Deck 5: Adolescent Offenders Psychology of Criminal Behaviour

Question 1

The Young Offenders Act (YOA) was replaced in 2003 by the:

A)Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA)
B)Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA)
C)Canadian Justice Act (CJA)
D)Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom (CCRF)

Answer 1

Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA)

Question 2

According to data collected by Statistic Canada for 2011-2012,youth crime rates:

A)are the highest since these data were first collected in 1991-1992
B)are the lowest since these data were first collected in 1991-1992
C)have not changed since data were first collected in 1991-1992
D)have increased since 1991-1992,but only for violent crimes

Answer 2

are the lowest since these data were first collected in 1991-1992

Question 3

As a first step when coming into contact with antisocial youth,police are to consider:

A)bringing the offender directly to youth court
B)community options and less serious alternatives
C)charging the individual in order to get them into adult court
D)pursuing light sentences even if they have committed seriously violent crimes

Answer 3

community options and less serious alternatives

Question 4

According to Statistics Canada,the most common sentence imposed on adolescent offenders in 2011-2012 was:

A)probation
B)fines
C)jail time
D)community service

Question 5

Following the YCJA,in 2011 to 2012,approximately what percentage of guilty offenders received custodial sentences,in contrast to 29% in the early 2000s?

A)45%
B)28%
C)15%
D)72%

Question 6

A child who has multiple risk factors but who can overcome them and prevail has been termed:

A)resilient
B)hardy
C)adversarial
D)impact resistant

Question 7

In terms of the protective factor of peers,the research suggests the following:

A)peer groups have relatively little impact either way on antisocial behaviour
B)associating with peers who disapprove of antisocial behaviour is not considered protective
C)associating with pro-social children does not provide any protection against antisocial behaviour
D)associating with peers who disapprove of antisocial behaviour is a protective factor against antisocial behaviour

Question 8

Patterson's (1982) coercive family process model,where aggressive behaviour is imitated,is consistent with which theory of adolescent offending?

A)coercion theory
B)cognitive theory
C)biological theory
D)social learning theory

Question 9

All of the following are examples of risk assessment tools used with adolescent offenders in Canada except the:

A)Static-99
B)Adolescent Chemical Dependency Inventory
C)Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth
D)Pride in Delinquency Scale

Question 10

Reactive aggression is defined as:

A)emotionally aggressive response to a perceived threat or frustration
B)aggression directed at achieving a goal or receiving positive reinforcers
C)planned aggression
D)distorted aggression

Question 11

The main finding within the cognitive perspective on conduct disordered behaviour is that conduct-disordered youth demonstrate:

A)relatively good problem solving skills
B)relatively few cognitive distortions but mistakenly attribute hostile intent to ambiguous situations
C)cognitive deficits and distortions,attending to fewer cues and mistakenly attributing hostile intent to ambiguous situations
D)a tendency to focus on emotional cues in the environment with no cognitive distortions

Question 12

The strongest individual predictor of adolescent offending is the presence of:

A)hyperactivity as a child
B)low verbal intelligence
C)delayed language development
D)aggressive behaviour before the age of 13.

Question 13

Part of the intent of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) is to treat antisocial youth as any adult offender would be treated.

Question 14

When dealing with antisocial youth,police are to use "extrajudicial measures",including warnings or referrals for treatment.

Question 15

A child who presents a pattern of negativistic,hostile,and defiant behaviour would likely receive a diagnosis of:

A)Child psychopathy
B)Oppositional defiant disorder
C)Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
D)Conduct disorder

Question 16

When examining the trajectory to adult offending,a clear pattern found is that:

A)early onset of antisocial behaviour is linked to more serious and persistent antisocial behaviour later in life
B)early onset of antisocial behaviour is not linked to more serious and persistent antisocial behaviour later in life
C)early onset of antisocial behaviour is a far more common occurrence than late onset antisocial behaviour
D)most young children with behavioural difficulties go on to become adult offenders

Question 17

When considering antisocial behaviour and criminological risk factors the general finding is that:

A)one risk factor alone can be sufficient to lead to offending
B)the presence of several criminological risk factors increases a youth's likelihood of offending
C)the presence of numerous risk factors guarantee a youth will become a adolescent offender
D)risk factors rarely have interactive effects

Question 18

Protective factors are variables that decrease the likelihood of a negative outcome such as antisocial behaviour and are effective because they:

A)maintain the same level of exposure to risk factors over time
B)protect the child from risk factors by isolating the child
C)reduce negative outcomes by helping to develop and maintain self-esteem and self-efficacy
D)limit the child's problem-solving capacity

Question 19

Two of the five main correlates of delinquency for male and female youth are:

A)permissive parenting and poor school attendance
B)negative school attachment and divorced parents
C)inconsistent or inadequate parenting and antisocial peer involvement
D)aggression and personality disorders

Question 20

Genetic studies have found that fathers who engage in antisocial behaviour:

A)are equally likely to have children who also engage in antisocial behaviour as fathers who are not anti-social
B)are likely to have children who also engage in antisocial behaviour,if they live with their father
C)tend to have children who are not antisocial
D)are more likely to have children who also engage in antisocial behaviour,with a stronger link for sons than daughters

Question 21

Identify and explain the three main objectives of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Question 22

Explain the term "resiliency" as it relates to adolescent offending.

Question 23

Proactive aggressive youth are likely to have deficiencies in generating alternate responses and often choose an aggressive response.

Question 24

In Canada,the largest proportion of youth gangs is Caucasian.

Question 25

Researchers have investigated the brain region responsible for planning and inhibiting behaviour to explain why some youth engage in antisocial acts.

Question 26

Describe the nature of internalizing and externalizing problems that children may present before age 12.Identify which is more predictive of criminal offending later on in life and why.

Question 27

Living in a low-income neighborhood is a risk factor for antisocial behaviour.

Question 28

Offenders are more likely to have had delivery/birth complications compared to non-offenders.

Question 29

When examining the prediction of future adult offending,age of onset is a critical factor.

Question 30

How are youthful offenders (both under 12 years and 12-18 years old) charged and prosecuted in the Canadian Criminal Code?

Question 31

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children indicates that approximately 40% of youth admit to engaging in at least one antisocial act in the last year.

Question 32

In keeping with the coercive family process model,a female who witnessed her mothers' aggressive behaviour toward partners was significantly less aggressive toward friends than average.

Question 33

What community influences are factors in adolescent offending?

Question 34

Intelligence,commitment to school,and academic achievement are all considered protective factors for adolescents at risk for antisocial behaviour.

Question 35

Research has found that antisocial adolescents have more frontal lobe inhibition than adolescents who do not engage in antisocial behaviour.

Question 36

Explain the two trajectories to adult offending that are observed in adolescent offenders,as well as which is linked to more serious offending later on in life.

Question 37

If a child is described as being resilient,it refers to the fact that he/she has few risk factors.

Question 38

Childhood-onset trajectory is a very common occurrence,affecting about 40% of the general population.

Question 39

Proactive aggression is aggression in response to a perceived threat or frustration.

Question 40

Briefly compare and contrast the three broad theories that explain the development of adolescent offenders.

Question 41

Define and describe primary,secondary,and tertiary interventions aimed at decreasing adolescent offending.Outline one real-world example of each.

Question 42

Explain why the strongest predictor of adolescent offending is the presence of aggressive behaviour before the age of 13.

Question 43

Outline the five criminological risk factors that increases a youth's likelihood of offending.