Question 1

The consensus view of crime believes that criminal law is structured to reflect the preferences and opinions of people who hold social power.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 2

The crime rate in the United States has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years.

Accepted Answer

Crime rates in the United States have fluctuated over the past 20 years, with periods of increase and decrease, but the overall trend has not been a steady increase. Data from the FBI and other sources show that crime rates, especially violent crime rates, have generally decreased since the 1990s, with some upticks in certain years or categories of crime.

Question 3

While there are differences in how crime data portrays information, the crime patterns and trends the data shows are often similar.

Accepted Answer

Despite differences in data collection and reporting methods, crime data from various sources tend to reveal similar patterns and trends, such as increases or decreases in certain types of crimes over time. This consistency helps in understanding and addressing crime issues effectively.

Question 4

Young people face a much higher rate of victimization than older people, especially before the age of 25.

Accepted Answer

Young people, particularly those under the age of 25, are statistically more likely to be victims of certain crimes, including violent crimes, compared to older adults. This is often attributed to factors such as lifestyle, social behaviors, and environments frequented by younger individuals.

Question 5

Deteriorating neighborhoods attract law violators; this phenomenon is known as the relative deprivation hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

The phenomenon described is better known as the "broken windows theory," which suggests that visible signs of disorder and neglect in a neighborhood encourage further crime and antisocial behavior. The relative deprivation hypothesis, on the other hand, refers to the discontent people feel when they compare their positions to those more fortunate, potentially leading to criminal behavior, but it does not specifically relate to the condition of neighborhoods attracting law violators.

Question 6

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) have conflicting views on whether the number of violent victimizations in 2015 increased compared to 2014.

Accepted Answer

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) often provide differing data on crime trends due to their different methodologies. The UCR, based on police reports, and the NCVS, based on victim surveys, can show different trends for the same time period, including discrepancies in whether violent victimizations increased or decreased from one year to the next.

Question 7

Someone's likelihood to be victimized is not affected by whether or not they are married.

Accepted Answer

Marital status can influence someone's likelihood of being victimized, as various studies have shown that single, divorced, or separated individuals often face higher risks of certain types of victimization compared to their married counterparts. This can be due to factors such as living arrangements, social support networks, and lifestyle differences.

Question 8

Arrest and punishment is the most effective way to deter chronic offenders from committing further crimes.

Accepted Answer

Research and criminological theories suggest that factors such as rehabilitation, education, and social support are more effective in reducing recidivism among chronic offenders than solely relying on arrest and punishment.

Question 9

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) provides information on the personal characteristics of offenders, such as attitudes, values, and beliefs, that is not available from any other sources.

Accepted Answer

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) primarily collects data on reported crimes, including the nature and types of crimes, but does not delve into the personal characteristics, attitudes, values, or beliefs of offenders.

Question 10

Teenage gang members are responsible for a large proportion of all violent offenses committed during the adolescent years.

Accepted Answer

Research and crime statistics often show that teenage gang members contribute significantly to the overall number of violent offenses during adolescence, including activities such as assaults, robberies, and homicides. Gang involvement typically increases the likelihood of engaging in violent behavior.

Question 11

Short-term economic conditions usually do not affect criminals who are typically unemployed or underemployed.

Accepted Answer

Short-term economic conditions, such as recessions or booms, typically do not have a significant impact on criminals who are already unemployed or underemployed.

Question 12

Crime rates are highest in the winter months when criminals can prey on victims with few other witnesses around to catch them.

Accepted Answer

Crime rates actually tend to increase during the summer months, not winter, due to factors such as warmer weather, longer daylight hours, and increased outdoor activities that present more opportunities for criminals.

Question 13

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) requires local police agencies to provide a brief account of each incident and arrest, including the incident, victim, and offender information.

Accepted Answer

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and does not require local police agencies to report incidents. Instead, it is a self-report survey collecting information on nonfatal personal crimes and household property crimes from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households.

Question 14

Research shows that immigrants are much more crime prone than the general population, so that as the number of immigrants increases, per capita crime rates increase dramatically.

Accepted Answer

Research generally does not support the claim that immigrants are more crime-prone than the native-born population. In fact, multiple studies have found that increases in immigration are associated with decreases in crime rates or have no significant effect on crime.

Question 15

Cultural deviance theory purports that subcultural values are handed down from one generation to the next and the young people who reject this subculture and its values are more likely to join gangs and violate the law.

Accepted Answer

Cultural deviance theory suggests that subcultural values, often divergent from those of the dominant culture, are passed down from generation to generation, and it is the adherence to these values, rather than their rejection, that is more likely to lead to gang involvement and law violation.

Question 16

Chronic offenders are serious and persistent offenders who are responsible for a small portion of a serious criminal behavior.

Accepted Answer

Chronic offenders are responsible for a large portion of serious criminal behavior, not a small portion.

Question 17

One reason anticrime advocates are against gun ownership is that offenders of any crime are more likely to possess a gun than nonoffenders.

Accepted Answer

The answer of One reason anticrime advocates are against gun...

Question 18

The availability of legalized abortion is one factor that could play a role in declining crime rates.

Accepted Answer

Studies, such as the one presented in the book "Freakonomics" by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, suggest that legalized abortion can lead to declining crime rates. The theory posits that access to abortion leads to fewer unwanted births, and as a result, fewer children might grow up in conditions that could predispose them to criminal activity.

Question 19

Self-report studies target the "dark figure of crime" that would not be reflected in official statistics.

Accepted Answer

Self-report studies aim to uncover unreported or undetected crimes by asking individuals to disclose their own involvement in criminal activities, thus targeting the "dark figure of crime" that is not captured in official statistics.

Question 20

Larceny is the most common offense for which elderly females are arrested.

Accepted Answer

Larceny, which includes theft and shoplifting, is statistically one of the most common offenses for which elderly females are arrested, as they are less likely to commit violent crimes.

Quiz 2: The Nature of Crime and Victimization