Deck 2: Why Is Crime Always in the News Crime and Interpersonal Violence

Question 1

How does the dark figure of crime make it difficult to answer how much crime occurs in the U.S.?
a. Most criminal records are sealed (kept dark) and restricted from public viewing.
b. Some of the darkest crimes are committed from official crime reports, due to their nature.
c. A lot of crime goes unreported, which creates a dark figure of what is actually reported by official crime data.
d. Jurisdictions tend to try and hide their darkest crimes in reporting.

Answer 1

No Answer

Question 2

How is the issue of the dark figure of crime addressed in data collection on US crimes?

A) Surveys can ask victims and offenders about crimes that may not have been reported to the police.
B) Federal agencies can prosecute any agency, city, or state, which intentionally underreports crime.
C) Researchers and journalists can file court cases to open up sealed records and reports.
D) Police can threaten to arrest people if they know of a crime and do not report it.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Between 2014 and 2018, violent crime rates in the U.S.

A) increased by nearly 5% over the time period.
B) increased by nearly 15% over the time period.
C) decreased by nearly 5% over the time period.
D) decreased by nearly 15% over the time period.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Between 2014 and 2018, homicide rates in the U.S.

A) increased by nearly 5% over the time period.
B) increased by nearly 15% over the time period.
C) decreased by nearly 5% over the time period.
D) decreased by nearly 15% over the time period.

Question 5

Between 2014 and 2018, property crime rates in the U.S.

A) increased by nearly 3% over the time period.
B) increased by nearly 12% over the time period.
C) decreased by nearly 3% over the time period.
D) decreased by nearly 12% over the time period.

Question 6

Compared to Japan, the rate of gun deaths per year in the U.S. is

A) about 1,000% greater.
B) About 2 times larger.
C) fairly comparable.
D) about 5% lower.

Question 7

When asked in a 2017 Gallup Poll how worried they are about being victimized, _____ of Americans said they were worried a great deal or a fair amount.

A) 15%
B) 34%
C) 57%
D) 84%

Question 8

Overall, the data collected by the Gallup Poll about whether Americans are afraid of crime indicates Americans are

A) inaccurate in their perceptions of crime, relatively fearless, and moderately confident in the criminal justice system to address crime.
B) inaccurate in their perceptions of crime, fearful, but having strong confidence in the criminal justice system to address crime.
C) accurate in their perceptions of crime, relatively fearless, but lacking confidence in the criminal justice system to address crime.
D) inaccurate in their perceptions of crime, fearful, and lacking confidence in the criminal justice system to address crime.

Question 9

What makes crime bad for society is not necessarily the harm or the cost, but

A) the psychological impact it has on people.
B) harm and cost combined.
C) the cultural tax of having to train people to avoid crime.
D) the high level of misinformation and unfounded fear.

Question 10

What are the most typical symptoms of the psychological impact of crime?

A) Withdrawal and avoidance
B) Depression and anomie
C) Anger and rage
D) Anxiety and fear

Question 11

What is the purpose of the argument that many non-criminal incidents such as automobile accidents or oil tanker spills are quite harmful and costly in challenging the notion that crime is problematic for Americans?

A) To show that estimations of the harm and cost of crime are overblown.
B) To show that what makes crime bad for society is not necessarily the harm or the cost, but the psychological impact it has on people.
C) To normalize crime and encourage people to release their fears.
D) To illustrate that crime is not really a serious problem in the U.S.

Question 12

As an example of the public role in crime, studies of auto theft found that about 1 in every 8 vehicles had no damage to the steering column, most likely indicating

A) car thieves have devised new ways to start cars beyond breaking into the steering column.
B) that the keys were left in the ignition, meaning the victims left their cars vulnerable to theft.
C) that someone wanted the cars to be reported stolen in order to collect insurance money.
D) the owners must have loaned their cars to someone they thought they could trust.

Question 13

The vast majority of crimes take place between offenders and victims who

A) have met online but not in person.
B) are complete strangers.
C) are married to each other.
D) have some sort of relationship as acquaintances, friends, or even relatives.

Question 14

A large and costly elderly prison population and a problem with criminals becoming even worse when they are released are unintended consequences of

A) unreasonably long sentences.
B) "get tough" policy approaches to crime such as mandatory sentences.
C) Americans leaving themselves vulnerable to crime, driving up crime rates.
D) allowing the retirement age to be set at 65.

Question 15

What distinguishes a violent crime?

A) The use or threat of force in the commission of the acts
B) It must be murder, manslaughter, or aggravated assault.
C) It must cause bodily harm that is confirmed by medical examination.
D) All of the above

Question 16

Criminal homicide takes two forms: murder, which is _____; and manslaughter, which is _____

A) unprovoked homicide ; provoked homicide.
B) a planned killing of a human being ; an accidental killing of a human being.
C) sudden and violent killing ; killing due to neglect.
D) the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought ; unlawful homicide without malice aforethought.

Question 17

The public's perception of murder in the U.S. suggests a calculated and intentional type of offender, in reality, most homicides

A) are random acts of violence committed by hardened criminals.
B) are just that-planned in advance and intentional.
C) are not planned and are not committed by hardened criminals.
D) are unsolved and thus it is unclear whether or more planned and intentional or more spontaneous.

Question 18

Homicide tends to be an intra-racial crime, meaning

A) murder impacts all race groups.
B) people of the same race murder another member of that group (i.e., Whites murder Whites).
C) racism is often the motive for murder.
D) people of one race murder members of other race groups (i.e., Whites murder non-Whites).

Question 19

The most frequent type of mass murder is

A) serial killer, with multiple victims over a period of time.
B) gang wars.
C) family killing, where one member of a family kills several relatives.
D) school or workplace shooting.

Question 20

The recently expanded definition of rape to include all genders and removing the term "forcible," has produced new statistics that show

A) young women continue to be the primary victims.
B) men and women are equally targeted for rape.
C) men and women commit rapes at similar levels.
D) all age/gender demographics are equally likely to experience rape in their lifetime.

Question 21

What does the term gender-based violence mean?

A) It distinguishes crimes that take place within intimate partner relationships.
B) It refers to the acts of violence of many forms prevalent world-wide that are committed against women and girls.
C) It distinguishes crimes that relate to sex or sexual violence in some way.
D) It refers to crimes within genders such as women committing crimes against women and men committing crimes against men.

Question 22

Why is less known about any patterns or trends among property criminals?

A) Because most cases are quickly solved, reimbursed, and plea-bargained out of court without formal convictions.
B) Because these crimes are so rare and because there is a lower chance that the crime will be solved.
C) Because these crimes happen so frequently and because there is a lower chance that these crimes will be solved.
D) Because police records about property crime offenders are sealed.

Question 23

These crimes sometimes involve the use of violence, but what distinguishes them from other types of crime is the threat (or perceived threat) of the moral disintegration of society, such as prostitution, gambling, use of illegal substances, or disorderly conduct.

A) Misdemeanors
B) Third-party infractions
C) Entirely victimless crimes
D) Public order crimes

Question 24

In a recent report by the Uniform Crime Reports, the overall number of arrests of juveniles has

A) remained quite low since 2009.
B) remained quite high since 2009.
C) increased by 30% since 2009.
D) decreased by 60% since 2009.

Question 25

Which of the following is an explanation for the change in juvenile arrests in recent years?

A) Juveniles have more motivation now for criminal behavior than past generations.
B) Police resources are more focused on apprehension of adult offenders.
C) Culture and collective consciousness has shifted to better prevent juveniles from enacting criminal behavior.
D) More efforts are being made in diversion programs to help at-risk youth and avoid the high costs of criminal processing.

Question 26

Why is juvenile crime treated differently in the U.S. than adult crime?

A) Violent crimes are very rarely committed by juvenile offenders and thus are not taken as seriously.
B) To acknowledge the culpability and responsibility of the adults in children's lives that should prevent juvenile crime.
C) Because youth are still cognitively developing and can learn valuable lessons from a more rehabilitative approach to punishment.
D) Because the rise in juvenile criminal issues is only a recent occurrence in US history (since the 1970s).

Question 27

What are victimless crimes?

A) Crimes that do not result in specific harm to anyone but the offenders
B) Any crime not involving violence
C) White-collar crimes
D) Recovered/reimbursed property crimes

Question 28

White-collar crime describes

A) crimes committed by people with college education or higher.
B) crimes committed for financial reasons as part of illegal business/professional activities.
C) crimes not committed by blue-collar people.
D) victimless crimes.

Question 29

Corporate crimes include

A) environmental pollution.
B) defrauding employee pensions.
C) price fixing.
D) all of the above.

Question 30

Common motives for cybercrime include all but which of the following?

A) Spying
B) Financial gain
C) Music and video piracy
D) Hacktivism

Question 31

What are hacktivists?

A) Government agents working undercover to bring down cybercriminals
B) Cyberattackers motivated by political, religious, and social objectives
C) Corporate criminals stealing from their own financial systems
D) Cyberattackers testing their hacking abilities while seeking status among their criminal peers

Question 32

One theoretical explanation for crime comes from Durkheim's work on anomie, which

A) derives from the division of labor and burnout of low-wage workers.
B) occurs when society applies a "get tough" approach to crime and citizens are not sure how to behave.
C) occurs when the norms that regulate people's conventional behavior no longer apply or are ineffective, leaving people with fear and uncertainty.
D) is the passing of laws that the greater public does not support as being criminal behaviors.

Question 33

Strain theory was originally developed by Robert Merton to describe the tendency for some people to commit crimes due to

A) living in high poverty areas where crimes are committed for survival.
B) class and race inequality.
C) environmental contexts that promote criminal behavior.
D) an inability to achieve the American Dream and achieve the goals set out by society.

Question 34

Each of the following is a strain response according to Robert Merton except

A) revenge.
B) innovation.
C) retreatism.
D) rebellionism.

Question 35

Which sociological theory tends to focus on social change, competition, and power which can play out in the way laws are created and upheld?

A) Conflict Theory
B) Structural Functionalism
C) Strain theory
D) Symbolic Interactionism

Question 36

Conflict theory recognizes the "social reality of crime" that those with power can manipulate what is and is not defined as criminal behavior. For example

A) many top-level corporate executives are in the same social networks as leaders of the criminal justice system in most US towns and jurisdictions.
B) people tend to become socialized into criminal behavior and commit illegal activities with peers.
C) caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull or Monster are heavily marketed to younger audiences-despite evidence that they are unhealthy-because the companies that sell them have great power and are able to market them as if they are safe.
D) the tobacco industry is heavily regulated because of the public health harm of tobacco products.

Question 37

Each of the following are tenets of Sutherland's differential association theory except

A) criminal behavior is learned through the process of interacting with others.
B) when criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes not only the techniques of committing the crime, but also a set of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes that justifies the action.
C) a person becomes delinquent because they associate with others who feel that criminal behavior is an acceptable course of action.
D) differential associations are consistent in frequency, duration, and intensity and tend to follow general patterns.

Question 38

It has been found that men tend to commit homicide as a way to solve problems or achieve some sort of objective, while women tend to kill in response to some type of emotional connection or abuse. This is an observation relevant to

A) conflict theory of crime.
B) functionalist theory of crime.
C) feminist theory of crime.
D) strain theory of crime.

Question 39

Each of the following are stages in labeling theory of crime except

A) status degradation ceremony.
B) reformation and redemption.
C) label as master status.
D) retrospective interpretation.

Question 40

Labeling theory is concerned with three inter-related ideas: the process by which laws are enacted and behaviors are condemned; the process by which a person acquires a label;

A) and the ways in which those labels further impact how laws are reinforced.
B) and the actions one takes to overcome these negative labels.
C) and the negative consequences that the person experiences as a result of this new stigma.
D) and the process by which a person redeems their image in the public eye.

Question 41

The criminal justice system is formally comprised of the following agencies except

A) elected government offices.
B) police.
C) courts.
D) correctional institutions.

Question 42

Broken windows theory asserts

A) by using "get tough" policies, any disorder is harshly punished such that people are fearful of breaking even minor laws.
B) people should be disciplined and know they are under surveillance in their neighborhoods by close policing so that even minor property damage is prevented.
C) by controlling minor disorder, more crime is prevented as people see their area is cared for and valued.
D) the more an area is patrolled by police, the more likely there is to be in disorder.

Question 43

Examples of disorder highlighted by the broken windows theory include

A) bright and closely spaced streetlights.
B) graffiti, trash, abandoned cars or buildings.
C) criminal gang activity.
D) proximity of liquor stores and pawn shops.

Question 44

Over 90% of criminal cases end with

A) guilty verdicts.
B) plea bargaining.
C) acquittal of defendants.
D) dropped charges.

Question 45

What are the 4 philosophies of punishment for judges in sentencing offenders?

A) Deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and just desserts
B) Morality, incapacitation, reformation, and just desserts
C) Deterrence, accountability, rehabilitation, and labeling
D) Reparations, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and public fear

Question 46

What is the "3 strikes and you're out" rule brought forward as part of the "get tough" on crime approach?

A) Where an offender can only utilize the services of up to three public defenders in a given trial before being forced to plea bargain.
B) Where a felon, upon his or her third conviction, would be sentenced to life in prison.
C) Where someone convicted of a misdemeanor, upon his or her third conviction, would be sentenced as a felon to serve time in prison.
D) Where a police officer who has been found responsible for three unlawful assaults during arrests would be fired without pay.

Question 47

Aside from having committed a minor crime or serving a short sentence, what other reason explains why many people held in local jails in the U.S.?

A) They are in contempt of court.
B) The court systems are back-logged significantly everywhere.
C) They are awaiting trial and cannot afford bail.
D) They were offered plea bargains but refused.

Question 48

What is the Perry Preschool Project?

A) Within-prison located preschools where incarcerated parents can participate in their children's' early education.
B) A crime prevention program targeted at children ages 3-4 to teach them about stranger danger, how to look out for criminal behavior, unsafe touching, and how to contact the police in an emergency.
C) Separate preschool facilities for children with incarcerated parents to receive Head Start educational programming as well as mental health counseling support related to their parent(s) being away.
D) Preschool interventions aimed at African American children ages 3-4 who are living in poverty and considered to be at high risk of school failure. The goal is to increase academic success, decrease teen pregnancy, reduce involvement in crime, and improve employment opportunities later in life.

Question 49

This is a concentrated police effort to address the physical and social disorder in a community using 3 approaches to reduce crime: an aggressive enforcement strategy, mentoring programs for youth, mental health and homelessness services for those who need them.

A) Hot Spot Policing
B) Weed and Seed
C) D.A.R.E.
D) Community Patrol

Question 50

Which of the following is a program that has been evaluated and considered by scholars as very effective in reducing certain types of crime-related challenges?

A) D.A.R.E.
B) Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program
C) Scared Straight
D) 'Get tough' policing and sentencing