Deck 5: Crime and Deviance

Question 1

Acts are considered criminal or deviant when:

A) They are inherently evil or wrong.
B) They cause great harm.
C) They violate certain societal norms.
D) Both A and B

Answer 1

C

Question 2

An action is considered "wrongful" when:

A) The "wrongfulness" is intrinsic to the action, which means that the action is wrong in and of itself (i.e., it is wrong to murder because murder is wrong).
B) The "wrongfulness" is extrinsic to the action, which means that the action is wrong because society's norms identify it as wrong (i.e., it is wrong to murder because society has laws against murder).
C) The "wrongfulness" is both intrinsic and extrinsic, which means that an action is wrong both for what it is and for societies' view of it (i.e., it is wrong to commit incest and every nation has laws against it).
D) None of the above.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is true about how various societies view homosexuality?

A) In some societies, a gay man can achieve the role of a holy man.
B) Views toward homosexuality change over time.
C) Homosexual behavior is damaging to men in cultures where machismo is valued.
D) Homosexuality is condemned by all holy books.
E) A and B are true.
F) C and D are true.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Why is it important to sociologists that crime and deviance appear to be defined relative to culture and time?

A) Because changes indicate significant changes in social structure.
B) Because historically it is important to pinpoint which attitudes were prevalent and when.
C) Because "primitive" cultures respond in a particular, patterned manner and understanding these patterns helps us know how to rank a particular nation.
D) None of the above.

Question 5

What does the removal of homosexuality from the diagnostic manual for mental disorders have in common with the criminalization of smoking opium?

A) Deviance is intrinsic to both.
B) Both concerned waves of crime that were threatening society.
C) Both were accomplished by political processes.
D) Both A and B are true.

Question 6

Which of the following is the most frequent type of crime?

A) Assault and/or battery
B) Rape
C) Murder
D) Property offenses (theft, burglary, etc)

Question 7

Reality TV crime dramas:

A) Select their cases from a representative sample and give a good sense of what crime is really like in the United States.
B) Make sure to balance coverage based on race and social class.
C) Focus mainly on racial minorities, despite the large number of racial majorities also committing crime.
D) Select their cases based on what will be entertaining.
E) Both A and B
F) Both C and D

Question 8

What is a "crime scare"?

A) A sudden spike in a particular type of crime, leading to a crisis of policing and prosecution.
B) A sudden recognition, by the news media, of a type of criminal activity that has been prevalent long term, but unrecognized.
C) A sudden public frenzy of concern over a particular type of crime, even though statistics do not show an upswing in that type of crime.
D) None of the above.

Question 9

In the mid-1980s, strangers abducting children met the critical constructionist definition of a social problem because

A) as many as 50,000 children a year were going missing.
B) the crime rate increased, spiking around 1985, before parents finally became more proactive.
C) significant numbers of people saw the issue as a problem and organized to try to fix the problem.
D) all of the above.

Question 10

When we compare the United States to other industrialized nations in terms of street crime, we find that the US robbery and homicide rates are

A) lower than other industrialized nations due to our efforts at policing.
B) about the same as other industrialized nations.
C) two to three times higher than the next highest industrialized nations, depending on the type of crime.
D) none of the above.

Question 11

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

A) The United States has a lower incarceration rate than countries like Russia and South Africa, which have a reputation for incarcerating political dissidents.
B) The United States has an average incarceration rate compared to other industrialized nations.
C) The United States has a slightly higher incarceration rate than other industrialized nations-about 1.5 times higher-due to the War on Drugs in the 1980s.
D) The United States has an incarceration rate that is almost five times the average world rate globally, making it the highest known incarceration rate in the world.

Question 12

Which of the following jobs are performed by prisoners in jail for a wage of up to $1.50 per hour?

A) Manufacturing electronics like circuit boards.
B) Telemarketing.
C) Manufacturing military aircraft wiring.
D) All of the above.

Question 13

The Mutter-Kind-Heim prison in Germany allows women to keep their small children with them in an apartment-like setting. Staff takes care of the children while mothers work during the day, and in the evening mothers cook their children dinner and spend time with them. How many of this prison's released prisoners commit another offense and end up back in prison?

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 5%
D) 0%

Question 14

A clinic in Liverpool responded to drug use by prescribing the addict's drug of choice, teaching the addict to use their drug safely. What were the results of this practice?

A) The clinic was robbed of its drugs and had to shut down as a failure.
B) The clinic was mobbed with clientele wanting free, easy drugs; addiction rates went through the roof.
C) Neighborhood crime rates dropped, fewer inmates committed crimes, and more addicts stabilized their family lives.
D) A and B above.

Question 15

The medical community has biological tests that can confirm the presence of

A) schizophrenia.
B) attention deficit disorder.
C) depression.
D) none of the above.

Question 16

Crime is a sign that something is wrong with a society.

Question 17

In all societies, homosexuality is seen as deviant.

Question 18

The gay rights movement stems from the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.

Question 19

What we learn about crime on television is wrong, leading voters and policymakers to affect social policy based on the wrong information.

Question 20

Most street crime is committed by the poor.

Question 21

Heiner states that what we know about crime from watching television is wrong. Explain what he means and why having the wrong information matters.

Question 22

Marijuana use-for medicinal and entertainment purposes-has been legalized in some US states. Briefly summarize the social construction of marijuana use, pro and con. What arguments are used on each side? Taking a critical constructionist approach, examine these arguments and who benefits from "winning" the marijuana debate.

Question 23

Heiner points to the American value system as the cause of violent crime in the United States. Explain his argument. Give current examples from the news.