Deck 2: Crime and Its Consequences

Question 1

What is the meaning of the word "crime"?

A) harmful behavior
B) accusation or fault
C) an offense against the state
D) an offense against an individual

Answer 1

accusation or fault

Question 2

Which of the following is a problem with or criticism of a legal definition of crime?

A) Some behaviors are prohibited by the criminal law but, arguably, should not be.
B) Some behaviors are prohibited by the criminal law but the law is not routinely enforced.
C) Some behaviors arguably should be prohibited by the criminal law, although they are not.
D) All these answers are correct.

Answer 2

All these answers are correct.

Question 3

Perhaps the most important problem with the M'Naghten rule is that

A) it is outdated.
B) it does not address the situation of a defendant who knew the difference between right and wrong but nevertheless was unable to control his or her actions.
C) it does not distinguish reliably between behavior that is uncontrollable and behavior that is simply uncontrolled.
D) the substantial-capacity test of the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code is identical.

Answer 3

it does not address the situation of a defendant who knew the difference between right and wrong but nevertheless was unable to control his or her actions.

Question 4

At the end of 2011, what percentage of Americans said there was more crime in the United States than in the previous year?

A) 24%
B) 47%
C) 68%
D) 86%

Question 5

At the end of 2011, what percentage of Americans believed the crime problem in the U.S. was "extremely" or "very"
Serious?

A) 16%
B) 39%
C) 54%
D) 71%

Question 6

According to the national crime victimization survey in 2011, approximately what percentage of all violent crime victimizations were not reported to the police?

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%

Question 7

In 2012, the FBI changed its definition of forcible rape to include a variety of new acts. Which of the following is NOT one of those new acts?

A) rape of males
B) forcible male penile penetration of a female vagina
C) penetration of the vagina and anus with an object or body part other than the penis
D) rape of females by females

Question 8

Which of the following types of single-bias hate crimes was reported most often to the FBI in 2011?

A) those motivated by racial bias
B) those motivated by sexual-orientation bias
C) those motivated by religious bias
D) those motivated by ethnic or national origin bias

Question 9

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, approximately how many hate groups were in the United States in 2011?

A) 100
B) 1,000
C) 2,500
D) 5,000

Question 10

According to the UCR, approximately how many arrests were made by law enforcement agencies in the United States in 2011?

A) 1.2 million
B) 12 million
C) 120 million
D) 1.2 billion

Question 11

In 2011, the UCR show that the police were able to clear ________ of property crimes.

A) 12.4%
B) 18.6%
C) 47.1%
D) 66.6%

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT one of the most commonly reported offenses in self-report crime surveys?

A) larceny
B) tax evasion
C) indecency
D) sexual assault

Question 13

As of June 2012, ________ states have been NIBRS-certified in meeting their respective data submissions.

A) 15
B) 22
C) 32
D) all

Question 14

The costs of corporate crimes are estimated at $260 billion in annual losses, which is nearly ________ times greater than the cost to victims reported in the 2009 NCVS.

A) 2
B) 10
C) 16
D) 50

Question 15

According to your textbook, in 2012, which of the following U.S. cities was the safest?

A) Burlington, Vermont
B) Portland, Oregon
C) Boulder, Colorado
D) Seattle, Washington

Question 16

According to your textbook, in 2012, which of the following U.S. cities was the most dangerous?

A) Memphis, Tennessee
B) St. Louis, Missouri
C) Oakland, California
D) Flint, Michigan

Question 17

Which of the following statements about fear of crime is true?

A) Males are more fearful than females.
B) Nonwhites are more fearful than whites.
C) Republicans are more fearful than Democrats.
D) People living in the South are more fearful than people living in other regions of the U.S.

Question 18

According to your textbook, which of the following defensive measures against crime has been chosen by the largest percentage of Americans?

A) keeping a dog for protection
B) having a burglar alarm installed their home
C) buying a gun for self-protection or home protection
D) avoiding going to certain places or neighborhoods that they might otherwise have wanted to go to

Question 19

According to the 2011 NCVS, approximately how many crimes were attempted or completed against U.S. residents age 12 or older?

A) 2.3 million
B) 23 million
C) 230 million
D) 2.3 billion

Question 20

According to the 2011 NCVS, which of the following demographic groups had the highest rate of violent crime victimization?

A) multirace persons
B) urban residents
C) younger persons
D) separated persons

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true about crime victimization rates in 2010?

A) Rates generally increased as household incomes decreased.
B) Rates increased as the size of the household increased.
C) A majority of men were victimized by strangers, while a majority of women were victimized by someone they knew.
D) A weapon was used in a majority of violent victimizations.

Question 22

The harm of crime may be physical or verbal.

Question 23

Slander is a physical harm, while libel is a verbal harm.

Question 24

Negligent action or inaction that causes harm may be a crime.

Question 25

A legal infant is protected by criminal law but not subject to it.

Question 26

The "castle doctrine"
or "stand your ground law"
provides that someone attacked in his or her home can use reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect his or another's life without any duty to retreat from the attacker.

Question 27

The "year-and-a-day rule"
provides that a person cannot be prosecuted for murder if the victim dies more than a year and a day after the injury.

Question 28

According to figures provided in your textbook, the rate of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter in 2010 was higher than it was in 2000.

Question 29

Between 2010 and 2011, the number of violent crimes in the UCR decreased by about 4%, while the number of violent crimes in the NCVS increased by about 18%.

Question 30

Combined, the 2010 violent and property crime rates were the highest recorded since the NCVS were first administered in 1973.

Question 31

When Americans are asked specifically what they fear about crime, surveys show 13 different situations. Identify the top 8 situations and explain how recent current events support these findings.

Question 32

Mark broke into Laura's home in the middle of the night intending to steal Laura's flat-screen television, laptop, and whatever money he could find. In the middle of this burglary, Laura, hearing some noises, woke up and grabbed her gun to protect herself. As she entered the hallway, she saw Mark, screamed, and then shot him. Laura then dropped the gun and ran out of her home to her neighbor's, where she called the police. When the police arrived, Mark had died. How is this incident likely to be reported under the uniform crime reports? If Laura lives in a state participating in the NIBRS, how much differently would it be reported? Are there any other reporting mechanisms that will reflect this incident? What "costs"
will Laura likely incur?

Question 33

Margaret and Herman went out on a first date after a campus "get acquainted"
party. Neither Margaret nor Herman were drinking. They went for a walk down towards the campus pond. They both went into the water for a midnight swim, in only their underwear. As Margaret left the water, Herman threw Margaret to the ground and raped her. Afterward, he apologized, and Margaret ran back to the dorm where she told her roommate about the incident. Her roommate told Margaret to report the incident to the police, but Margaret was reluctant. What is the likelihood that this incident will be reported, how will it be reported (if it is reported), and what issues will Margaret likely weigh before she decides to report the incident?

Question 34

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack pushed Jill down, she broke her arm, and Jack stole the water. Jill called the police on her wet cell phone and signed a complaint against Jack, who the police subsequently arrested. Jack said he didn't know what he was doing because he fell down once before and suffered from reoccurring brain trauma. Is there a crime? What is it? Is there any defense? What could it be, and where will it likely be reported?