Deck 3: Characteristics of Juvenile Offenders

Question 1

Thornberry, Huizinga, and Loeber (2004) found that ______ problems are strong risk factors for male adolescents' involvement in persistent and serious delinquency.

A) drug
B) school
C) mental health
D) all of these

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Unsupervised children left to fend for themselves before going to school in the morning, after school in the afternoon, and on school holidays are referred to as ______.

A) latchkey children
B) independent children
C) emancipated children
D) abandoned children

Answer 2

A

Question 3

______ is considered a family risk factor for health and behavioral problems in juveniles.

A) Life stressors
B) Broken home
C) Truancy
D) Availability of firearms

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Risk factors appear to function in a cumulative fashion-that is, the ______ the number of risk factors, the ______ the likelihood that youth will engage in delinquent or other risky behavior.

A) greater, lesser
B) greater, greater
C) lesser, greater
D) lesser, lesser

Question 5

It is a common practice to use ______ of juveniles as a basis for the development of delinquency prevention programs.

A) unofficial profiles
B) metadata
C) official profiles
D) self-reports

Question 6

______ is considered a school risk factor for health and behavioral issues in juveniles.

A) Availability of drugs and alcohol
B) High crime neighborhood
C) Learning disability
D) Family violence

Question 7

Identification as a(n) ______ often sets into motion a series of reactions by the student, his or her peers, and the school itself that may lead to negative attitudes, frustrations, and eventually a climate where school becomes a highly unsatisfactory and bitter experience.

A) underachiever
B) slow learner
C) fast learner
D) lazy student

Question 8

Lower socioeconomic-class children enter the formal educational process with a competitive disadvantage due to their ______.

A) economic backgrounds
B) social backgrounds
C) psychosocial backgrounds
D) familial backgrounds

Question 9

There is official statistical evidence indicating that a major proportion of delinquents comes from ______ socioeconomic families and neighborhoods.

A) upper
B) middle
C) lower middle
D) lower

Question 10

Several factors, including divorce or separation, recent remarriage, gender of parent, and the long-term presence of a stepparent, appear to be related to different types of ______.

A) violence
B) delinquency
C) status offenses
D) school failure

Question 11

While vagrancy offenses went ______ for males, it ______ for females under 18 years of age by 29.6%.

A) up, decreased
B) down, increased
C) static, increased
D) static, decreased

Question 12

Ten-year arrest trends (2006-2015) show a ______ in total crime rates among those under 18 years of age.

A) significant increase
B) significant decrease
C) small increase
D) small decrease

Question 13

In general, profiles of juvenile offenders are drawn from official files based on:

A) police contacts.
B) arrests.
C) incarceration.
D) all of these.

Question 14

Studies have established that the number of youthful offenders who formally enter the justice system is ______ in comparison with the total number of violations committed by juveniles.

A) large
B) very large
C) small
D) about the same as

Question 15

For the purpose of discussing official statistics concerning persons under the age of 18, we should note that little official action is taken with respect to delinquents under the age of ______.

A) 8
B) 9
C) 10
D) 11

Question 16

______ is considered an individual risk factor for health and behavioral problems in juveniles.

A) Maternal depression
B) Family transitions
C) Child victimization
D) Teen parenthood

Question 17

______ is/are considered a community risk factor for health and behavioral problems in juveniles.

A) Neighborhood disorganization
B) Association with other delinquents
C) Community instability
D) Both neighborhood disorganization and community instability

Question 18

The actual relationship between ______ and delinquency is important in determining whether a particular juvenile becomes part of the official statistics, not in determining whether a juvenile will actually commit a delinquent act.

A) peer groups
B) academic performance
C) gang membership
D) social class

Question 19

Hidden offender surveys, in which juveniles are asked to anonymously indicate the offenses they have committed, have indicated repeatedly that far more offenses are ______ than are ______ in official agency reports.

A) committed, reported
B) attempted, committed
C) reported, committed
D) committed, attempted

Question 20

One of the most important factors influencing delinquent behavior is ______.

A) age
B) school
C) community setting
D) family

Question 21

Educational disability has been found to be a cause of delinquency.

Question 22

Research indicates that risk factors for delinquency may be the same for both boys and girls.

Question 23

Although official profiles may accurately reflect the characteristics of juveniles who are or will be incarcerated or who have a good chance for an encounter with the justice system, they might not accurately reflect the characteristics of all juveniles who commit offenses.

Question 24

It is fairly uncommon for girls fleeing from abusive parents to be labeled as runaways.

Question 25

The juvenile justice network has not always acted in the best interests of ______ juveniles because it often ignores their unique problems.

A) female
B) male
C) transsexual
D) mentally ill

Question 26

Early labeling in the school setting had a lasting impact on children's educational careers and that such labeling occurred with respect to children with both very great and very limited academic potential.

Question 27

The greater the number of risk factors, the greater the likelihood that youth will engage in risky or delinquent behavior, leading one to view risk factors as functioning in a cumulative fashion.

Question 28

Some researchers suggest that attachment to school has protective effects against delinquency for both genders, although some studies suggest a stronger effect for girls.

Question 29

A disproportionate number of ______ are found in the lower socioeconomic class, with all of the correlates conducive to high delinquency.

A) Asians
B) Hispanics
C) Blacks
D) Whites

Question 30

Weapons offenses decreased among both males and females, as well as gambling.

Question 31

Females have often been overlooked by those interested in juvenile justice.

Question 32

Black juveniles are overrepresented in delinquency statistics-especially with respect to ______ offenses.

A) property
B) sex
C) status
D) violent

Question 33

Any index of ______ arrests may be inflated as a result of discriminatory practices among criminal justice personnel.

A) White
B) Asian
C) Black
D) both Asian and Black

Question 34

Historically, we have observed ______ to ______ arrests of juvenile males for every arrest of a juvenile female.

A) 2, 3
B) 1, 2
C) 4, 5
D) 3, 4

Question 35

Juveniles who commit offenses resulting in official encounters are infrequently formally processed through the entire system.

Question 36

Family factors were found to be significantly related to delinquency and drug use for males at the high school level.

Question 37

Accessibility to social objects for participating in the youth culture is an important part of delinquent behavior.

Question 38

A review of the relationship between broken homes and delinquency concluded there is weak impact of broken homes on delinquency except for serious crime.

Question 39

Race and ethnicity as causes of delinquency are complicated by social class.

Question 40

Profiles of juvenile offenders are drawn from official files based on police contacts, arrests, and/or incarceration.

Question 41

Discuss the impact of social factors on delinquency in general.

Question 42

Discuss how the family unit can affect delinquency.

Question 43

Discuss the differences between delinquency profiles based upon official statistics.

Question 44

Discuss the multitude of factors relating to delinquency.

Question 45

Discuss the differences in delinquency among both genders.