Question 1

Left realists believe in waiting for a socialist revolution before implementing policies that reduce the suffering from crime caused by the capitalist system and its agencies of social control.

Accepted Answer

Left realists believe in implementing policies to reduce crime and suffering in the present, without waiting for a socialist revolution. They believe in working within the structures of the existing system to create change.

Question 2

Within criminology, a postmodernist view of crime not only includes challenges to legal definitions but also sees the total society, particularly its discourse, as a source of crime.

Accepted Answer

Postmodernist criminology challenges legal definitions of crime and also sees the larger society, particularly its language and discourse, as a source of criminal behavior.

Question 3

Postmodernists fundamentally disagree that there is such a thing as objective truth. Instead, all knowledge is subjective, shaped by personal, cultural, and political views.

Accepted Answer

Postmodernism asserts that objective truth is not attainable and all knowledge and interpretations are subjective and influenced by personal, cultural, and political factors.

Question 4

According to postmodernists, crimes involve people being disrespected.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to postmodernists, crimes involve people being...

Question 5

Constitutive criminologists argue that unequal power relations, built on the constructions of difference, provide the conditions that define crime as harm.

Accepted Answer

Constitutive criminologists believe that crime is not a fixed or objective concept, but rather a social construct shaped by power relations and cultural beliefs. They argue that certain behaviors and identities are criminalized because they challenge dominant norms and threaten the social order. This perspective suggests that crime is not simply a violation of law, but a form of harm that reflects and reinforces existing inequalities.

Question 6

According to constitutive criminologists, harms of reduction occur when people experience a limit, or restriction, preventing them from achieving a desired position or standing. These individuals could be prevented from achieving a career goal because of sexism or racism or end up meeting a promotional 'glass ceiling.'

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to constitutive criminologists, harms of reduction...

Question 7

According to constitutive criminologists, harms of repression occur when offended parties experience a loss of some quality relative to their present standing. For example, they could have property stolen from them, or they could have dignity stripped from them via hate crimes.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to constitutive criminologists, harms of repression...

Question 8

According to constitutive criminologists, victims suffer the pain of being denied their own humanity, the power to make a difference. The victim of crime is thus rendered a non-person, a non-human, or less complete being.

Accepted Answer

Constitutive criminologists argue that victims are often denied their own humanity and agency, which results in their becoming less complete beings. This denial can be seen as a form of symbolic violence, as the victim is denied the power to make a difference and is rendered a non-person or non-human.

Question 9

Edgework theorists invoke a nonmaterial explanation for deviant motivation as an end in itself, as a place of freedom from constructed limits and borders, in which humans experience their own humanity, enjoyed as one approaches 'the invitational edge' that most control systems prevent humans from approaching.

Accepted Answer

Edgework theorists do suggest that deviant behavior can be motivated by a desire for freedom from societal constraints and an experience of one's own humanity at the edge of danger or risk. They argue that many control systems prevent individuals from approaching this edge and experiencing such feelings, which may lead to deviant behavior as a means of achieving this goal.

Question 10

What cultural criminology captures through its qualitative engagement is the richness of the experience of crime and its control as a contested arena of symbolic representation.

Accepted Answer

Cultural criminology emphasizes the importance of qualitative research methods to understand the subjective experiences of crime and how they are framed by cultural symbols and representations. It sees crime and its control as a site of conflict and negotiation over meanings, values, and power relationships.

Question 11

Anarchism is a movement not merely to reform prisons but to get rid of them entirely and replace them with community controls and community treatment that attempt to deal with crime as an outcome of relationship issues.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Anarchism is a movement not merely to...

Question 12

Abolitionism involves the belief that hierarchical systems of authority and domination should be opposed. Structures of power, whatever their form, are based on inequality and hierarchy, which create conflict and destroy the freedom necessary for constructive cooperation.

Accepted Answer

Abolitionism specifically refers to the movement to end slavery and the slave trade, not to the opposition of all hierarchical systems of authority and domination.

Question 13

The term democracy refers to a genuine participation by all in decisions about our lives that is achievable only in a decentralized, nonhierarchical social structure.

Accepted Answer

Democracy involves equal and meaningful participation by all members of society, which is more likely to be achieved in a decentralized and nonhierarchical structure.

Question 14

Restorative justice is a victim-centered response to crime that allows the victim, the offender, their families, and representatives of the community to address the harm caused by the crime.

Accepted Answer

Restorative justice places the victim at the center of the process and aims to address the harm caused by the crime through dialogue, accountability, and amends-making between the victim, the offender, their families, and the community.

Question 15

Critical race theory is concerned with rebuilding relationships after an offense rather than driving a wedge between off enders and their communities, which is the hallmark of modern criminal justice systems.

Accepted Answer

Critical race theory primarily focuses on examining society and culture as they relate to categorizations of race, law, and power, rather than specifically addressing the rebuilding of relationships after an offense.

Question 16

Postmodern theorists believe that knowledge and truth are '___________.'

Accepted Answer

The answer of Postmodern theorists believe that knowledge and truth...

Question 17

According to ____________, one of the major sources of conflict and harm in societies results from people investing energy in 'discursive distinctions,' believing in their reality, defending them, and imposing them on others.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to ____________, one of the major...

Question 18

___________ criminologists argue that unequal power relations, built on the constructions of difference, provide the conditions that define crime as harm.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ___________ criminologists argue that unequal power relations,...

Question 19

_____________ denotes situations of voluntary risk taking where those involved match illicit and life-threatening risks with highly honed subcultural survival skills.

Accepted Answer

The answer of _____________ denotes situations of voluntary risk taking...

Question 20

What __________ criminology captures through its qualitative engagement is the richness of the experience of crime and its control as a contested arena of symbolic representation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What __________ criminology captures through its qualitative...

Quiz 12: New Directions in Critical Criminological Theory