Deck 7: National Gang Problem Trends: 1996 to 2012

Question 1

The first National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) was completed in ______.

A) 1978
B) 1991
C) 1996
D) 2009

Answer 1

C

Question 2

W. Miller's (2001) research on gang patterns suggested that gang activity peaked in ______.

A) the 1950s
B) the 1970s
C) the 1980s
D) the 1990s

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In which of the following ways did W. Miller's (2001) conclusions about gang activity in the United States differ from findings from federal commissions at the time?

A) Miller found gangs to be a MORE serious societal issue than the federal commissions found.
B) Miller found gangs to be a LESS serious societal issue than the federal commissions found.
C) The federal commissions found gang activity to have grown substantially since the 1970s while Miller did not.
D) Miller found gang activity to be concentrated in middle-class areas, while the federal commissions found it to be concentrated in urban slums.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is implied to be the most responsible for the strong influence of gang culture diffusion on gang development and growth in the 1980s and 1990s?

A) law enforcement agencies
B) politicians
C) gang members themselves
D) the media

Question 5

______ implies that a survey could be used multiple times and the findings would be substantively similar over time.

A) validity
B) reliability
C) trajectory modeling
D) a study population

Question 6

The key difference between validity and reliability is that ______.

A) validity is about the consistency of results, while reliability is about the accuracy of capturing the study population
B) reliability is about the consistency of results, while validity is about accurately capturing the study population
C) validity is about the consistency of results over time, while reliability is about the extent to which a measure actually measures what it is intended to capture
D) reliability is about the consistency of results over time, while validity is about the extent to which a measure actually measures what it is intended to capture

Question 7

Between 2002 and 2009, the percentage increase in jurisdictions with gang problems was ______ the percentage increase of the number of gangs reported in the National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS).

A) much less than
B) a little less than
C) exactly the same as
D) a little more than

Question 8

In Howell and colleagues' (2011) updated trajectory models of gang activity, the T2 group represented cities with ______ T1 group.

A) the same prevalence of gang activity as the
B) an unknown prevalence of gang activity in relation to the
C) more consistent gang activity over time than the
D) less consistent gang activity over time than the

Question 9

Cities reporting near-chronic gang presence are, on average, ______ those without a chronic gang presence.

A) about the same population as
B) smaller in population than
C) larger in population than
D) double in population than

Question 10

Which type of gang problem is most common in larger cities?

A) chronic
B) variable
C) emerging
D) inconsistent

Question 11

Which of the following is a key difference in the economic context of larger cities with increasing or emerging gang problems and those with chronic gang problems?

A) They have lower poverty rates among non-Whites than cities with chronic problems.
B) They have higher poverty rates among non-Whites than cities with chronic problems.
C) They have higher than average expenditures on social welfare than cities with chronic problems.
D) They have lower than average expenditures on social welfare than cities with chronic problems.

Question 12

______ scores account for the number and size of groups in the local population.

A) Homogeneity
B) Heterogeneity
C) Complete homogeneity
D) Complete heterogeneity

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT an example of a demographic characteristic common to a city with chronic gang activity?

A) above-average percentage of female-headed households compared with other cities in the state
B) above-average percentage of residential instability compared with other cities in the state
C) above-average percentage of Whites in poverty compared with other cities in the state
D) above-average percentage of young males compared with other cities in the state

Question 14

Which of the following is the most complex context to measure when comparing larger cities' gang activity?

A) political and criminal justice
B) economic
C) demographic
D) cultural

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT an example of a law that punishes immorality?

A) a three-strikes law
B) a law setting the age of sexual consent at 16
C) a law making slot machines illegal
D) a law banning open liquor containers

Question 16

All of the following are common components of "traditionalism" EXCEPT ______.

A) the government must attempt to keep social order
B) there is a commitment to maintaining the status quo
C) the interests of elites are often met
D) the interests of the disadvantaged are often met

Question 17

In reference to political culture, it is implied that larger cities with chronic gang activity will ______.

A) support a utilitarian government
B) support private enterprise
C) support individual goals
D) support collective goals

Question 18

A ______ city is a representative locale for the political, economic, demographic, and cultural context of each gang activity trajectory.

A) chronic
B) modal
C) median
D) valid

Question 19

______ represents an average city with chronic gang activity.

A) Modesto, CA
B) Warwick, RI
C) Newport Beach, CA
D) Asheville, NC

Question 20

______ represents an average city with emerging gang activity.

A) Modesto, CA,
B) Warwick, RI,
C) Newport Beach, CA,
D) Asheville, NC,

Question 21

Which of the following factors has received the LEAST empirical support in explaining what leads cities to develop emerging gang activity?

A) social disorganization
B) population migration
C) cultural diffusion
D) economic deprivation

Question 22

Which of the following factors is shared among cities that have chronic and emerging gang problems?

A) population migration
B) returning prison gang members
C) gang histories
D) economic deprivation

Question 23

Which of the following class of factors is shared among cities that have chronic, emerging, and declining gang problems?

A) political
B) economic
C) demographic
D) cultural

Question 24

Which of the following is a consequence of economic segregation that influenced gang development and growth in the 1980s and 1990s?

A) local disadvantage
B) social disorganization
C) increased heroin use
D) compromised social control

Question 25

It is implied that chronic gang problems in larger cities are more strongly associated with which of the following political climates and/or criminal justice contexts?

A) liberal cities
B) conservative cities
C) cities with fewer public defense resources for criminals
D) cities with more public defense resources for criminals

Question 26

Miller's (1982, 1992) research on the geography of gang presence in the United States occurred in the ways predicted by Thrasher (1927) and other Chicago school sociologists.

Question 27

Gang growth in the 1980s and 1990s is associated at least partly with the unsuccessful assimilation of Latino and Caribbean immigrants.

Question 28

Media portrayals of gangs have remained largely consistent over time.

Question 29

It is implied that police are the best sources for collecting data on street-level gang trends.

Question 30

Smaller cities have a lower prevalence of gang activity than rural counties.

Question 31

In the United States, gang activity and violence is concentrated in the least populated areas of the country.

Question 32

The relationship between a city's political and criminal justice context and the nature of its gang problem has been proven to be causal.

Question 33

Cities with a gang presence that is either chronic or variable are more likely to have crowded jails and prisons.

Question 34

The political cultures of large cities have no discernable impact on its local gang presence.

Question 35

Of the four regions in the United States, the Northwest is most likely to have cities with chronic gang activity.

Question 36

What were the reasons why gang prevalence rates in suburban counties were close to large cities from 1996 to 2012, especially when compared with other kinds of locales?

Question 37

What is trajectory modeling? How was this research method applied to gain insight into gang activity trends?

Question 38

Explain the phenomenon of "gangsta rap," describe how the medium is related to the growth of gangs in the 1990s.

Question 39

Discuss how characteristics of larger cities influence the nature and extent of their gang problems. Be sure to assess preliminary findings regarding at least two different contexts (e.g., political, cultural) in your answer.