Unit 2 Exam

Question 1

….argues that people consider the consequences prior to the commission of their behaviors, holds that the decision to violate the law comes after a careful weighing of the benefits, and assumes that people have “free will” to choose their behavior

Answer 1

Rational choice/choice theory

Question 2

Delinquent motives include:

Answer 2

Economic need/opportunity
Problem solving
False expectations
Opportunity

Question 3

The routine activities theory was developed by:

Answer 3

Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson

Question 4

Routine activities theory

Answer 4

The view that crime is a normal function of the routine activities of modern living

Question 5

Violent (predatory) crimes against persons and crimes in which an offender attempts to steal an object from its holder are influenced by three variables:

Answer 5

The availability of suitable targets
The absence of capable guardians
The presence of motivated offenders

Question 6

General deterrence

Answer 6

Crime control policies that depend on the fear of criminal penalties, i.e., long prison sentences for violent crieme

Question 7

A guiding principle of deterrence is based on:

Answer 7

The severity of the punishment
The certainty of the punishment
The swiftness of the punishment

Question 8

There is evidence that adolescents who perceive they will be arrested and punished for a crime will often…delinquent acts

Answer 8

forego

Question 9

Specific deterrence

Answer 9

If young offenders are punished severely, they will not repeat their illegal acts, idea is that punishment is severe enough to convince them not to repeat their criminal activity

Question 10

However, in some cases, experiencing punishment may actually…the likelihood of reoffending

Answer 10

increase

Question 11

Problems with a strict deterrence strategy:

Answer 11

Minors are not “rational”
Experienced offenders do not fear the legal consequences
High-risk offenders may not fear getting arrested
Many juveniles are under influence of drugs/alcohol
Juveniles often commit crimes in groups –“co-offending”
Most serious delinquents are not able to comprehend consequences
Punishment may produce defiance, rather than deterrence

Question 12

Situational crime prevention

Answer 12

To reduce delinquency, crime control must recognize the characteristics of sites and situations that are at risk to crime

Question 13

In situational crime prevention, we must ensure

Answer 13

Potential offenders are carefully guarded
The means to commit crime are controlled
Potential offenders are carefully monitored

Question 14

Criminal atavism

Answer 14

Idea that delinquents manifest physical anomalies that make them biologically and psychologically similar to our primitive ancestors

Question 15

The school of thought is generally believed to have originated with the Italian physician

Answer 15

Cesar Lombroso (1835-1909), father of criminology

Question 16

…argue that a combination of personal traits and environmental factors lead to behavior patterns

Answer 16

trait theories

Question 17

Biosocial theory

Answer 17

Focuses on the association between biological makeup, environmental conditions, and antisocial behaviors

Question 18

Three areas of biosocial theories:

Answer 18

Biochemical factors
Neurological function
Genetic history

Question 19

Neurological dysfunction, such as minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) is associated with

Answer 19

antisocial behavior

Question 20

Arousal theory:

Answer 20

“Thrill” and “sensation seekers”

Question 21

Three prominent psychological perspectives:

Answer 21

Psychodynamic theory Behavioral theoryCognitive theory

Question 22

Psychodynamic theory

Answer 22

Branch of psychology that holds that the human personality is controlled by unconscious mental processes

Question 23

The…theory suggests that an imbalance in personality traits, caused by early childhood, can result in long-term psychological difficulties

Answer 23

psychodynamic

Question 24

Personality consists of three major components:

Answer 24

Id
Ego
Superego

Question 25

Behavioral theory

Answer 25

Argument that personality is learned throughout life during interactions with others

Question 26

...concerns the study of observable behavior, rather than unconscious processes; focuses on particular stimuli and responses to them

Answer 26

Behaviorism

Question 27

Cognitive theory

Answer 27

Studies the perception of reality and the mental processes required to understand the world we live in

Question 28

Personality

Answer 28

The stable patterns of behavior, including thoughts and emotions, that distinguish one person from the other

Question 29

Hans Eysenck’s two traits associate with antisocial behavior:

Answer 29

Extraversion, neuroticism

Question 30

Extraversion

Answer 30

Impulsive individuals who lack the ability to examine their own motives

Question 31

Neuroticism

Answer 31

Individuals who are anxious and emotionally unstable

Question 32

Psychopathic personality

Answer 32

Also known as sociopathic or antisocial personality A person lacking in warmth, exhibiting inappropriate behavior responses, and unable to learn from experience Defined by persistent violations of social norms

Question 33

Nature theory:

Answer 33

Intelligence is inherited and is a function of genetic makeup

Question 34

Nurture theory:

Answer 34

Intelligence is determined by environmental stimulation and socialization

Question 35

Delinquency prevention efforts should be directed at...

Answer 35

strengthening a youth’s home life and relationships

Question 36

Psychological theories

Answer 36

Psychodynamic theory, behavioral theory, and cognitive theory

Question 37

Example of choice theory

Answer 37

routine activities

Question 38

Example of biological theory

Answer 38

biosocial

Question 39

What are the social factors believed to cause or affect delinquent behaviors?

Answer 39

Interpersonal interactions, social conditions, poverty, racial disparity

Question 40

Three main sociological theoretical groups:

Answer 40

Social structure theories Social process theories Critical theories

Question 41

...coined the phrase “culture of poverty”

Answer 41

Oscar Louis (1966)

Question 42

culture of poverty

Answer 42

The view that lower class people form a separate culture with their own values and norms

Question 43

“Underclass”

Answer 43

Group of urban poor whose members have little chance of upward mobility or improvement

Question 44

“truly disadvantaged”

Answer 44

William Wilson, The impoverished are deprived of a standard of living enjoyed by the other citizens People who are left out of the economic mainstream and living in the deteriorated inner-city

Question 45

Social structure theories tie delinquency rates to:

Answer 45

socioeconomic conditions and cultural values

Question 46

Cultural transmission (social disorganization)

Answer 46

The process of passing on deviant traditions and delinquent values from one generation to the next

Question 47

Transitional neighborhoods (social disorganization)

Answer 47

Teenage gangs develop in areas undergoing decay

Question 48

Social control (social disorganization)

Answer 48

The ability of an organized community to regulate itself via formal/informal social control

Question 49

Relative deprivation (social disorganization)

Answer 49

Exists when people of wealth and poverty live in close proximity to one another

Question 50

Collective efficacy

Answer 50

Process in which mutual trust and a willingness to intervene in the supervision of children and help maintain public order create a sense of well-being

Question 51

Poverty concentration

Answer 51

Poverty becomes concentrated to specific area(s) as people flee

Question 52

Strain

Answer 52

A condition caused by the failure to achieve one’s social goals

Question 53

Anomie (Robert Merton (1910-2003))

Answer 53

Without acceptable means for obtaining success, individuals feel social and psychological strain Consequently, these youths may use deviant methods to achieve their goals or reject socially accepted goals and substitute deviant ones

Question 54

General strain theory

Answer 54

Robert Agnew (general strain: Links delinquency to the strain of being locked out of the economic mainstream, which leads to anger and frustration)

Question 55

Sources of strain

Answer 55

Failure to achieve positively valued goals Removal of positively valued stimuli Presentation of negative stimuli

Question 56

Cultural deviance theory

Answer 56

Links delinquency to the formation of independent subcultures with a unique set of values that clash with the mainstream culture

Question 57

Socialization

Answer 57

the process of learning the values and norms of the society or subculture to which the individual belongs

Question 58

Major influences on a child’s socialization:

Answer 58

Family relations, school, and peers

Question 59

Sociologists argue that the root cause of delinquency may be traced to...from peers, experiencing conflict in the home, etc.

Answer 59

learning delinquent attitudes

Question 60

Differential association theory (Edwin Sutherland):

Answer 60

Children are socialized, exposed to, and learn pro-social and antisocial attitudes and behaviors from peers, parents, and so on

Question 61

Social learning theory/social control

Answer 61

Posits that delinquency results from a weakened commitment to the major social institutions

Question 62

The social bond and delinquency (Travis Hirschi):

Answer 62

``` Four main elements Attachment Commitment Belief Involvement ```

Question 63

Social reaction/Labeling theories

Answer 63

Delinquency is caused by “stigma” applied by agents of social control, including official and unofficial institutions

Question 64

Labeling theory

Answer 64

Society creates deviance through a system of social control agencies that designate certain individuals as delinquent, thereby stigmatizing them and encourage them to accept this negative personal identity

Question 65

Self-fulfilling prophecy (labeling theory)

Answer 65

The process by which a person who has been negatively labeled accepts the label as a personal role or identity

Question 66

Critical theory

Answer 66

Society is in a constant state of internal conflict, Those in power use the justice system to maintain their status while keeping others subservient The poor may or may not commit more crimes than the rich, but they are certainly arrested more often

Question 67

Critical theory view delinquent behavior as

Answer 67

a function of the capitalist system’s inherent inequity

Question 68

Reducing, eliminating, preventing delinquency

Answer 68

Strengthen the socialization process Prevention programs have also been aimed at strengthening families in crisis Reduce stigma and labeling

Question 69

Critical theories

Answer 69

relies on non-punitive strategies for delinquency control

Question 70

anomie (def)

Answer 70

Normlessness produced by rapidly shifting moral values; according to Merton, anomie occurs when personal goals cannot be achieved using available means.