Deck 4: Crime Rates, Crime Trends, and Criminal Victimization in Canada

Question 1

The same behaviour may be judged criminal in one society and exalted in another society, or even in the same society at another time. What is this an example of?

A)social construction of crime
B)constructivist crime epistemology
C)constructivism in criminal justice
D)crime funnel approach

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In the 2014 GSS, Canadians aged 15 and over were asked about their perceptions concerning their levels of personal safety from crime. What percentage of Canadians indicated they held high levels of satisfaction about their personal safety?

A)8 percent
B)38 percent
C)58 percent
D)88 percent

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following had the most common police-reported crime rate in 2017?

A)property crimes
B)mischief
C)violent crimes
D)sexual assault

Answer 3

A

Question 4

You are listening to a public lecture in which the speaker argues that police-reported crime statistics do NOT give an accurate portrayal of crime. What is her argument most likely based on?

A)social construction of crime
B)victimization data
C)institutionalist approach
D)crime funnel

Question 5

You are a researcher interested in studying fear of crime. What is a typical research question that you would ask to obtain data about the fear of crime among a group of citizens?

A)assessing the amount of crime in one city neighbourhood and comparing it to another neighbourhood in the same city
B)surveying feelings of satisfaction with personal safety from crime
C)determining whether or not an individual has been a victim in the past six months
D)comparing responses from citizens over a five-year period

Question 6

As a researcher, you are interested in obtaining national information about police-reported crime in 2009. Where would you find the data for your research project?

A)the General Social Survey on Victimization
B)the Uniform Crime Reports
C)the Crime Severity Index
D)the Violence Against Women Survey

Question 7

According to the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS), what percentage of Canadians aged 15 and over indicated they held high levels of satisfaction about their personal safety?

A)76
B)88
C)92
D)98

Question 8

The recent changes to the distracted driving laws in Ontario represent a trend in society. Statistics gathered this year will likely show a high percentage of drivers being fined for this charge. What is this an example of?

A)social construction of crime
B)official crime statistics
C)institutionalist approach
D)crime funnel

Question 9

At 5,334 incidents per 100,000 population, the police-reported crime rate increased how much in 2017 compared to the previous year?

A)1 percent
B)5 percent
C)10 percent
D)15 percent

Question 10

You are listening to a public lecture in which the speaker argues that the legal status of a behaviour lies not in the content of the behaviour itself but in the social response to the behaviour or to the persons who engage in it. What is this an example of?

A)social construction of crime
B)unofficial crime statistics
C)institutionalist approach
D)crime funnel

Question 11

Which term refers to the belief that official crime statistics reflect subjective responses to criminal behaviour that change over time as opposed to any objective criteria?

A)social construction of crime
B)constructivist crime epistemology
C)constructivism in criminal justice
D)crime funnel approach

Question 12

Which term refers to the measure which determines the volume of police-recorded crime, either collected by the police and other justice officials from crimes reported to them or through interviews with individual citizens about instances in which they were victimized?

A)unofficial crime statistics
B)official crime statistics
C)Uniform Crime Reports
D)victimization data

Question 13

What percentage of men personally felt safe in general, according to the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS)?

A)38
B)49
C)64
D)72

Question 14

Paul feels relatively sure he will NOT be a crime victim. He likely belongs to which group?

A)people with a physical or mental disability
B)people living in buildings of five floors or more
C)people who have previously been a crime victim
D)abled-bodied white males

Question 15

You are listening to a public lecture in which the speaker argues that crime statistics are socially constructed. Of what is she most likely a supporter?

A)unofficial crime statistics
B)official crime statistics
C)institutionalist approach
D)victimization data

Question 16

As reported in the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS), which measure revealed little difference between men and women when it came to protecting themselves from criminal acts?

A)plan their route with safety in mind
B)check the back seat of their vehicles for intruders when returning to a parked car
C)protect their personal property (e.g., installing new locks or a robbery alarm)
D)waiting for public transportation

Question 17

You are listening to a public lecture about recent controversies over abortion policy and assisted suicide in the United States. These are examples of which of the following?

A)social construction of crime
B)constructivist crime epistemology
C)constructivism in criminal justice
D)crime funnel approach

Question 18

In the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS), which immigrants and other visible minority women reported especially feeling unsafe?

A)African and Caribbean
B)Central and South Americans
C)Arabs and East Asians
D)Arabs and West Asians

Question 19

In 2017, how many Criminal Code incidents were reported to the police (excluding traffic incidents and those involving other federal statutes such as drug offences)?

A)approximately 500,000
B)just under 1 million
C)just over 1.95 million
D)over 3.5 million

Question 20

According to the 2014 General Social Survey (GSS), what percentage of women aged 15 to 24 indicated that they felt very or somewhat satisfied with their personal safety from crime?

A)38
B)49
C)64
D)72

Question 21

What are the two strongest variables of who commits crime in Canada?

A)ethnicity and age
B)social class and race
C)sex and age
D)ethnicity and race

Question 22

In 2015, women were accused of which percentage of violent crimes compared to men?

A)11.5
B)22.5
C)33.5
D)44.5

Question 23

In what year was a Crime Severity Index (CSI) included for the first time in the annual crime statistics?

A)1988
B)1998
C)2008
D)2018

Question 24

In what year was a Youth Crime Severity Index introduced?

A)1990
B)1999
C)2009
D)2018

Question 25

You and your partner were approached by a group of three young men while walking through a dark park in the city you live in. You were attacked, but thankfully they left your partner alone and she ran for the police. How does this incident appear in the UCR record?

A)one incident of assault
B)two incidents of assault
C)three incidents of assault
D)none as the young men left before the police came

Question 26

What does the police-reported Crime Severity Index (PRCSI) measure?

A)changes in the volume of crime on a year-to-year basis
B)changes in the severity of crime on the basis of every second year
C)changes in the severity of crime on a year-to-year basis
D)changes in the volume of crime on the basis of every second year

Question 27

Which of the following reporting systems measures changes in the seriousness of crime?

A)the General Social Survey
B)the Uniform Crime Reports
C)the Crime Severity Index
D)the Self Reports Crime Index

Question 28

Between 2016 and 2017, the Crime Severity Index (CSI) increased by how much?

A)over 2 percent
B)over 4 percent
C)over 6 percent
D)over 8 percent

Question 29

As a police officer, between 1961 and 1988 you summarized your crime data on a monthly basis and submitted it to Statistics Canada. Currently, you are required to submit your summarized data to an affiliated agency. Once that agency receives the data, you can see your information in which of the following publications?

A)Juristat
B)Justice Stats
C)CanLii
D)Lexus Nexus

Question 30

Where do changes in the most serious crimes have the greatest impact?

A)the Uniform Crime Reports
B)the General Social Survey
C)the Crime Severity Index
D)the Self Reports Crime Index

Question 31

You return to your car on campus and discover that someone has keyed your side door. From the victimization reports, which of the following represents what you would likely do next?

A)report the incident to campus security
B)report the incident to the police
C)drive away swearing but not report it to anyone
D)attempt to find the person who did it

Question 32

As a researcher, you are interested in studying those crimes that have the greatest impact upon changes in the crime rates. Which of the following would provide you with the data you are looking for?

A)the Self Reports Crime Index
B)the Crime Severity Index
C)the General Social Survey
D)the Uniform Crime Reports

Question 33

In 2015, women were accused of which percentage of all property crimes compared to men?

A)18.8
B)28.8
C)38.8
D)48.8

Question 34

Which theory suggests that the rate of crime between males and females is almost the same, but that the criminal justice system creates this difference?

A)male-biased control theory
B)social bond theory
C)chivalry theory
D)strain theory

Question 35

How is the police-reported Crime Severity Index (PRCSI) calculated?

A)using a rate of 100,000 population
B)summing the weighted offences and dividing them by the population
C)using incidents that come to the attention of police, either through reporting by the public or pro-active policing
D)Using the National Crime Victimization Survey as the model for data collection efforts

Question 36

When was the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system launched in Canada?

A)1961
B)1981
C)2001
D)2011

Question 37

What does the police-reported Crime Severity Index (CSI) account for?

A)low-volume, more-serious offences
B)low-volume, less-serious offences
C)high-volume, more-serious offences
D)high-volume, less-serious offences

Question 38

As a researcher, you are interested in a measure of crime that reflects the relative seriousness of different offences and addresses limitations of traditional police-reported crime rate (PRCR) and victimization data from the General Social Survey. Which of the following would provide you with the data you are looking for?

A)the Self Reports Crime Index
B)the Crime Severity Index
C)the General Social Survey
D)the Uniform Crime Reports

Question 39

What do researchers look for when they are attempting to understand why crime rates fluctuate over time?

A)proactive police activity concerning criminal behaviour
B)reactive police activity concerning criminal behaviour
C)self-report data of criminal behaviour
D)correlates of criminal behaviour

Question 40

What offence had the greatest impact upon the decline of the Violent Crime Severity Index?

A)robbery
B)breaking and entering
C)common assault
D)manslaughter

Question 41

What was the first national victimization survey conducted in Canada?

A)the General Social Survey
B)the Canadian Urban Victimization Survey
C)the Victimization Severity Survey
D)the Violence Against Women Survey

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT included in the Aggregate UCR Survey?

A)victim characteristics
B)the number of youths charged
C)the number of incidents reported to the police
D)the number of actual offences (excluding those that are unfounded)

Question 43

Theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicle), mischief, administration of justice violations, and breaking and entering made up what percentage of all crimes recorded by the police in 2017?

A)38
B)48
C)58
D)68

Question 44

What is included in the Aggregate UCR Survey?

A)information on the victims
B)information on the accused
C)information on the circumstances of the incident
D)information on the number of offences cleared by charge

Question 45

Which type of offence makes up the majority of the most commonly committed crimes?

A)property offences
B)violent crimes
C)breaking and entering
D)vandalism

Question 46

What is a benefit of victimization surveys to our understanding of and knowledge about the amount of crime committed in Canada?

A)they help explain the potential to identify the reasons why victims do not report crimes and they are cost-effective
B)they identify the neighbourhood problems that may lead to criminal activity
C)they fail to provide estimates of unrecorded crime
D)they give police information about the impact of new laws

Question 47

Crime rates are usually based on what population number?

A)10,000
B)15,000
C)100,000
D)150,000

Question 48

In 2014, young adults were accused of crimes by the police at what rate?

A)2,205 per 100,000 young adults
B)3,303 per 100,000 young adults
C)4,449 per 100,000 young adults
D)5,428 per 100,000 young adults

Question 49

Jonathon is a researcher interested in obtaining data pertaining to the type of property stolen during crimes. What source of data would he use?

A)the General Social Survey
B)the Uniform Crime Reports
C)the Incident-Based UCR Survey
D)the Aggregate UCR Survey

Question 50

Your first project at your new job in a law enforcement agency is to study crime from the last five years. Which reporting system would you use to determine the best accuracy of the crime rate?

A)Uniform Crime Reporting
B)Police-Reported Crime Statistics
C)Victim Crime Reporting
D)General Social Survey

Question 51

Which term refers to the disproportional arrest rates between women and men?

A)sex distinction
B)sex differential
C)gender distinction
D)gender differential

Question 52

Which of the following was NOT added to the Incident-Based UCR Survey?

A)information on victims
B)information on the accused
C)information on the circumstances of the incident
D)information on police involvement

Question 53

What type of criminal incidents can influence the police clearance rate of crimes?

A)the number of minor incidents
B)the age of the accused
C)the age of the victim
D)the accused's record of substance abuse

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT one of the offence categories collected by the General Social Survey?

A)robbery
B)murder
C)assault
D)sexual assault

Question 55

What was demonstrated in the study by Pottie-Bunge and colleagues of trends in financially motivated criminal offences?

A)they were negatively correlated with changes in Canada's inflation rate
B)they were positively correlated with changes in Canada's inflation rate
C)they were not affected by Canada's inflation rate
D)they were mostly influenced by new legislation controlling the inflation rate

Question 56

Which of the following is NOT one of the four most commonly committed crimes found in the property crime category and other Criminal Code offences?

A)theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicle)
B)mischief
C)breaking and entering
D)vandalism

Question 57

What is the key explanation for the increase in the percentage of women accused of a crime?

A)It is the result of the declining rate of men's criminal activity.
B)It is significant increase in the number of women involved in criminal activity.
C)It is a consequence of the feminist movement and the end of chivalry.
D)It is because the real increases are masked by trends that reflect the larger male offender population.

Question 58

Which of the following describes both the UCR and the GSS?

A)they are administrative police records
B)they are national in their coverage
C)they include attempted crimes
D)they use the criminal incident as their primary unit of count

Question 59

Which type of crime is NOT most commonly reported?

A)theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicles)
B)theft of motor vehicle
C)negligence
D)administration of justice offences

Question 60

Which type of crime is NOT most commonly reported?

A)mischief
B)assault-level 1
C)disturbing the peace
D)endangerment

Question 61

According to the General Social Survey, which of the following was the key risk factor in violent victimization in 2009?

A)race
B)age
C)gender
D)ethnicity

Question 62

According to the 2009 General Social Survey, how many victims of violent crime have experienced symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder?

A)1 in 10
B)1 in 7
C)1 in 5
D)1 in 3

Question 63

According to the General Social Survey (GSS), which of the following age brackets were more likely to frequently be involved in evening activities in 2014?

A)aged 14 to 18
B)aged 20 to 24
C)aged 30 to 34
D)aged 45 to 54

Question 64

According to the General Social Survey, which of the following was more likely to report being a victim of a violent crime in 2009?

A)people residing in inner-city apartments
B)lesbians, gays, and bisexuals
C)people with a history of homelessness
D)Muslims

Question 65

You are writing a paper about social class as an important correlate of crime. Which measure will you likely NOT include in your analysis?

A)income
B)education level
C)household crowding
D)employment

Question 66

According to the General Social Survey (GSS), which of the following age brackets had a risk of violent victimization six times higher than people aged 65 and older in 2014?

A)aged 14 to 18
B)aged 20 to 24
C)aged 30 to 34
D)aged 45 to 54

Question 67

According to the 2009 General Social Survey, who were more likely to experience emotional and psychological consequences?

A)victims of break-ins
B)victims of motor vehicle theft
C)victims of vandalism
D)victims of arson

Question 68

According to the General Social Survey (GSS), which of the following age brackets had the highest rate of violent victimization in 2014?

A)aged 14 to 18
B)aged 20 to 24
C)aged 30 to 34
D)aged 45 to 54

Question 69

According to the General Social Survey, who were the majority of offenders in 2009?

A)male and, on average, in their late teens
B)male and, on average, in their early twenties
C)male and, on average, in their early thirties
D)male and, on average, in their early forties

Question 70

According to the General Social Survey (GSS), which of the following had the highest rate of violent personal victimization by type of incident in 2014?

A)sexual assault
B)robbery
C)physical assault
D)harassment

Question 71

According to the General Social Survey, which of the following was more likely to be victims of violence in 2009?

A)Jews, in particular men
B)Indigenous peoples, in particular women
C)Muslims, women and men equally
D)Blacks, in particular men

Question 72

According to the 2009 General Social Survey, who were less likely to be victimized by household crime?

A)households residing in apartments or condos
B)households residing on the outskirts of an urban centre
C)households located near major shopping centres
D)households located near public transit systems

Question 73

According to the 2009 General Social Survey, what was associated with a higher risk of household victimization?

A)limited spatial mobility
B)low social cohesion in a neighbourhood
C)ageing buildings and distance to downtown
D)a busy environment with a high concentration of individuals unknown to one another

Question 74

Wortley and Tanner (2005) studied Toronto high school students who come into conflict with the law. What did they find?

A)Indigenous youths were stopped and questioned by the police more often than youths from other racial backgrounds.
B)Black youths were stopped and questioned by the police more often than youths from other racial backgrounds.
C)Male youths were stopped and questioned by the police more often than female youths.
D)Hundreds of gay and transgender youth were arrested or detained every year and more than 60 percent were Black or Indigenous.

Question 75

In 2014, how did the rate of homicide and attempted murder among 20-year-olds compare to the rate among 30-year-olds?

A)less than half that rate
B)about half that rate
C)double the rate
D)triple the rate

Question 76

According to Perreault, what percentage of Canadians in 2014 indicated that they were victimized by at least one crime during the previous 12 months?

A)just under 10 percent
B)just under 20 percent
C)approximately 30percent
D)approximately 35 percent

Question 77

In 1995, The Report of the Ontario Commission of Systemic Racism in the Ontario Criminal Justice System found that Black males between the ages of 18 and 24 were more likely than other groups to report what?

A)two or more stops by police during the previous two years
B)longer sentences for the same federal crimes as white men between fiscal years 1988 and 1994
C)being stopped-and-frisked during the previous two years
D)having police force used against them, such as via Tasers, dogs, and pepper spray

Question 78

According to the General Social Survey (GSS), which of the following age brackets were more likely to use drugs in 2014?

A)aged 14 to 18
B)aged 20 to 24
C)aged 30 to 34
D)aged 45 to 54

Question 79

According to the General Social Survey (GSS), which of the following had the highest rate of non-violent personal victimization by type of incident in 2014?

A)theft of personal property
B)theft of household property
C)break and enters
D)theft of motor vehicles/parts

Question 80

According to the 2009 General Social Survey, what was linked to the risk of household victimization?

A)degradation of the physical environment
B)the presence of graffiti
C)garbage and run-down buildings
D)size of the household