Question 1

What does the adversarial system encourage offenders to do because of its focus on the protection of individual rights?

Accepted Answer

The adversarial system, by focusing on the protection of individual rights, often encourages offenders to deny or justify their actions as part of their defense strategy.

Question 2

What is the level of interaction between victim and offender in an adversarial system compared to their interaction in a restorative justice scenario?

Accepted Answer

In a restorative justice scenario, the level of interaction between the victim and the offender is more extensive, focusing on dialogue, reconciliation, and understanding the impact of the crime, as opposed to the adversarial system, which primarily focuses on determining guilt and administering punishment with limited direct interaction between victim and offender.

Question 3

What is a main principle of restorative justice?

Accepted Answer

Restorative justice focuses on repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior through material and symbolic reparation for victims and the community, rather than solely on punishing the offender.

Question 4

According to peacemaking criminology, how can the attempts of the state to punish crime be best described?

Accepted Answer

Peacemaking criminology views the state's attempts to punish crime as often perpetuating violence and conflict, rather than effectively discouraging crime. It suggests that these approaches can sometimes exacerbate the problem by not addressing the underlying causes of criminal behavior and failing to foster reconciliation or healing.

Question 5

Feminist social conflict theory argues that crime is caused by intergroup rivalry, and that such rivalries exist in every society.

Accepted Answer

Feminist social conflict theory focuses on the ways in which gender inequality influences crime and argues that societal structures and power imbalances based on gender contribute to criminal behavior, rather than intergroup rivalry being the primary cause.

Question 6

Marxism is a branch of social disorganization theory.

Accepted Answer

Marxism is a socio-economic theory that focuses on class struggle and the dynamics of capitalist societies, whereas social disorganization theory is a criminological theory that examines how environmental and social conditions influence crime rates.

Question 7

According to Marxism the term "productive forces" refers to the workers in a business.

Accepted Answer

In Marxism, "productive forces" refer to the means of production, including tools, machinery, and technology, as well as human labor power, not just the workers themselves.

Question 8

Marx believed that the relationship between a master and a slave was similar to the relationship between a capitalist and a proletarian.

Accepted Answer

Marx argued that the capitalist (bourgeoisie) exploits the proletarian (working class) in a manner analogous to the exploitation in a master-slave relationship, where the capitalist owns the means of production and the proletarian sells their labor for wages.

Question 9

Marx believed that changes to society could only come through slow and deliberate processes.

Accepted Answer

Marx believed in revolutionary change as a means to overthrow capitalist societies and establish a communist system, not merely slow and deliberate processes.

Question 10

According to Quinney, criminal definitions describe behaviours that conflict with the interests of those in power.

Accepted Answer

Richard Quinney's theory of crime suggests that criminal definitions are constructed by those in power to protect and further their own interests, indicating that behaviors defined as criminal are those that conflict with the interests of the powerful.

Question 11

The propositions of the social reality of crime emerge from analysis of the interrelationships between power, society, and criminality.

Accepted Answer

The propositions of the social reality of crime suggest that what is considered criminal is determined by the power dynamics within a society, highlighting how laws and norms are shaped by those in positions of authority and how these laws reflect broader social relationships and structures.

Question 12

According to Quinney, criminal definitions and concepts rarely if ever change, even if society does.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Quinney, criminal definitions and concepts...

Question 13

Turk believed that differences in cultural norms helped explain the conflict between authorities and those who were controlled by the authorities.

Accepted Answer

Richard Turk's conflict theory suggests that societal conflicts often arise when dominant groups enforce their norms and values on others, leading to clashes between those in power (authorities) and those subject to their control.

Question 14

The term "dangerous classes" refers solely to the ethnic identity of individuals as viewed by the judicial system.

Accepted Answer

The term "dangerous classes" refers not solely to ethnic identity but broadly to groups considered a threat to social order by the upper classes or authorities, often based on class, social status, or behavior rather than ethnicity alone.

Question 15

Marxist criminologists believe in the development of formal, value-free criminological theories to support their work.

Accepted Answer

Marxist criminologists typically argue that economic and social inequalities are the root causes of crime and thus their theories are not value-free but are instead deeply embedded in social and economic critiques.

Question 16

Marxist criminologists would argue that the best way to reduce muggings is to increase the number of police officers conducting foot patrols.

Accepted Answer

Marxist criminologists typically argue that crime is a result of social and economic inequalities, and therefore, the best way to reduce crime is by addressing these root causes rather than increasing police presence.

Question 17

Instrumental Marxism believes that sometimes the system may in fact serve to protect the interests of the working class.

Accepted Answer

Instrumental Marxism argues that the state and other institutions can sometimes be used by the working class to advance their interests.

Question 18

One of the major critiques of instrumental Marxism is that it believes that what benefits one member of the ruling class benefits all members of the ruling class, and this isn't always the case when we exam legislation and policy.

Accepted Answer

Instrumental Marxism has been criticized for oversimplifying the interests of the ruling class, suggesting a monolithic perspective where the benefits for one are seen as benefits for all, which does not always hold true in the complexity of legislative and policy impacts.

Question 19

Structural Marxism always believes that the law and capitalism work against poor people

Accepted Answer

Structural Marxism focuses on how social structures, including laws, maintain the capitalist system, but it does not claim that they always work against poor people. It analyzes the role of these structures in perpetuating class relations.

Question 20

Left realism does not believe that crime is the result of problems with capitalism.

Accepted Answer

Left realism acknowledges that crime can be a result of social inequalities and problems inherent in capitalist societies, focusing on the practical ways to reduce crime by addressing these issues.

Quiz 9: Social Conflict Theory