Deck 12: Marxist, Postmodern, and Green Criminology

Question 1

One of the main pillars of critical theories is that they question the social consensus aspect of laws and what is defined as a crime and inappropriate conduct.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

According to critical theories, those who control the resources in a society determine what behaviors are defined as crime.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Critical theories focus on the individual causes of criminal behavior.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Critical theories became popular in the 1970s in response to perceived abuses of state power in the 1960s.

Question 5

Instrumental Marxism suggests that the state is a tool used to protect the interest of the capitalists.

Question 6

According to Willem Bonger, crime among the ruling class is punished while crime among the lower classes is overlooked.

Question 7

Green criminology presently relies on quantitative data to inform public policy.

Question 8

There are two groups under capitalist societies - the owners of the means of production and wage laborers.

Question 9

Marxist theories generally argue that crimes are the result of anomie.

Question 10

Postmodernism argues that that knowledge is mediated by language.

Question 11

Which of the following types of theories tries to explain why some acts are considered to be crimes while others are not?

A) Differential association
B) Critical theory
C) Anomie theory
D) Strain theory

Question 12

According to critical theories, laws are the result of:

A) Cultural differences
B) Political conflict and coercion
C) Consensus among society
D) All of the above

Question 13

At the heart of critical theories is the concern with:

A) Cultural differences
B) Social inequality
C) Structural inequality
D) Frustration of wants

Question 14

Which of the following theories addresses how crimes and laws are generated?

A) Differential association
B) Anomie theory
C) Institutional anomie theory
D) Critical theory

Question 15

Which of the following statements is NOT true about critical theories?

A) Critical theories favor the conflict view of society
B) Those with the least power in society determine the laws and rules
C) Crime is explained by inequality in society
D) Critical theories are economic explanations of crime

Question 16

Critical theories are most associated with the work of:

A) Durkheim
B) Marx
C) Bernard
D) Cooley

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an assumption of critical theories?

A) Crime is the result of the organization of society
B) Examine law making, interpretation and enforcement
C) Legal definitions of crime are rejected
D) Criminals are fundamentally different from noncriminals

Question 18

Under Marxist/radical theories, ____________ is the root cause of crime:

A) Communism
B) Capitalism
C) Socialism
D) Feudalism

Question 19

Critical theorists believe that the criminal justice system, including laws, operate to benefit:

A) The proletariat
B) The bourgeoisie
C) The lumpen-proletariat
D) None of the above

Question 20

Under Marxist/radical theory, crimes of the elite are thought to serve what purpose?

A) Utilitarian action to appease frustration of wants
B) Coping mechanism in response to strain
C) Domination/oppression of lower class
D) None of the above

Question 21

Describe the emergence of green criminology as a critical theory of crime. What are the theoretical foundations of this new area? How are researchers gathering evidence on this topic? What policy implications could emerge from this line of inquiry?

Question 22

What is meant by the term "lumpenproletariat"? How is it used to describe criminal behavior?

Question 23

Who was Karl Marx and what was his indirect contribution to criminological theory?

Question 24

Why is capitalism believed to be the root of crime in critical theories? How are crimes different in other types of political and economic systems?

Question 25

What does the social contract represent in critical theories? How does its presence or absence explain crime?

Question 26

Bonger argued that capitalism encourages selfishness and less concern for others while greed among the poor is criminalized. How would crime emerge in a different political and economic system?

Question 27

Describe the resurgence of Marxist criminology in the 1970s. What led to this reemergence? Is Marxist criminology still relevant today?

Question 28

What are the differences between simplistic instrumental and complex structuralistic views of criminal law and criminal justice?

Question 29

What is left realist criminology? How does this perspective differ from traditional Marxist criminology?

Question 30

Describe how Marxist theories can be applied to policing practices. What role could community residents have in implementing these practices?