question

The rules of evidence, the law of search and seizure, questions of appeal, jury selection, and the right to counsel fall under what category of criminal law?

answer

procedural law

question

The Code of Hammurabi established a system of crime and punishment based on physical retaliation. But, the severity of this physical retaliation depended upon one's:

answer

class standing

question

Changing technology requires modifications of the criminal law. A new defined crime that involves sending out bulk e-mail messages designed to trick consumers into revealing personal information is called:

answer

phishing

question

All criminal law in the United States must conform to the rules and dictates of the U.S. Constitution

answer

True

question

The sub-area of the sociology of law is concerned with the role social forces play in shaping criminal law.

answer

True

question

Common law originated in early England where royal judges would use local rules and custom to decide cases.

answer

True

question

College students who are drunk when they assault other people may claim they were suffering from a mental impairment that prevented them from understanding the harmfulness of their acts. They are using what type of defense?

answer

excuses

question

The perspective that views crime as the reflection of the preferences and opinions of people who hold social power in a particular legal jurisdiction is:

answer

the interactionist view

question

Criminal law is shaped by all but which of the following?

answer

social control mechanisms

question

Criminal law constantly evolve to reflect social and economic conditions.

answer

True

question

The intent to commit the criminal act is known as:

answer

mens rea

question

The consensus view states that criminal laws are acts created to protect the haves from the have-nots.

answer

False

question

Deviant behavior:

answer

departs from social norms

question

Those laws that set out the basic rules of practice in the criminal justice system are procedural criminal laws

answer

True

question

Theories are based on social facts that are observed and can be consistently quantified and measured.

answer

True

question

Duress, self-defense, and entrapment are defenses in which the individual usually admits committing the criminal act but maintains that he or she should not be held criminally liable. These are what type of defense?

answer

justifications

question

Shifting definitions of deviant behavior are closely associated with our concepts of crime.

answer

True

question

Murder, rape and other crimes deemed inherently evil are also referred to as _________________ crimes.

answer

mala in se

question

The interactionist perspective holds that the definition of crime evolves according to the moral standards of those in power.

answer

True

question

Research conducted on the links between different crimes and criminals is known as _____________.

answer

crime typology

question

Under this view, groups able to assert their political power use the law and criminal justice system to advance their economic and social positions. Criminal laws are viewed as acts created to protect the haves from the have-nots.

answer

conflict

question

The branch of the law that defines crimes and their punishment is known as ___________.

answer

substantive law

question

Criminologists use ________ methods to study the nature, extent, cause, and control of criminal behavior.

answer

scientific

question

This type of law is used to resolve, control, and shape such personal interactions as contracts, wills and trusts, property ownership, and involves tort law.

answer

civil law

question

______________ law governs the regulation of city, county, state, and federal government agencies.

answer

administrative law

question

Statutory crimes are referred to as:

answer

mala prohibitum

question

Public welfare offenses, such as traffic offenses, are crimes that do not require mens rea to prove legal guilt because they endanger public welfare or violate safety regulations. They are also referred to as:

answer

strict liability crimes

question

Which of the following is illegal but is not necessarily deviant?

answer

Drug use

question

A battered wife who kills her mate might argue that she acted out of duress - committing her crime to save her own life. She would be using the defense of:

answer

justification

question

Deviant behavior is behavior that departs from social norms.

answer

True

question

Conspiracy, solicitation, and attempted crimes are also known as:

answer

inchoate offenses

question

Studying the correction and control of known criminal offenders is:

answer

penology

question

Criminal justice explains the etiology, extent, and nature of crime in society.

answer

False

question

Mala in se crimes are those crimes that reflect existing social conditions and are enacted through legislation.

answer

False

question

When selecting subjects for research studies, criminologists should ensure they are selected in what manner?

answer

randomly

question

The subarea of criminal statistics involves measuring the amount and trends of criminal activity.

answer

True

question

Trials by ordeal were based on the principle that:

answer

divine forces would not allow an innocent person to be harmed

question

The consensus view of crime links illegal behavior to the concept of:

answer

social harm

question

According to early victimologists, victim behavior is very rarely a key determinant of crime.

answer

False

question

The evolution of criminal law has created and eliminated many laws. Among those currently recognized is __________, which is the "the willful, malicious and repeated following and harassing of another person."

answer

stalking

question

Crime rates may be higher:

answer

on the first day of the month

question

Which of the following statements is not a potential explanation for the marked increase in crimes committed by females?

answer

Police are more likely to use their discretion to help females.

question

Criminologists conduct research to:

answer

measure the nature and extent of criminal behavior

question

When researchers want a survey to focus on a particular group of people or to be representative of all members of society they conduct:

answer

cross-sectional research

question

A research approach that asks participants to describe their recent and lifetime criminal activity is termed:

answer

a self-report survey

question

The "missing cases" phenomenon is a validity concern for which type of crime measurement?

answer

self-report studies

question

Official crime data indicate that minority group members are involved in a disproportionate share of criminal activity. Which of the following does not explain race-based differences in the crime rate?

answer

Individuals in the US without documentation

question

Monitoring the Future (MTF) data indicate that the number of people who break the law is far greater than the number projected by official statistics.

answer

True

question

The Uniform Crime Report reports serious violent crimes and federal crimes.

answer

False

question

Self-report surveys can provide information on the personal characteristics of offenders, such as their attitudes, values, beliefs, and psychological profiles.

answer

True

question

Among the factors that influence crime trends are the availability of legalized abortion, firearms, and quality health care.

answer

True

question

Observing a group of people who share a like characteristic, over time, is termed:

answer

cohort research

question

Instrumental crimes are committed by those who are unable to obtain desired goods and services through conventional means.

answer

True

question

Official arrest records indicate that African Americans are arrested at a higher rate than members of other racial groups. Self-report data:

answer

suggest arrest rate differences are an artifact of justice system bias

question

The relationship between class and crime is an important one for criminological theory. The weight of recent evidence seems to suggest that serious, official crime is more prevalent:

answer

The relationship between class and crime is an important one for criminological theory. The weight of recent evidence seems to suggest that serious, official crime is more prevalent:

question

The "missing cases phenomenon" is a validity concern present within the Uniform Crime Report.

answer

False

question

Which of the following sets of factors would not predict chronic offending?

answer

parental supervision, average grades, average school attendance

question

The true relationship between class and crime is difficult to determine because economic conditions and social opportunities may obscure effects.

answer

True

question

Many times it is difficult to randomly select subjects or manipulate conditions of a study. When this occurs, criminologists must rely on what type of design?

answer

quasi-experimental

question

Most self-report surveys focus on juvenile delinquency and youth crime.

answer

True

question

One of the most important findings from cohort studies is the concept of persistence or the continuity of crime. Who is most likely to persist in a criminal career?

answer

juveniles who started their delinquent careers early and who committed serious violent crime during adolescence

question

Validity issues impact the UCR. Which of the following represents a validity concern/s for this data collection method?

answer

reporting practices, methodological problems, and law enforcement practices

question

The phrase "the ecology of crime" refers to such factors as:

answer

season and climate

question

Official crime data indicate that minority group members are involved in a disproportionate share of serious criminal activity.

answer

True

question

What theory or hypothesis focused attention on the social and economic role of women in society and its relationship to female crime rates?

answer

the masculinity hypothesis

question

According to the NCVS, reported victimizations have:

answer

declined significantly during the past 30 years

question

Self-report data supports the notion that ________________________ may account for the lower-class's overrepresentation in official statistics and the prison population.

answer

law enforcement practices

question

The best known and most important source of official crime data is:

answer

the Uniform Crime Report

question

Longitudinal or cohort research involves observing a group of people, who share like characteristics, over a period of time.

answer

True

question

Most reported crimes occur during the warm summer months of July and August.

answer

True

question

Most criminologists agree that crime peaks when a person reaches middle-age and declines rapidly thereafter.

answer

False

question

All but which of the following explanations might account for the variance between male and female crime rates?

answer

Females are supervised less by their parents than males.

question

While the "emancipation of women" has had relatively little influence on female crime rates, there has been an increase in the number of females arrested. According to Steffensmeier's research, what might account for this increase?

answer

the greater willingness of police to arrest females

question

In the 1970s, liberal feminist theory focused attention on the social and economic role of women in society and its relationship to female crime rates.

answer

True

question

If criminologists want to see the direct effect of one factor on another, they conduct:

answer

experimental research

question

What is known about the trend in property crime rates?

answer

Like the violent crime rate, the property crime rate has decreased.

question

Meta-analysis involves gathering data from:

answer

previous studies

question

The Bureau of Justice Statistics compiles the Uniform Crime Report.

answer

False

question

Violent crimes are more likely to be solved than property crimes because police devote more resources to these more serious acts.

answer

True

question

How is age correlated with crime?

answer

Age is inversely related to crime - younger people commit more crime

question

In routine activities theory, a large number of unemployed teenagers would be an example of:

answer

motivated offenders

question

Criminologists who focus their attention on crime victims refer to themselves as _______________. Answer

answer

victimologists

question

Local programs designed to assist victims and witnesses with medical bills, transportation, loss of wages, counseling, and other needs caused by the crime are called

answer

victim-witness assistance programs

question

Except for the crimes of rape or ____________ , males are more likely than females to be victims of crime.

answer

sexual assault

question

In _________________, three variables which must exist for crime to occur are: the availability of suitable targets, the absence of capable guardians, and the presence of motivated offenders.

answer

routine activities theory

question

___________________is money paid to the victim, usually from a state victim compensation program.

answer

Victim Compensation

question

Research indicates that both boys and girls are more likely to engage in violent behavior if they were targets of physical abuse. This abuse-crime phenomenon is referred to as the

answer

cycle of violence

question

Concerning routine activities theory, police and homeowners would be considered ___________.

answer

Capable Guardians

question

When the victim exhibits some personal characteristic that unknowingly either threatens or encourages the attacker it is known as _______________.

answer

passive precipitation

question

Areas with elevated chances of victimization due to higher concentrations of motivated offenders are known as ___________.

answer

hot spots

question

With regard to crime victims and their offenders, crime tends to be _________________.

answer

intraracial

question

According to ____________, people who drink, use drugs, and engage in crime, have a much greater chance of victimization.

answer

lifestyle theory

question

According to ______________, people are more likely to become victims of crime and violence if they reside in areas where is an increased risk of coming into contact with criminal offenders.

answer

Deviant Place Theory

question

____________ suggests that some people may actually initiate the confrontation that eventually leads to their injury or death.

answer

Victim precipitation

question

The fact that some people's activities and behaviors increase their risk of victimization by increasing their potential to become "opportunities" for criminal offenders is the basis of what theory?

answer

lifestyle theory

question

Some people may actually initiate the confrontation that eventually leads to their injury or death. This is termed ____________.

answer

victim precipitation theory

question

Tallying the societal costs of crime (justice system costs, legal costs, treatment costs, etc.) results in a total loss due to crime of __________________annually.

answer

$450 billion dollars

question

Individuals who have been crime victims have a greater chance of future victimization. This concept is known as ___________________.

answer

repeat victimization

question

The __________ are more likely to be victims of frauds and scams.

answer

elderly

question

When victims act provocatively, use threats or fighting words, or even attack first, it is known as ________.

answer

active precipitation

question

Situational inducements, such as the thrill or relieving stress, which directly precede the commission of a crime, and draw offenders into law violations are called ____________.

answer

seductions of crime

question

Offenders may react selectively to the characteristics of particular offenses. For instance, the decision to commit a burglary may involve evaluating the target's likely cash yield and the presence of dogs and escape routes. This crime would then be considered:

answer

offense specific

question

Beccaria believed that criminals choose to commit crime and that criminal choices could be controlled by:

answer

fear of punishment

question

When deterrence measures convince would be criminals that the risk of committing a particular crime is just too great, offenders adapt in various ways. Of the following, which is not one of those ways?

answer

The offender commits more serious crimes, assuming if caught, the punishment would be no worse than for somewhat lesser crimes.

question

The view that proposes placing offenders behind bars during their prime crime years in order to lessen their opportunity to commit crime is known as:

answer

incapacitation effect

question

Crime persists because most offenders believe all but which of the following?

answer

They face punishment soon after their apprehension.

question

After the famous Minneapolis domestic violence study, other studies and analyses have been conducted. What do these studies indicate regarding the deterrent effect of arrest for domestic abusers?

answer

These studies indicate arrest was not a greater deterrence than warning or advising the assailant.

question

The seductions of crime increase the likelihood of engaging in crime due to neither fearing legal punishment nor losing respect of peers.

answer

True

question

The effect of shaming may vary according to what?

answer

the cohesiveness of the community structure

question

The theory of specific deterrence suggests that the harsher the punishment, the less likely the chances of recidivism. Is this so?

answer

The majority of offenders are not deterred and reoffend.

question

The Minneapolis domestic violence study showed that arresting offenders was an ineffective means of reducing recidivism.

answer

False

question

The view that crime is a matter of rational choice is held by a number of criminologists who believe that the decision to violate any law is made for a variety of personal reasons including greed, revenge, need, anger, lust, jealousy, thrill-seeking, or vanity.

answer

True

question

According to Von Hirsch's view on "just deserts," why is punishment based on deterrence or incapacitation wrong?

answer

Because punishment based on deterrence or incapacitation involves an offender's future actions.

question

When efforts to prevent one crime unintentionally prevent another and when crime control efforts in one locale reduce crime in other non-target areas, this is called:

answer

diffusion of benefits

question

The writings of Beccaria influenced the U.S. Constitution and France's Declaration of the Rights of Man.

answer

True

question

Clearly indicating a rational thought process, people will forego crime if they risk losing the respect of their peers and/or damaging their reputations

answer

True

question

According to rational choice theory, why might a criminal decide not to commit crime?

answer

The criminal perceives the crime is too risky.

question

Well-lit housing projects that maximize surveillance reflect Oscar Newman's concept of _______ that suggests crime can be prevented via the use of residential architectural designs that reduce criminal opportunity.

answer

defensible space

question

Guardians who monitor targets, handlers who monitor potential offenders, and managers who monitor places are ____________ who have varying levels of responsibility and research indicates they impact crime rates.

answer

crime discouragers

question

According to the rational choice approach, law-violating behavior occurs when an offender decides to commit the crime after considering what two types of factors?

answer

personal and situational factors

question

What do immediate impact studies indicate about capital punishment's deterrent effect on murder?

answer

Impact studies indicated that the overall impact of executions might actually increase the incidence of homicide

question

__________ occur when significant others, such as parents, peer, neighbors, and teachers, direct their disapproval toward the offender.

answer

Informal sanctions

question

Discouragement occurs when crime reduction programs may boomerang and increase rather than decrease the potentiality for crime.

answer

False

question

According to __________, crime rates are influenced and controlled by the threat of punishment.

answer

general deterrence

question

Situational crime prevention is not without its problems. When crime reduction programs re-direct offenders to alternative targets, it is termed:

answer

crime displacement

question

Which of the following is not a crime prevention strategy used today?

answer

reducing the shame for committing crime

question

The Kansas City, Missouri police department's study of patrol effectiveness, convinced criminologists that:

answer

The mere presence of patrol officers on the street did not have a deterrent effect.

question

Placing offenders behind bars during their prime crime years should lessen their lifetime opportunity to commit crime.

answer

True

question

The utilitarian calculus, which is a cost-benefit analysis, is associated with Jeremy Bentham.

answer

True

question

Most burglars prefer to commit crime in neighborhoods with a limited number of access streets to ensure a decrease in traffic.

answer

False

question

Crime reduction programs may produce a short-term positive effect, but benefits then dissipate as criminals adjust to new conditions. This phenomenon is known as:

answer

extinction

question

If petty offenses were subject to the same punishment as more serious crimes, offenders would choose the worst crime. This is known as:

answer

marginal deterrence

question

The three components of deterrence theory are severity, certainty, and speed of legal sanctions (punishment). Of these components, deterrence theorists tend to believe that the _________ of punishment seems to have the strongest impact.

answer

certainty

question

Personal factors such as economic opportunity, learning and experience, and knowledge of criminal techniques condition people to choose crime.

answer

True

question

According to deterrence theory, if the probability of arrest, conviction, and sanctioning could be increased, crime rates should:

answer

Decline

question

Most burglars prefer to commit crimes in neighborhoods that contain a greater than usual number of access streets. These neighborhoods are referred to as:

answer

permeable neighborhoods

question

If a crime is offense-specific, offenders have weighed their abilities, resources, needs, and levels of fear.

answer

False

question

The basic elements of classical criminology do not include which of the following ideas?

answer

Criminal solutions require much effort but hold the promise of a huge payoff

question

To deter people from committing more serious offenses, Beccaria believed punishment should be lenient.

answer

False

question

This occurs when crime control efforts targeting a particular locale help reduce crime in surrounding areas and populations.

answer

discouragement

question

Situational crime prevention tactics such as Lojack® tracking systems are an example of what?

answer

reducing rewards

question

"Crackdowns" are sudden changes in police activity designed to lower crime rates through an increase in the communicated threat or actual certainty of punishment. How effective are crackdowns?

answer

Crackdowns are effective when coupled with problem-solving and community- improvement techniques; crackdowns initially deter crime but the effect soon wears off after the high intensity police activity ends.

question

Policies that convince potential criminals to desist from criminal activities, delay their actions, or avoid a particular target are known as:

answer

situational crime prevention

question

The view that criminals evaluate their skills and needs prior to engaging in a crime is:

answer

offender specific

question

Rational choice theory has roots in the Chicago School developed by Cesare Beccaria.

answer

False

question

General deterrence theory holds that threat of punishment should deter lawbreakers through fear. Which statement is inaccurate as to why some offenders are not deterred?

answer

Chronic offenders are impulsive, but consider the legal consequences of their actions so as to decrease the likelihood of apprehension.

question

Informal sanctions are less effective at reducing crime than is fear of formal legal punishment.

answer

False

question

Some law violators describe the adrenaline rush that comes from successfully executing illegal activities in dangerous situations. This integration of danger, risk, and skill, is for some, a seduction of crime and is referred to as:

answer

edgework

question

The philosophy of justice that asserts that those who violate the rights of others deserve to be punished is known as:

answer

just desert

question

Rational choice theory is rooted in the classical school of criminology developed by:

answer

Cesare Beccaria

question

Social learning theorists contribute all but which of the following factors to violent and/or aggressive behavior?

answer

consistent relationship between painful attacks and aggressive responses

question

Explosive rage disorder is considered an important cause of spouse and child abuse, suicide, aggressiveness, and motiveless homicide. This disorder is a type of:

answer

minimal brain dysfunction

question

Social learning theory holds that people learn to be aggressive through their life experiences. Which of these is not a source of this behavior modeling process?

answer

religious affiliation

question

Which of the following biochemical factors has not been linked to criminality?

answer

Hyperglycemia

question

_______________ is defined as a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others.

answer

anti-social personality

question

Abnormal levels of these male sex hormones influence the neocortex and have been linked to brain seizures and emotional volatility.

answer

androgens

question

Therapeutic interventions designed to make people better problem solvers do not involve which measure?

answer

modeling prosocial behavior

question

A frequently administered personality test which has been used to distinguish deviants from nondeviant groups is the:

answer

California Personality Inventory

question

The condition at the onset of the menstrual cycle that triggers excessive amounts of hormones affecting antisocial, aggressive behavior is known as:

answer

premenstrual syndrome

question

Conduct disorder is considered a more serious group of behaviors than oppositional defiant disorder. What statement is false regarding the causes of conduct disorder?

answer

an imbalance between the id, ego and superego

question

The theorist associated with the "born criminal" and biological determinism is?

answer

Lombroso

question

The study of the activities of several generations of families believed to have an especially large number of criminal members is the:

answer

inheritance school

question

Recent research on IQ and crime suggests that low IQ increases the likelihood of criminal behavior through its effect on:

answer

school performance

question

Some researches feel it is possible that what appears to be a genetic effect evidenced in twin research is actually the effect of sibling influence pertaining to criminality and referred to as the:

answer

contagion effect

question

According to the moral and intellectual development branch of cognitive theory, what is wrong with criminals?

answer

low levels of moral reasoning development

question

The notion that some individuals may engage in crime due to the attraction of "getting away with it" is known as:

answer

arousal theory

question

______________ argues that intelligence is largely determined genetically, and is linked to criminal behavior.

answer

nature theory

question

Sociobiology differs from earlier theories of behavior in that it stresses that biological and genetic conditions affect:

answer

how social behaviors are learned and perceived

question

__________ cause an excessive reaction in the brain, whereas _________ affect the nervous system. Both are linked to mental, emotional, and behavioral problems.

answer

Cerebral allergies; neuroallergies

question

The psychodynamic model of the criminal offender depicts an aggressive, frustrated person dominated by events that occurred:

answer

during early childhood

question

Which of the following statements pertaining to the link between lead and crime is inaccurate?

answer

The average blood lead level has increased over the past decade.

question

According to William Sheldon, who believed that criminals manifest distinct physiques, which somatotype was most likely to become criminal?

answer

mesomorph

question

What statement is false with regard to ADHD?

answer

ADHD has been linked to the desistance of a delinquent career.

question

With regard to lead and its association to aggressive behaviors, what statement is false?

answer

Lead poisoning was one of the most significant predictors of female delinquency

question

The belief that all humans are born with equal potential to learn and achieve is known as:

answer

equipotentiality

question

_______ is found in youngsters whose personalities require them to seek immediate gratification, to consider their own needs more important than others, and to satisfy instinctive urges without considering right and wrong.

answer

Latent delinquency

question

A condition that occurs when glucose in the blood falls below levels necessary for normal and efficient brain functioning is known as:

answer

hypoglycemia

question

A disorder in which a child shows a developmentally inappropriate lack of attention and an excess of impulsivity is known as:

answer

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

question

Biosocial theory contends that all humans are born with equal potential to learn and achieve.

answer

False

question

People alter what they do based on learned responses from rewards and punishments is the premise of what group of theories?

answer

behavioral

question

The connection between crime and mental illness is evident given all but which of the following statements?

answer

Substance abuse among the mentally ill is significantly lower than that of the general population.

question

High bone concentrations of this mineral/metal are associated with delinquency.

answer

lead

question

Biocriminologists believe human behavior is not produced by which of the following?

answer

psychological conditions

question

Which finding is false with regard to the studies of MZ and DZ twins?

answer

If one member of a twin pair was delinquent, the other was not and the effect was seen in both types or twins.

question

According to Freud, the superego is the _____ aspect of one's personality.

answer

moral

question

The premise that traits and characteristics have become ingrained and some of these traits make people aggressive and predisposed to commit crime is part of which theory?

answer

evolutionary theory

question

The belief that no serious consideration should be given to biological factors when attempting to understand human nature is known as:

answer

biophobia

question

The concept used to describe people who have feelings of inadequacy and compensate for them with a drive for superiority is:

answer

inferiority complex

question

One of the most widely used psychological tests that is designed to measure many different personality traits, including psychopathic deviation, schizophrenia, and hypomania is known as the:

answer

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

question

Which theory states that the emotional bond at birth has important lasting psychological implications that follow people across the life span?

answer

attachment theory

SOC 389 Midterm

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