands on its own merit and requires no theoretical explanation.

Question 28

One of the most commonly accepted generalizations about crime around the world is that crime is caused by

A) cultural conflict and social disorganization.
B) modernization and urbanization.
C) differential reinforcement and differential association.
D) economic inequality and age distributions.

Question 29

According to the modernization thesis, as a society modernizes

A) the population will decline.
B) the division of labor will shift to a service sector economy.
C) knowledge, wealth, political power, and human rights become more available to the entire population.
D) ideological differences are highlighted and become the major source of violent conflict.

Question 30

What was the death toll from the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster by 2013?

A) 1,000 to 5,000
B) 4,000 to 7,000
C) 15,000 to 20,000
D) 20,000 to 24,000

Question 31

The Union Carbide chemical leak disaster in Bhopal illustrates that the "modernization" thesis is

A) completely accurate.
B) mostly accurate.
C) harmlessly flawed.
D) seriously flawed.

Question 32

Which of the following is not a characteristic of modernization?

A) Knowledge, wealth, and political power become more widely available.
B) Human relationships become more diffuse and ascribed (rather than oriented toward achievement).
C) A central government unites the country despite ideological political differences.
D) Women are emancipated and relationships between spouses become more equal.

Question 33

Among the conclusions drawn by Archer and Gartner's study of urbanism and homicide rates is that

A) absolute deprivation is more important than relative city size.
B) absolute city size corresponds perfectly to homicide rates.
C) the homicide rate in one city must be seen relative to the homicide rate for the rest of the country.
D) homicide rates increase dramatically with increased city size.

Question 34

What have researchers found most closely associated with high rates of homicide?

A) Racial inequality.
B) Gross national product and technological underdevelopment.
C) Gender inequality and violent forms of masculinity.
D) Social and economic inequality and concentrations of poverty.

Question 35

What reason have scholars given to explain Japan's low crime rates?

A) Cultural expectations of conformity.
B) Rampant economic productivity.
C) Traditional family values where women raise children under the control of men.
D) Buddhist practices of humility and honor.

Question 36

Why are some scholars critical of the standard explanation for Japan's low crime rate?

A) It doesn't explain high rates of individualistic white-collar crimes such as embezzlement.
B) The data focus on corruption and corporations rather than conventional crimes.
C) Japan's egalitarian income distribution, extensive social and welfare services, and absence of urban ghettos are not considered.
D) The fixation on culture shows obvious Western cultural bias.

Question 37

The Republic of Ireland's low crime rates have NOT been attributed to

A) relatively good relations between police and citizens.
B) immigration.
C) the influence of the Roman Catholic Church.
D) all of the above are reasons for the low Irish crime rate.

Question 38

What is the similarity between low crime countries according to Adler's Nations Not Obsessed with Crime?

A) The popularity of and citizen participation in the criminal justice system.
B) Democratic government and high levels of educational spending.
C) A relatively high proportion of women in the government.
D) Slow rates of urbanization and low unemployment.

Question 39

One major flaw with Adler's study of low crime countries is that she

A) fails to measure crimes committed by women.
B) does not provide an adequate measure for economic inequality.
C) directly challenges the cultural definitions of crime in each country.
D) fails to tackle the tough conceptual and methodological issues facing comparative criminology.

Question 40

Which country is the major exception to the modernization thesis?

A) The United States
B) Ireland
C) Brazil
D) Canada

Question 41

Which of the following is a true statement about incarceration in the United States?

A) Although it is high, it is similar to that of other technologically developed nations.
B) The United States incarcerates the highest number of people, but it does not have the highest rate of incarceration.
C) The U.S. rate of incarceration is one of the lowest among technologically developed nations.
D) The United States incarcerates the highest number of people and has the highest rate of incarceration in the world.

Question 42

How many people were incarcerated in the United States in 2011?

A) less than 1 million
B) a little over 1 million
C) 2.25 million
D) over 3 million

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT part of the "civilizing process"?

A) Bans on sports that use animals.
B) Increased respect for individual rights.
C) An expanded network of public surveillance.
D) Better manners and comportment in public.

Question 44

Which country has by far the highest rate of incarceration?

A) Saudi Arabia
B) the United States
C) Israel
D) South Africa

Question 45

Which of the following is a true statement about LaFree and Drass' test of the modernization thesis?

A) WHO data did not support it.
B) WHO data were mixed and could neither support nor refute it.
C) WHO data supported it with no contravening cases.
D) WHO data supported it but with a few exceptional cases.

Question 46

Transnational crime is crime committed

A) in only one country.
B) in one state.
C) across borders or national boundaries.
D) none of the above.

Question 47

How does the process of globalization fuel social and intersocietal problems, including crime?

A) Globalization widens income differentials and leads to identity wars.
B) Globalization generates aspirations among the First World poor and throughout the Third World.
C) Globalization generates feelings of relative deprivation.
D) All of the above.

Question 48

Which country has no standing army?

A) Canada
B) Mexico
C) Ireland
D) Costa Rica

Question 49

In what way is the United States truly "exceptional"?

A) We have the most just system of criminal justice in the world.
B) We have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.
C) We have the highest homicide rate among technologically developed nations.
D) Both b and c are correct.

Question 50

How many African American men are incarcerated in the United States?

A) 1 in 200
B) about 1 in 100
C) 1 in 75
D) 1 in 15

Question 51

The aim of comparative criminology is to make generalizations about crime within social contexts and cross-national parameters.

Question 52

Epistemological relativism holds that because one can never understand the beliefs of cultures different from our own, we must compare our culture with other cultures.

Question 53

Methodological relativism is a strategy for comparing different cultures and, at the same time, attempts to respect the facts of cultural diversity.

Question 54

In a study of sexual practices in 110 societies, Brown found that there is no universal taboo against incest.

Question 55

The modernization thesis predicts that violent crime will decrease as countries develop.

Question 56

The urbanization thesis suggests that low crime rates in urban areas result from the relatively more sophisticated acceptance of ethnic pluralism present in modern cities.

Question 57

Japan has been hailed as a society with low crime rates as a result of the extreme level of expected conformity.

Question 58

Punitive penal policies are a violent part of the very problem they are apparently designed to solve.

Question 59

Police-based crime data are much more reliable than data from private human rights organizations such as Amnesty International or Doctors Without Borders.

Question 60

The United States incarcerates black men at a rate higher than that of South Africa.

Question 61

The United States has one of the lowest incarceration rates in the world.

Question 62

Globalization has no effect on the rate of crime.

Question 63

Cross-national data are completely reliable.

Question 64

Epistemological relativism holds that because we can never understand the beliefs of cultures different from our own, we cannot compare our culture with such cultures.

Question 65

Countries across the world are increasingly cut off from each other, making it relatively easy to compare cultures and crime rates.

Question 66

The United States has the lowest homicide rate among technologically advanced societies.

Question 67

In addition to persons who are in jail or prison, the United States has approximately 500,000 detainees in immigration and military facilities.

Question 68

Although similar societies cluster at a rate of 55-120 per 100,000, the rate of incarceration in the United States is 716 per 100,000.

Question 69

Write a brief essay that demonstrates your understanding of comparative criminology. What is it and what does it attempt to do? What are some of the major sources of data for comparative criminologists? What sorts of issues must criminologists take note of when making cross-cultural crime comparisons?

Question 70

Summarize the modernization thesis, including why it is controversial, data that support the thesis, and the few cases that seem not to.

Question 71

Some of the most interesting questions posed by comparative criminologists concern societies with low crime rates. Identify two such societies, and briefly discuss what might account for the lower rates and any controversies that might surround them.

Question 72

Transnational crime (TNC) is sometimes called border-crossing crime. Either way this form of crime poses specific problems for criminologists. Briefly explain what some of these problems are and why they are problematic.