Deck 16: Delinquent Peers and Gangs

Question 1

As noted in the text, most adolescents commit delinquent offenses:

A) with peers
B) with family members
C) with adults who are not members of their immediate family
D) alone

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Elliott and Menard's study of the relationship between delinquent peers and delinquency suggests that the first step in the common pattern of progression from no delinquency to serious delinquency is for a juvenile to:

A) engage in minor delinquency and then join forces with other delinquent peers
B) associate with mildly delinquent peers before engaging in delinquency
C) associate with serious delinquent peers and then engage in serious delinquency
D) join a gang and then begin engaging in serious delinquency

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to Agnew and Brezina, association with delinquent peers is more likely to lead to delinquency when:

A) peers approve of delinquency
B) all of an adolescent's peers are delinquent
C) juveniles like their peers
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Most delinquent peer groups can best be described as:

A) gangs
B) organized offending groups
C) friendship groups
D) surrogate families
E) crime organizations

Question 5

By mid- to late adolescence, the typical size of a delinquent peer group is:

A) two to three
B) four to seven
C) seven to ten
D) ten to fifteen
E) fifteen to eighteen

Question 6

Accomplice networks tend to be ________ offending groups.

A) the same size as
B) smaller than
C) larger than
D) unrelated to

Question 7

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Instigators tend to be the same age or slightly older than other group members.
B) Instigators usually have more delinquent experiences than do other group members.
C) Females are more likely to follow male instigators than males are to follow female instigators.
D) Most juveniles who have committed at least a few delinquent offenses have been both instigator and follower.
E) None is false.

Question 8

As noted in the text, perhaps the major way in which the family affects delinquency is by:

A) increasing the likelihood that a juvenile will associate with delinquent peers
B) teaching values and beliefs favorable to crime
C) allowing the media to become a primary source of socialization
D) failing to provide a religious foundation

Question 9

In urban areas known to have gang problems, research indicates that:

A) a majority of adolescents belongs to some type of gang during adolescence
B) there are several hundred different gangs operating at any given point in time
C) gang membership has led to the economic downfall of the surrounding communities
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 10

Research indicates that gang members:

A) commit about the same amount of delinquency as other adolescent peer groups
B) commit less delinquency than many other types of adolescent peer groups
C) account for a substantial share of all delinquent acts, particularly serious delinquent acts
D) account for a small share of all delinquent acts but most serious delinquent acts

Question 11

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Street gangs tend to be similar to each other in the extent and nature of their delinquency.
B) Street gangs control the majority of drug sales in the United States.
C) Street gang members spend most of their time engaged in crime.
D) all the above
E) none of the above

Question 12

When an individual leaves a gang, there is often _________ in his or her level of delinquent offending.

A) a small increase
B) a small decrease
C) a dramatic increase
D) a dramatic decrease
E) no significant change

Question 13

Contrary to gangs in the early 1900s, most contemporary gang members tend to:

A) belong to minority groups
B) live in inner-city communities
C) be poor
D) be predominately male
E) be young

Question 14

According to the text, one of the primary factors that binds gang members together is:

A) a hierarchical structure that organizes gang interaction
B) a well-defined list of rules that specifies gang obligations and privileges
C) conflict with external groups
D) respect and affection for gang leaders
E) respect and affection between gang members

Question 15

Although females join gangs for many of the same reasons as males, data suggest that female gang members are more likely than male gang members to have experienced:

A) class discrimination
B) race discrimination
C) problems at home
D) school problems
E) association with delinquent peers

Question 16

As noted in the text, a common reason for joining gangs is a desire for:

A) protection
B) money
C) companionship
D) power
E) all of the above

Question 17

Agnew and Brezina point out that gangs are most likely to develop in:

A) areas with a high concentration of adolescents
B) lower-income, urban communities
C) neighborhoods with little law enforcement presence
D) suburban communities

Question 18

Agnew and Brezina indicate that the increase and spread of gangs was largely due to:

A) population decreases
B) a decline in organized religion
C) changes in the economy
D) a conspiracy on the part of certain gangs to control the drug market

Question 19

For the United States as a whole, surveys suggest that about _____ of juveniles belong to gangs at any given time.

A) 2%
B) 7%
C) 10%
D) 15%

Question 20

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding police departments and gangs?

A) Police departments employ different definitions of gangs.
B) Police departments may deny that they have a gang problem.
C) Police departments may exaggerate their gang problem to secure more funding.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 21

Since 2002, there has been __________ in the number of gangs.

A) a slight decrease
B) a steady increase
C) a significant decrease
D) stabilization

Question 22

Which theory best accounts for the idea that gang members frequently get into conflicts with others and that such conflicts often lead to acts of retaliation or revenge?

A) social learning theory
B) strain theory
C) control theory
D) labeling theory

Question 23

Which theory best accounts for the idea that being part of a delinquent peer group may reduce the fear of retaliation by others, and that witnessing one's friends engage in delinquency without sanction may reduce the fear of official or police sanctions?

A) social learning theory
B) strain theory
C) control theory
D) labeling theory

Question 24

Use the leading delinquency theories to explain why associating with delinquent peers may increase the likelihood of delinquency.

Question 25

Some argue that the association between delinquent peers and delinquency is not due to the causal effect of delinquent peers on delinquency. Describe the arguments and research in this area.

Question 26

As reported in the text, Elliott and Menard's study suggests that juveniles progress from no delinquency to serious delinquency through a series of steps. Briefly describe these steps, which focus on the relationship between delinquency and delinquent peers.

Question 27

Identify factors or variables that condition the relationship between delinquent peers and delinquency.

Question 28

Describe the characteristics of delinquent peer groups. Focus on the types of delinquency they commit, their size and composition, and the quality of relations between group members.

Question 29

Explain the difference between offending groups and accomplice networks.

Question 30

Agnew and Brezina state that the size of most delinquent groups is small, with usually two to four members. Examine how the size of the group influences delinquent activity. Why do offending groups tend to be small rather than large?

Question 31

Research indicates that a romantic partner's delinquency has an effect on an individual's delinquency but not as strong an effect as do delinquent peers. How might you explain this finding from one or more theoretical perspectives?

Question 32

Discuss how establishing a definition of "street gang" helps in the scholarly progress of gang knowledge.

Question 33

How does a street gang differ from other delinquent peer groups?

Question 34

Describe the methodological problems in estimating the extent of gangs and the amount of gang-related delinquency in the United States.

Question 35

Differentiate drug gangs from street gangs.

Question 36

Identify myths associated with gang crime.

Question 37

Does gang membership cause delinquency? Describe the research in this area.

Question 38

Use social learning theory to explain the effect of gang membership on delinquent offending.

Question 39

Describe the characteristics of typical gang members.

Question 40

Drawing on the text, how would you respond to the assertion that gangs are highly organized?

Question 41

Compare the delinquent activities of female and male gangs.

Question 42

Agnew and Brezina state that female gang members sometimes join gangs as a way to escape actual or anticipated gender oppression. Can one conclude, then, that female gang members hold "liberated" views on gender? Defend your answer.

Question 43

Use strain theory to explain why a juvenile might join a gang. Explain how the experience of strain is more likely to lead to gang membership, given certain social learning and social control variables.

Question 44

Describe how academic performance and gang membership might be reciprocally related (i.e., why academic performance might influence gang membership and why gang membership might influence academic performance).

Question 45

Drawing on one or more of the leading delinquency theories, develop a plan to reduce gang membership in your community.

Question 46

Agnew and Brezina indicate that certain communities are "ripe for gang involvement." Explain what they mean by this statement.

Question 47

Explain why gangs often develop in lower-income, urban communities.

Question 48

How can we explain the increase and spread of gangs in recent decades?

Question 49

How can family, school, and peer variables help us explain gender differences in delinquency?

Question 50

Think back to before you read this chapter on gangs. What were your perceptions of gangs? What did you think about gang membership, the number of gangs in the United States, and the activities of gangs? How has this chapter influenced the way you view gangs?

Question 51

What are some of the common reasons that the textbook provides for why juveniles join gangs? Do you agree with these reasons? Can you provide any additional reasons that are not mentioned in the textbook?

Question 52

Describe the National Gang Center's survey examining the extent of gangs. What is the National Gang Center? Who completes these surveys? What are the major findings from this survey?

Question 53

According to self-report studies mentioned in the textbook, how common are gangs?

Question 54

Has the number of gangs been increasing or decreasing since 2002? What explanations are provided for this increase or decrease?