Deck 3: Classical and Neoclassical Thought

Question 1

Which of the following statements would probably not be made by a Classical School criminologist?

A) I believe that punishment is necessary to deter offenders from recidivating
B) I believe that people have certain basic rights and if the government infringes upon these rights, it should be dissolved
C) I believe that people's behavior is determined by pain and pleasure
D) I believe that forces beyond a person's control can affect his or her involvement in criminal behavior

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to Cesare Beccaria, the purpose of punishment should be

A) retribution.
B) rehabilitation.
C) incapacitation.
D) deterrence.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

An individual who dresses in an unusual way is most likely to be violating a ________ of his or her social group.

A) more
B) folkway
C) law
D) contract

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to the key principles of Classical Criminology, the purpose of punishment is to

A) treat an offender the way he or she deserves.
B) treat an offender the same way he or she treated the victim.
C) deter an offender from future criminal involvement.
D) rehabilitate an offender.

Question 5

Positivism is based on an acceptance of

A) free will.
B) soft determinism.
C) hard determinism.
D) individual choice.

Question 6

The Panopticon was designed by

A) William Sumner.
B) Cesare Beccaria.
C) John Locke.
D) Jeremy Bentham.

Question 7

Jeremy Bentham's __________ approach emphasizes the determination of behavior based on the amount of pleasure or pain the behavior can be expected to produce.

A) hedonistic calculus
B) common law
C) hard determinism
D) positivist

Question 8

_______ refers to a traditional body of unwritten legal precedents created through everyday practice and supported by court decisions

A) Natural law
B) Common law
C) Natural rights
D) Social contract

Question 9

Which type of crime would Cesare Beccaria be most likely to recommend be punished through the use of corporal punishment?

A) Treason
B) Inciting revolution
C) Burglary
D) Assault

Question 10

The concept of the social contract was developed by

A) Thomas Hobbes.
B) John Locke.
C) Thomas Paine.
D) Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Question 11

The Code of Hammurabi emphasized which of the following goals of punishment?

A) Deterrence
B) Retribution
C) Rehabilitation
D) Incapacitation

Question 12

Which of the following explanations of criminal behavior would not be acceptable to a positivist studying crime?

A) Criminal behavior is due to socialization
B) Criminal behavior is due to individual choice
C) Criminal behavior is due to economic conditions
D) Criminal behavior is due to peer group influences

Question 13

Situational choice theory is an example of

A) hard determinism.
B) free will.
C) soft determinism.
D) traditional classical criminology.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of a mala in se offense?

A) Gambling
B) Premarital sexual behavior
C) Drug use
D) Theft

Question 15

David Fogel's justice model is based on the idea that

A) crime is a result of social conditions such as poverty.
B) offenders deserve punishment because of the choices they make.
C) rehabilitation is the main purpose of punishment.
D) crime can be prevented by changing the conditions that produce criminality

Question 16

Which of the following was not an early demonic era explanation of personal deviance?

A) Free will
B) Demonic possession
C) Spiritual influences
D) Temptation by fallen angels

Question 17

The belief that the natural human condition at birth is that of a blank slate is attributed to

A) Thomas Hobbes.
B) John Locke.
C) Thomas Paine.
D) Jean Jacques Rousseau.

Question 18

Early Roman Law derived from the

A) Justinian Code.
B) Code of Hammurabi.
C) Code of Babylonia.
D) Twelve Tables.

Question 19

The present-day debate over abortion is an example of a current use of

A) natural law
B) common law.
C) natural rights.
D) hedonistic calculus.

Question 20

The Classical School of criminology attributes crime to

A) spiritual shortcomings.
B) the exercise of free will.
C) hard determinism.
D) positivist outlooks.

Question 21

A law that mandated a harsher sentence for a career criminal than a first time offender, even though both have committed the same crime, would be an example of

A) truth in sentencing.
B) determinate sentencing.
C) collective incapacitation.
D) selective incapacitation.

Question 22

Punishment imposed for the purpose of retribution would be an example of Cesare Beccaria's views on crime and punishment.

Question 23

According to the Classical School of Criminology, the two key determining factors of human behavior are right and wrong.

Question 24

Positivist criminology was based on soft determinism.

Question 25

Situational crime prevention is primarily concerned with

A) why people commit crime.
B) why crime occurs in specific settings.
C) why some individuals are more likely to be victimized.
D) the disposition of criminals

Question 26

Which of the following crime prevention techniques would best meet the objective of reducing the rewards of crime?

A) Closing residential streets to reduce offender access to homes
B) Starting a neighborhood watch program to increase informal surveillance
C) Engraving identification codes on personal property to facilitate the identification of stolen property
D) Limiting access to alcohol and drugs

Question 27

Broad social programs are an example of situational crime control.

Question 28

Rational choice theories have been criticized for

A) an overemphasis on individual choice.
B) an underemphasis on individual choice.
C) an overemphasis on the role of social factors in crime causation.
D) a focus on biological bases of criminal behavior.

Question 29

Mala prohibita offenses are those acts that are said to be wrong only because they are prohibited.

Question 30

According to Bentham, punishment needs to be cruel and extreme in order to be an effective deterrent.

Question 31

Classical criminology holds that humans are fundamentally rational.

Question 32

Bentham's approach to punishment has been described as utilitarianism because of its emphasis on the worth an action holds for the individual undertaking it.

Question 33

According to neoclassical criminology, the role of punishment is

A) deterrence only.
B) retribution only.
C) both deterrence and retribution
D) neither deterrence nor retribution.

Question 34

Classical and neoclassical theories have been criticized for lacking an explanation of

A) dangerousness.
B) recidivism.
C) deviance.
D) criminal motivation

Question 35

Classical theories have been criticized for being less a theory of crime causation than a philosophy of

A) behavior.
B) social values.
C) justice.
D) mores.

Question 36

Advocates of capital punishment question

A) whether ethnic differences exist in the rate of imposition of the death penalty.
B) whether the death penalty is fairly imposed.
C) whether there is a racial disparity in the ethnicity of murder victims in the U.S.
D) whether the death penalty is too expensive.

Question 37

The Enlightenment emphasized religion and superstition.

Question 38

The concept of natural law influenced the U.S. Constitution.

Question 39

___________ mandates a fixed amount of time to be served for each offense category.

A) Truth in sentencing
B) Selective incapacitation
C) Determinate sentencing
D) Dangerousness

Question 40

________ focuses on preventing a particular offender from engaging in repeat criminality?

A) General deterrence
B) Recidivism
C) Retribution
D) Specific deterrence

Question 41

Modern neoclassical theorists argue that if a person chooses to commit a crime, that person deserves to be punished.

Question 42

_________ law forms the basis for much of modern statutory law.

Question 43

The death penalty appears to be an effective general deterrent.

Question 44

Jack Katz argues that crime may be sensually compelling to an offender.

Question 45

The concept of due process of law developed from a provision of the _______.

Question 46

Beccaria's influence over the framers of the U.S. Constitution was so great that some claim the ______ might not have existed except for his emphasis on individual rights in the face of state power.

Question 47

Rational choice theory recognizes that not everyone is capable of making rational decisions.

Question 48

High recidivism rates suggest that current methods of punishment are not effective in deterring crime.

Question 49

According to Classical School principles, law violators are deterred by ________

Question 50

Advocates of determinate sentencing believe that the fixed amount of punishment necessary for deterrence can be calculated and specified.

Question 51

The recent decrease in crime, in the wake of "get tough on crime" policies inspired by neoclassical principles clearly supports the effectiveness of the neoclassical approach.

Question 52

Wolfgang's study of chronic recidivists supports the crime control strategy of collective incapacitation.

Question 53

The Enlightenment emphasized ________ as the basic determinant of behavior

Question 54

Bentham developed the concept of ______________, the belief that people evaluate the pleasure and pain that may be produced by a behavior.

Question 55

Situational crime prevention works by removing criminal opportunity.

Question 56

In addition to motivation, situational choice theory considers _______ as a key element of crime.

Question 57

The death penalty is imposed disproportionately on racial minorities

Question 58

The statement that offenders deserve punishment because of the choices they make is typical of the _________ model.

Question 59

_________exists to provide individuals with benefits they would not receive in isolation.

Question 60

Thomas Paine's writings on ________ influenced the writers of the U.S. Constitution.

Question 61

__________ deterrence involves punishing an offender in the hopes that others will refrain from crime out of a desire to avoid a similar experience

Question 62

What were some of the early forms of law? How did these develop during the Age of Enlightenment?

Question 63

What are the main justice policies that have been influenced by classical and neoclassical thought?

Question 64

What is the utilitarianism view of punishment conceptualized by Jeremy Bentham?

Question 65

What is neoclassic criminology? What is the role of positivism in neoclassic criminology?

Question 66

How did neoclassical criminology develop out of the Classical School? What were some of the major contributions of neoclassical criminology to the field of criminology?

Question 67

_________ is the likelihood that a given individual will later harm other individuals or society.

Question 68

Explain Beccaria's philosophy of punishment and provide modern-day examples.

Question 69

List the key principles of classical and neoclassical criminology.

Question 70

The _______ is expressed as the percentage of convicted offenders who have been released from prison and who are later rearrested for a new crime

Question 71

Passing laws mandating longer periods of incarceration to reduce the likelihood that an offender will be capable of committing future offenses is based on the strategy of ________.

Question 72

Rational choice theory has been criticized for resulting in the ________ of crime from one area to another.