Deck 2: The Nature and Extent of Crime

Question 1

The best known and most important source of official crime data is:
A)the Monitoring the Future Study

A)the Uniform Crime Report
B)the National Crime Victimization Survey
C)the Annual Self-Report Survey

Answer 1

A

Question 2

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

A)self-report research
B)cross-sectional research
C)aggregate data research
D)experimental research

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The majority of murders involve firearms,and most of these weapons are __________.

Answer 3

handguns

Question 4

As the percentage of minorities in the population increases,so too does the amount of social control that police direct at minority group members.This is known as the _______________________.

Question 5

____________ refers to the process of selecting for study a limited number of subjects who are representative of entire groups sharing similar characteristics.

Question 6

___________ involves observing,over time,a group of people who share a like characteristic.

Question 7

The view that women who commit crimes have biological and psychological traits similar to men is known as the___________________..

Question 8

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

A)field observation
B)cross-sectional research
C)a self-report survey
D)meta-analysis

Question 9

______________ is the process by which individuals reduce the frequency of their offending behavior as they age.

Question 10

The most important and widely used victim survey is the _______________.

Question 11

Female criminality is sometimes masked because criminal justice authorities who are reluctant to take action against a woman.This reluctance is known as the__________________.

Question 12

Both violent and property crimes rates have _______in recent years.

Question 13

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's _______________ is the best known and most widely cited source of official criminal statistics.

Question 14

Persistent offenders are referred to as __________ or __________.

Question 15

The ____________________ phenomenon indicates that those who begin their delinquent careers early and who commit serious violent crimes throughout adolescence are the most likely to persist in crime as adults.

Question 16

_______________ crimes result from rage,frustration,and anger.

Question 17

Most reported crimes occur during _________________ months

Question 18

Part I crimes are also referred to as ___ and include: murder,forcible rape,robbery,aggravated assault,burglary,motor vehicle theft,larceny,and ___.

A)indices,embezzlement
B)indices,arson
C)index crimes,arson
D)index crimes,embezzlement

Question 19

Criminologists conduct research to:

A)measure the nature and extent of criminal behavior
B)meet requirements set forth by state legislatures
C)gain recognition as criminologists
D)meet requirements set forth by the federal government

Question 20

The Monitoring the Future study is a type of _____________ and is considered one of the national standards for measuring substance abuse and other crime trends among American teens.

Question 21

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:

A)among the lower class
B)among the upper class
C)among the middle class
D)across both the middle and lower class

Question 22

When comparing self-report surveys to the UCR and NCVS,

A)there is less crime occurring than reported
B)the measures demonstrate a similar amount of crime occurring
C)the crime problem is greater than UCR and NCVS report
D)there is a reduction in self-reported crime,but an increase in reported crimes

Question 23

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

A)experimental research
B)aggregate data research
C)cohort research
D)survey research

Question 24

Although differences between the UCR and the NCVS abound,the greatest distinction between the two has to do with:

A)The ability of the NCVS to identify crimes committed against those under the age of twelve
B)The ability of the UCR to identify the social dimension of fear
C)The ability of the UCR to measure unreported crime
D)The ability of the NCVS to measure unreported crime

Question 25

Crime rates may be higher:

A)on the first day of the month
B)on the fifteenth day of the month
C)at the end of the month
D)crime is consistent throughout the month

Question 26

What is known about the trend in property crime rates?

A)Like the violent crime rate,the property crime rate has increased slightly.
B)Like the violent crime rate,the property crime rate has decreased.
C)The violent crime rate and property crime rate have remained equally stable.
D)The violent crime rate has decreased while the property crime rate has increased.

Question 27

The UCR uses all but which of the following methods to express crime data?

A)number of crimes reported to the police and arrests made
B)crime rates per 100,000 people
C)changes in the number and rate of crime over time
D)number of crime cleared

Question 28

The most recent research dispute the ____________ hypothesis and suggests the great bulk of youth crime is a solo act.

A)co-offending
B)age-crime
C)masculinity
D)chivalry

Question 29

According to Zimring and Hawkins,what is the single most significant factor separating the crime problem in the United States from the rest of the developed world?

A)lack of social opportunities
B)handguns and associated lethal violence
C)poverty
D)illegal immigrants

Question 30

What is a cohort?

A)a group of people who share a like characteristic
B)a group of people who have been identified as offenders
C)a group of people who have been identified as "aging out"
D)a group of people who share the same living environment

Question 31

According to the NCVS,reported victimizations have:

A)declined significantly during the past 30 years
B)increased significantly during the past 30 years
C)remained stable during the past 30 years
D)have fluctuated annually during the past 30 years

Question 32

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

A)reporting practices
B)methodological problems
C)reporting practices and law enforcement practices
D)reporting practices,methodological problems,and law enforcement practices

Question 33

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

A)gender and age
B)social class and economics
C)race and ethnicity
D)season and climate

Question 34

Meta-analysis involves gathering data from:

A)the social environment
B)juveniles
C)a cohort
D)previous studies

Question 35

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

A)sampling
B)cross-sectional research
C)meta-analysis
D)cohort research

Question 36

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

A)people who engage in drug abuse,especially crack
B)those who have easy access to handguns
C)law enforcement practices
D)people who are immigrants

Question 37

A crime,in general,is most likely to occur under which set of conditions?

A)on an August day with a temperature of 80 degrees
B)on a July day with a temperature of 98 degrees
C)on an April day with a temperature of 78 degrees
D)on a November day with a temperature of 67 degrees

Question 38

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?

A)quasi-experimental
B)retrospective cohort
C)cross-sectional
D)observational

Question 39

The highest crime rate is found in which regions of the country?

A)north and south
B)south and west
C)east and south
D)west and north

Question 40

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

A)quasi-experimental research
B)the UCR
C)self-report studies
D)meta-analysis

Question 41

According to Wolfgang,Figlio,and Sellin's cohort study,what percentage of chronic offenders was responsible for a significant proportion of all serious crime?

A)6%
B)12%
C)15%
D)21%

Question 42

Institutional racism undermines faith in social and political institutions and weakens confidence in the justice system.According to _____________,as the percentage of African Americans in the population increases so too does the amount of social control that police direct at blacks.

A)police density theory
B)police threat theory
C)racial density theory
D)racial threat theory

Question 43

All but which of the following explanations might account for the variance between male and female crime rates?
A)Females are socialized to be less aggressive than males.

A)Females are more likely to than males to respond to anger with feelings of depression,anxiety,fear or shame.
B)Females are more likely than males to attempt to negotiate when faced with conflict.
C)Females are supervised less by their parents than males.

Question 44

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?

A)juveniles who committed a single serious offense at an early age
B)juveniles who started their delinquent careers early and who committed serious violent crime during adolescence
C)adolescents arrested between the ages of 15 and 17 who committed a single serious offense
D)adolescents,regardless of age,who served time in a juvenile detention facility

Question 45

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

A)parental supervision,average grades,average school attendance
B)skipping school,criminal family members,stealing pattern of behavior
C)poor grades,poor parental supervision,gang association
D)school suspensions,documented child abuse,runaway pattern of behavior

Question 46

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

Question 47

Chronic offenders have become a central focus of crime control policy.Sentencing policies,such as "three strikes" legislation are designed to incapacitate chronic offenders for long periods of time without hope of probation or parole.Why is this?

A)Longer sentences allow for extended treatment within correctional institutions.
B)Crime data indicate an increased number of chronic offenders in the population.
C)Research indicates chronic offenders will desist from committing future crimes if incarcerated for longer periods of time.
D)Most chronic offenders repeat their criminal acts after their correctional release.

Question 48

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

A)exhibit the same finding
B)show no difference between arrest rates of African Americans and other racial groups
C)indicate no difference between arrest rates but only if considering female arrests
D)suggest arrest rate differences are an artifact of justice system bias

Question 49

The Bureau of Justice Statistics compiles the Uniform Crime Report.

Question 50

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

Question 51

According to the _________ hypothesis,the criminality of females is masked because of the generally benevolent and protective attitude toward women in our society.

A)masculinity
B)chivalry
C)feminist
D)proximity

Question 52

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

Question 53

Those unable to obtain desired goods and services through conventional means may consequently resort to theft and other illegal activities.These activities are known as:

A)instrumental crimes
B)expressive crimes
C)index crimes
D)strict-liability crimes

Question 54

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?

A)demands of the women's movement to treat females equally
B)the greater willingness of police to arrest females
C)the dramatic increase in the number of women engaging in prostitution
D)a demographic bulge of females in the crime-prone age group

Question 55

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

A)gender theory
B)the masculinity hypothesis
C)the chivalry hypothesis
D)liberal feminist theory

Question 56

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?

A)Social control efforts of the police and courts
B)The history of racial discrimination in the US
C)Disparity in the social and economic structure of society
D)Individuals in the US without documentation

Question 57

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

A)Police willingness to arrest girls for minor crimes
B)Police are making more arrests for crimes which occur at school and in the home
C)Police are more likely to use their discretion to help females.
D)Police are attempting to be "gender neutral".

Question 58

How is age correlated with crime?

A)Age is not correlated with crime - anyone can commit crime.
B)Middle aged males,30-45,commit the most crime.
C)Age is inversely related to crime - younger people commit more crime
D)Age is correlated with crime only if referring to males.

Question 59

______________ are associated with those living in poverty who engage in disproportionate amounts of rape and assault as a means of expressing their rage,frustration,and anger against society.

A)instrumental crimes
B)expressive crimes
C)index crimes
D)strict-liability crimes

Question 60

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

Question 61

Discuss the overall crime trend for violent and property crimes in the United States according to the UCR and NCVS.What,if any,difference is there between the UCR,NCVS and self report findings with regard to the overall crime problem.

Question 62

Describe how the Uniform Crime Report is compiled and the validity concerns associated with this method of measuring crime.

Question 63

Discuss the age-crime connection.Who,in general,is most likely to commit a crime? When would they commit it? Why?

Question 64

Identify and discuss five various factors that explain crime trends.

Question 65

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.

Question 66

Describe how the National Crime Victimization Survey is compiled and the validity concerns associated with this method of measuring crime.

Question 67

What is self-report data? Discuss the use and accuracy of self-report data.

Question 68

Discuss the use of experiments in criminology/criminal justice research.What are the elements of a true experiment? How do criminologists overcome missing elements? What is the feasbility of experimental research in the field?

Question 69

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

Question 70

Discuss the diverging views between crime and the economy

Question 71

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

Question 72

What factors influence the gender differences in the crime rate?

Question 73

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

Question 74

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

Question 75

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

Question 76

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.

Question 77

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

Question 78

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

Question 79

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

Question 80

Discuss what is meant by the phrase "the ecology of crime." Explain how crime rates are impacted by each factor.