Deck 5: Early and Classical Criminological Theories

Question 1

"Theory" is best described as ______.

A) fact
B) providing justifications for criminal behavior
C) useful in locating the one key that will explain all criminological behavior
D) useful for making sense of otherwise isolated, seemingly random facts

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The view that criminal behavior is ultimately driven by supernatural forces is known as ______.

A) classicalism
B) Marxism
C) demonology
D) victimology

Answer 2

C

Question 3

"Women accused of witchcraft were tied up and thrown in the water. If they survived, they were innocent." This type of practice is known as ______.

A) capital punishment
B) exorcism
C) torture
D) trial by ordeal

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The earliest theories of crime causation were ______.

A) ecological
B) demonological
C) economic
D) classical

Question 5

Demonological theory represents theological explanations of reality, in which the criminal was viewed as a(n) ______.

A) witch
B) heretic
C) sinner
D) ordeal

Question 6

According to demonological theory, which of the following were viewed as manifestations of basically evil human nature reflecting either allegiance to the "Prince of Darkness" or an expression of divine wrath?

A) felonies
B) misdemeanors
C) infractions
D) status offenses

Question 7

Before the formulation and acceptance of the ______ theory, the administration of criminal justice in Europe was cruel, uncertain, and unpredictable.

A) classical
B) neoclassical
C) economic
D) demonological

Question 8

An approach that emphasizes free will and rationality on the part of the criminal actor is referred to as ______.

A) demonological
B) neoclassical
C) classical
D) ecological

Question 9

Penal policy was once designed to control individuals that were ______.

A) royal
B) affluent
C) educated
D) unemployed

Question 10

All of the following are considered principles proposed by Beccaria except the one where______.

A) laws should be made by executives
B) the role of judges is only to determine guilt
C) all should be treated equally before the law
D) punishment should not excess that which is necessary for deterrence

Question 11

According to Beccaria, punishment should be all of the following except ______.

A) sure
B) swift
C) cruel
D) certain

Question 12

Which of the following was Beccaria interested in reforming?

A) the arrest procedures in local jails
B) the cruel and unnecessary nature of punishment
C) the court system
D) the structure of prison and jail systems

Question 13

Jeremy Bentham advocated for "the greatest happiness shared by the greatest number." The term that refers to this approach is ______.

A) demonism
B) ecological determinism
C) hedonism
D) utilitarianism

Question 14

Jeremy Bentham saw the purpose of punishment to be ______.

A) retribution
B) severity
C) rehabilitation
D) deterrence

Question 15

All of the following are characteristics of Bentham's panopticon except ______.

A) its circular nature
B) its central grand tower
C) its glass roof
D) its lack of showers and bathrooms

Question 16

The basic principles of the modern Western judicial and legal system are found in the ______.

A) demonological school of criminology
B) neoclassical school of criminology
C) classical school of criminology
D) economic school of criminology

Question 17

The characteristics of Western criminal law include all of the following except ______.

A) politically
B) certainty
C) uniformity
D) specificity

Question 18

Which of the following amendments is considered a Beccarian legacy?

A) first
B) fourth
C) fifth
D) eighth

Question 19

Which of the following would an adherent of the neoclassical school propose?

A) mandatory sentencing policies
B) social reform
C) family counseling
D) substance abuse treatment

Question 20

Which of the following theories admits environmental, psychological, and other mitigating circumstances as modifying conditions to classic doctrine?

A) classical
B) ecological
C) economic
D) neoclassical

Question 21

Which of the following theories proposes that offenders weigh the opportunities, costs, and benefits of particular crimes?

A) ecological theory
B) deterrence theory
C) rational choice theory
D) economic theory

Question 22

The "three strikes and you are out" policies were an example of ______.

A) rational choice theories
B) economic theories
C) deterrence theories
D) ecological theories

Question 23

______ policy assumes rationality on the part of the actor.

A) Economic
B) Deterrence
C) Ecological
D) Rational choice

Question 24

Deterrence theory is related to which school(s) of thought?

A) ecological
B) classical/neoclassical
C) economic/Marxist
D) demonological

Question 25

A student is caught cheating on an exam resulting in the consequence of failing both the exam and the course. Classmates believe the student had this "punishment coming." Which of the following concepts does this support?

A) classical theory
B) just deserts
C) general deterrence
D) demonological theory

Question 26

The ______ school of criminological theory is also referred to as the statistical, geographic, and cartographic school.

A) economic
B) classical
C) ecological
D) neoclassical

Question 27

A criminologist notices that crime rates tend to be higher in warmer climates. This observation is most closely linked to the concept of ______.

A) demonism
B) neoclassical theory
C) ecological theory
D) just deserts

Question 28

A little boy shoplifts a candy bar from a local store. The view that this crime was influenced by environmental factors is known as ______.

A) classicalism
B) demonism
C) human ecology
D) Marxism

Question 29

______ theory with its emphasis on geographical explanations for crime, is reflected in the media portrayal of bad neighborhoods.

A) Classical
B) Ecological
C) Economic
D) Demonological

Question 30

Who was the first researcher to take advantage of criminal statistics?

A) Beccaria
B) Lombroso
C) Bonger
D) Quetelet

Question 31

The "thermic law" of crime argues that crimes against persons increase in ______.

A) capitalistic societies
B) secular societies
C) hedonistic locales
D) warmer climates

Question 32

As the first scientific criminologist, Adolphe Quetelet's work is most noteworthy because ______.

A) his work disproved the long-held notion that crime was related to the lunar cycles.
B) he was the first criminologist to identify the weaknesses related to relying on official crime statistics.
C) he was the first criminologist to draw a connection between capitalism and crime.
D) his observation that crime was linked to other variables called into question the notion of free will.

Question 33

Karl Marx is considered the inspirational figure behind the ______ theory.

A) economic
B) ecological
C) deterrence
D) demonological

Question 34

In economic theory, the proletariat is considered the ______.

A) capital class
B) owners
C) workers
D) homeless

Question 35

For Marx, ______ breeds its own destruction by giving birth to a proletarian revolution and finally a new world order of socialism.

A) capitalism
B) socialism
C) fascism
D) materialism

Question 36

His ideas impacted Willem Bonger who viewed the criminal law as primarily protecting the interests of the propertied class, but his writings did not specifically address crime. Who is this?

A) Beccaria
B) Guerry
C) Marx
D) Bentham

Question 37

Willem Bonger saw capitalism as causing crime through its promotion of selfish individualism, which is also referred to as ______.

A) anomie
B) egoism
C) force
D) psychopathy

Question 38

Which school of criminological thought is Willem Bonger associated with?

A) classical
B) economic
C) human ecological
D) neoclassical

Question 39

Willem Bonger viewed the criminal law as primarily protecting the interests of the ______ class?

A) working
B) poverty
C) propertied
D) top 1%

Question 40

All of the following, except ______ were identified as basic claims made by Bonger regarding criminality.

A) criminal law serves the interest of the ruling class in capitalist systems
B) poverty resulting from capitalism encourages crime
C) hedonism is natural among people
D) all groups are prone to crime in a socialist society

Question 41

Developing policies with the purpose of improving the physical and social environments to decrease crime is an example of which of the following theories?

A) demonological
B) classical/neoclassical
C) ecological
D) economic

Question 42

Which of the following theories does developing policies that reduce inequality and poverty support?

A) demonological
B) classical/neoclassical
C) ecological
D) economic

Question 43

______ theories posed a challenge to classical theories, viewing the latter as simplistic and solely concerned with the individual.

A) Ecological
B) Economic
C) Neoclassicist
D) Demonological

Question 44

Theories are not laws or facts.

Question 45

General or systemic models of how human personalities or societies function are referred to as theories.

Question 46

Theory in criminology refers to efforts to explain or understand crime causation.

Question 47

Modern remnants of demonological theory still exist today.

Question 48

Demonological theory assumes that supernatural forces cause and control crime commission.

Question 49

The reasons for crime and criminality were to be found not in the supernatural but in the natural world.

Question 50

Demonological theory views criminals as rational, hedonistic, free actors.

Question 51

A primary challenge to understanding crime through a demonological perspective was that crime and criminality were to be found in the natural rather than supernatural world.

Question 52

According to Beccaria, laws should be made by the executives in charge, and they should be specific.

Question 53

Punishment should be sure, swift, and certain.

Question 54

Utilitarianism is a practical philosophical view that claims "we should always act so as to produce the greatest possible ratio of good to evil for all concerned."

Question 55

Beccaria's philosophies surrounding punishment were considered radical during his time.

Question 56

Beccaria believed that capital punishment should be abolished.

Question 57

Hedonism is considered a pleasure-seeking philosophy.

Question 58

Disappointed with criminology's overconcern with the search for basic causes of crime, James Q. Wilson proposed a policy analysis approach that was less concerned with finding "causes" and more concerned with "what works."

Question 59

Classicists argue that less theory and more action is needed.

Question 60

The neoclassical school is primarily concerned with finding effective criminal justice policies, not explaining the causes of crime.

Question 61

Rational choice theorists argue that individuals are purely rational in the decision making, which includes consideration of the costs and benefits of crime.

Question 62

Demonological theorists also argue for a crime-specific approach to crime.

Question 63

Surveillance and entry screening is an example of situational crime control.

Question 64

The concept of "just deserts" is related to the neoclassical approach to criminology.

Question 65

General deterrence serves to discourage a particular individual from repeating a crime.

Question 66

Specific deterrence targets others.

Question 67

The classical school of criminological theory is also referred to as the statistical, geographic, or cartographic school.

Question 68

Quetelet's theory that violent crime increases toward the equator is referred to as thermic law of crime.

Question 69

Cesare Lombroso is the undisputed "father of criminology."

Question 70

Lieber and Sherin's (1972) research focused on tidal waves and homicides.

Question 71

Charles Darwin coauthored Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels.

Question 72

Marx viewed the history of all existing societies as one of class struggle.

Question 73

Poverty resulting from capitalism encourages crime.

Question 74

Hedonism is not natural among people.

Question 75

A theory is not generally considered a plausible explanation of a given reality.

Question 76

What are trials by ordeal?

Question 77

Identify two lasting influences of the classical/neoclassical schools of thought on the field of criminal justice.

Question 78

Cesare Beccaria proposed a numbers of principles that he believed were crucial for the proper operation of the criminal justice system. List five of those principles.

Question 79

Define hedonism and explain how this term relates to the study of crime.

Question 80

Discuss Jeremy Bentham's panopticon.