Deck 2: Theory and Policy in Context

Question 1

Theories help criminologists link trends in crime to policy.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Violent crime increased in the 2000-2010 period.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

During 1985-1994, adult homicide tripled.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

"Super-predators" were believed to become responsible for an increase in violent crime.

Question 5

Warren Court legal protections have a substantial effect on the crime rate.

Question 6

Moral poverty reduces one's ability to control their impulses.

Question 7

The book Body Count is a discussion on the benefits of liberal crime policies.

Question 8

Currie pinpointed the rise in incarceration rates between 1970 and the mid-1990s to the war on drugs.

Question 9

Violent crime and prison populations both increased between the early 1970s and mid-1990s.

Question 10

Hot spots policing in New York had positive effects in reductions in crime.

Question 11

The great crime decline has been attributed to:

A) Aging baby boomers
B) Crack use in US cities
C) Reduction in prison populations
D) Traditional policing methods

Question 12

Zimring estimates that policing efforts have had no more than ____% impact on crime rates.

A) 20
B) 15
C) 10
D) 5

Question 13

____________are referred to as Incapacitation effects.

A) Reductions in crime when prison population is high
B) Threats of imprisonment
C) Increases in drug use
D) Oscillations in crime

Question 14

____________________is a court ruling attributed to reductions in crime.

A) Miranda v. Arizona
B) Bratton v. New York State Board of Parole
C) Roe v. Wade
D) Federal Safe Water Drinking Act

Question 15

Criminogenic causes are those that:

A) Decrease the likelihood of criminal behavior
B) Increase the likelihood of criminal behavior
C) Have no effect on criminal behavior
D) None of the above

Question 16

The Gini Index is a measure of:

A) Moral poverty
B) Income distribution
C) Crime rates
D) Lagged effects

Question 17

Removal of __________ from gasoline is believed to contribute to the great crime decline.

A) Tetraethyl lead
B) Malaria
C) Ethanol
D) Emissions

Question 18

Two tactics used by NYC police attributed to a decrease in crime are:

A) Hot spots policing and arrest
B) Community policing and noise abatement
C) Foot patrols and bicycle patrols
D) Hot spots policing and a focus on drug markets

Question 19

A lagged effect means something happens:

A) At the same time as something else
B) Before something else
C) After something else
D) None of the above

Question 20

Lead-based paint in homes was associated with ________ in New Orleans.

A) Neighborhood crime rates
B) Robbery rates
C) Incarceration rates
D) Death rates

Question 21

Describe the changes in the national reporting systems of crime: UCR and NIBRS. How did NIBRS attempt to improve on the UCR? What remains a challenge to our quantification of crime?

Question 22

Why are police agencies not required to participate in the UCR and NIBRS initiatives? What benefits would we see in the reporting of crime if police agencies were mandated to share this information through these programs?

Question 23

The United States experienced a crime decline in the late 1990s. Identify and describe three reasons attributed to this decline.

Question 24

Choose one of the following segments, a, b, or c. Using the chosen segment, compare and contrast the two explanations of the crime reduction experienced in the United States in the 1990s. Which one had a greater impact on the reduction in crime; why?
a. Economy AND aging of baby boomers
b. Lagged effect of Roe v. Wade AND reduction in crack epidemic
c. Removal of led from gasoline AND police practices such as hot spots policing

Question 25

New York City experienced a great reduction in criminal activity in the 1990s. Identify and describe two policing activities that Zimring attributes to this crime decline. Compare and contrast these policing activities to two non-policing explanations of the crime decline. Are policing activities or these other explanations responsible for more of the reduction? Define your position.

Question 26

Describe the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (e.g., frequency of administration, sample, types of crimes examined). Does the NCVS contribute a substantial improvement in crime statistics compared to the UCR? What about the NIBRS?

Question 27

Zimring's analysis of the effect of imprisonment explored the deterrent and incapacitative effects of jails/prisons. Using the data presented in the text, describe the utility of imprisonment in reducing crime.

Question 28

What is the "Ferguson Effect"? How has it contributed to crime rate trends in cities across the US?

Question 29

What does the term "super-predator" mean? Describe its evolution and whether the idea of "super-predators" was realized and what impact it had on criminology.

Question 30

A researcher wants to learn about the rate of drug use among high-school students. Using the three main data sources discussed in the text (UCR, NIBRS, NCVS) describe the benefits and drawbacks of each data source for this research topic.