Deck 19: Policies and Programs

Question 1

The best way to determine if policies or programs are effective in controlling delinquency is to conduct:

A) generalized self-report surveys
B) nonrandomized interviews
C) randomized experiments
D) nonrandomized experiments
E) analyses of official records

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When conducting experiments with control and treatment groups, the best way to ensure that the groups are roughly identical to each other is through a procedure known as:

A) random sampling
B) random assignment
C) comparison assignment
D) comparison sampling
E) selective sampling

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Criminologists often encounter difficulties when they attempt to evaluate programs or policies using a randomized experimental model with control and treatment groups. Agnew and Brezina illustrate such difficulties with which of the following examples?

A) Juvenile court personnel violate the random assignment procedure.
B) Juveniles select the treatment group over the control group.
C) Researchers lack adequate funding.
D) Researchers lose interest in the study before it is completed.
E) all of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Researchers typically use a _____________ in studies that evaluate a program's effectiveness in reducing delinquency.

A) random sample of juveniles from multiple locations
B) random sample of juveniles from a single location
C) representative, although not necessarily random, sample of juveniles
D) nonrandom sample of juveniles

Question 5

Which of the following is not a component of a randomized experiment?

A) a control group
B) a treatment group
C) matching groups on relevant variables
D) random assignment
E) collection of data before participating in a program

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a time series design?

A) examining rates of delinquency in the weeks before and after a new law takes effect
B) comparing rates of delinquency in states with and without a particular law
C) comparing the reoffending rates of juveniles placed on intensive probation with those of similar juveniles on probation
D) all of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is an example of a nonequivalent control group design?

A) examining rates of delinquency in the weeks before and after a new law takes effect
B) comparing rates of delinquency in states with and without a particular law
C) comparing the reoffending rates of juveniles placed on intensive probation with those of similar juveniles on probation
D) both b and c
E) none of the above

Question 8

A randomized experimental model meets which of the following conditions for making causal statements?

A) association due to chance
B) association due to third variables
C) causal order
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 9

Process evaluations are used to determine whether:

A) police follow proper procedures when apprehending and charging juveniles
B) programs are properly implemented
C) procedures are properly followed when processing youth through the juvenile justice system
D) programs are effective in reducing delinquency

Question 10

It is not always possible to do a randomized experiment because:

A) of potential ethical problems
B) the variables are not always random
C) researchers typically prefer to conduct nonrandomized experiments
D) none of the above

Question 11

What is one potential reason why researchers may find a program to be ineffective?

A) The program is not based on theory.
B) The program does not have a large enough sample.
C) The program does not work.
D) The program is too new to evaluate.

Question 12

According to Agnew and Brezina, it is often difficult to state with a high degree of certainty that a program:

A) has not been implemented correctly
B) is generally effective at reducing delinquency
C) is ineffective
D) none of the above

Question 13

In order to allow for a proper evaluation of the nurse-family partnership (NFP) program, the expectant mothers were:

A) randomly assigned to one of two groups
B) nonrandomly assigned to one of two groups
C) inadvertently assigned to one of two groups
D) observed in a laboratory setting

Question 14

It is unlikely that the association may be due to a third variable if:

A) individuals are randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups
B) individuals are randomly assigned to the treatment group but not the control group
C) individuals are nonrandomly assigned to the control group but not the treatment group
D) individuals are nonrandomly assigned to the treatment and control groups

Question 15

If juveniles are randomly assigned to control and treatment groups:

A) this assignment will result in a random sample of juveniles
B) this assignment will not result in a random sample of juveniles
C) this assignment may or may not result in a random sample of juveniles
D) none of the above

Question 16

Randomized experiments indicate that Scared Straight programs are ______ effective at reducing delinquency.

A) not
B) sometimes
C) most times
D) always

Question 17

Why are ineffective programs sometimes still used?

A) policy makers may not be aware of the results of program evaluations
B) people ignore the results of program evaluations
C) sometimes certain programs are supported by powerful groups
D) all of the above

Question 18

Which of the following statements about Nurse-Family Partnership programs is TRUE?

A) nurses educate women about the importance of nutrition for the fetus
B) nurses visit mothers up until the child is born
C) nurses teach mothers cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques
D) nurses help babysit for mothers when necessary
E) all of the above

Question 19

The Nurse-Family Partnership was first implemented in Elmira, New York, in:

A) the 1920s
B) the late 1970s
C) mid-1980s
D) late 1990s

Question 20

Specifically, for every $1 spent on the Nurse-Family Partnership program, it is estimated that _____________ are generated.

A) $1 in losses
B) $4 in losses
C) $1 in savings
D) $4 in savings

Question 21

Identify the proper way to determine if a program or policy is effective in reducing delinquency.

Question 22

The results of a recent study indicate that a court-ordered truancy program is effective in reducing levels of truancy. In conducting this study, the researchers examined the number of arrests for truancy both before juveniles were placed in the program and then again after juveniles completed the program. They found that juveniles had fewer arrests for truancy after participating in the program. Can this study safely claim that the truancy program is effective? Explain your answer.

Question 23

You are asked to evaluate the effectiveness of a program designed to reduce drug use among juvenile drug offenders. You decide to conduct a randomized experiment with both control and treatment groups. Explain the procedure you would follow in selecting participants for these two groups.

Question 24

How does randomized assignment differ from a random sample?

Question 25

Describe how a randomized experiment meets the four conditions for making causal statements.

Question 26

Drawing on the text, identify three problems that criminologists can encounter when they attempt to employ a randomized experimental model.

Question 27

Describe two types of nonrandomized experiments. Decide which type would be preferable in evaluating the effectiveness of a new curfew law for juveniles.

Question 28

Design a study to determine the effectiveness of a program such as DARE in reducing delinquency.

Question 29

Agnew and Brezina discuss how program evaluations often have little effect on the extent to which a program is used because policy makers and people in the general public may not be aware of the results of program evaluations. What can criminologists do to overcome this issue?

Question 30

Provide an example of an ethical problem that a researcher may face when considering implementing a randomized experiment in order to evaluate a program. What would be an appropriate alternative to using a randomized experiment?

Question 31

Discuss the nurse-family partnership (NFP) program. What type of experimental design was used? Does research suggest that this is an effective program? Why or why not?

Question 32

Discuss the Scared Straight program. What type of experimental design was used? Does research suggest that this is an effective program? Why or why not?

Question 33

What is generalizability? What does it mean if a study's findings cannot be generalized? Why is this issue important?

Question 34

Provide examples of when random assignment procedures may be violated. Why is it concerning if random assignment procedures are violated?

Question 35

How can the specific measurement of delinquency be an issue for some program evaluations? Provide an example of when a measurement of delinquency may be of concern for a program evaluation.

Question 36

Why is it often difficult to state with a high degree of certainty that a program is generally effective at reducing delinquency?

Question 37

What are the two primary reasons that researchers may find some programs ineffective?

Question 38

Explain what a program evaluation is. Why do researchers preform these types of evaluations? What are some potential policy implications that may result from program evaluations?

Question 39

Are Nurse-Family Partnership programs considered effective? What are some of the outcomes from these programs?

Question 40

What is a time series design? Provide an example of a time series design experiment.