Criminology Midterm exam

Felonies usually result in jail time whereas misdemeanors result in prison time. A. True B. False

B. False Felonies usually result in prison time whereas misdemeanors result in jail time.

In order to observe people, researchers must always have consent. A. True B. False

B. False In order to observe people researchers must always have consent unless they are observing a public place.

Potential harm caused by criminological research has only to do with physical injury. A. True B. False

B. False Potential harm caused by criminological research has to do with a number of negative consequences including physical injury, legal repercussions, personal consequences, and psychological harms.

The vast majority of rape victims do not know their assailants. A. True B. False

B. False The vast majority of rape victims know their assailants.

Which of the following is the most common form of robbery? A. burglary B. mugging C. bank robbery D. carjacking

B. mugging

public order crimes

acts that threaten the general well-being of society and challenge accepted moral principles

Descriptive research

seeks to describe the extent and characteristics of crime. It answers the "How much?" question: How many murders happened last year? What percentage of white-collar workers steal from their workplaces?

Entrepreneurial crime

shares the elements of risk-taking and profit-making, but it relies on illegal methods for generating financial proceeds.

Mass incarceration refers-

to the fact that United States has the highest imprisonment rate in the world, following a prison boom that began in the late 1970s and accelerated over the next 30 years,

Harm Principle

"The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."

In explaining any person's criminal behavior or any large-scale crime pattern, criminologists invoke three factors:

(1) motivation to commit crime, (2) controls that prevent crime, and (3) situational opportunities for committing crime

the UCR provided data on only seven criminal offenses, including four violent crimes and three violent crimes.

(Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, aggravated assault, forcible rape, and robbery) property crimes (burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). An additional property offense, arson, was added in 1979. - Revisions in the 1980s added 21 offense categories for which arrest data were provided: simple assault, curfew offenses and loitering, embezzlement, forgery and counterfeiting, disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, drug offenses, fraud, gambling, liquor offenses, offenses against the family, prostitution, public drunkenness, runaways, sex offenses, stolen property, vandalism, vagrancy, and weapons offenses. These were Part II offenses.

Criminal law can be sorted into two types: (1) substantive law and (2) procedural law.

- Substantive law pertains to the "substance" of law—it is about what is criminal and what punishments are associated with given offenses - Procedural law is about the "procedures" or processes that occur in a criminal case. right of an attorney

homicide

the killing of one person by another

Modern Criminology is

A branch of sociology

felonies

A serious criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence of more than one year

Which scenario would be considered a mugging? A. An elderly woman coming out of restaurant is shoved by an assailant who absconds with her purse. B. While stopped at a red light, a car owner is confronted by an armed individual who takes their car. C. A young women is sexually assaulted in the middle of the night and the individual takes her jewelry. D. An individual breaks into a home while brandishing a gun and demands the occupants give him money.

A. An elderly woman coming out of restaurant is shoved by an assailant who absconds with her purse.

refers to the occurrence or frequency of criminal events. A. Incidence B. Level of analysis C. Prevalence D. Clearance

A. Incidence

Before conducting research, researchers must gain approval from which of the following? A. Institutional Review Board B. American Society of Criminology C. Policy Research Board D. Federal Bureau of Investigation

A. Institutional Review Board

Criminologists examine multiple variables when engaging in descriptive research. A. True B. False

B. False Criminologists examine a single variable when engaging in descriptive research.

Why do many victims not report their rape to law enforcement? A. They are worried about the stigma upon disclosing the victimization. B. If they knew their attacker most states do not define it as rape. C. Most victims are male, and they do not want to report these attacks. D. They do not want their attackers subject to the harsh punishments for rape.

A. They are worried about the stigma upon disclosing the victimization.

Self-reported data refers to crime statistics that are collected through personal disclosures. A. True B. False

A. True

Nonspuriousness

An association between a predictor and an outcome is spurious—and, therefore, not causal—if it is being driven by a third variable.

Because burglaries are property crimes, there is never violence involved. A. True B. False

B. False Even though burglaries are typically aimed at property sometimes there is violence involved.

Which response would be considered a harm reduction strategy? A. Social service agencies only allow low level drug users into their drug treatment programs. B. A local city provides clean needles and methadone replacement therapies. C. State legislatures increase the criminalization of drug possession. D. The State of Virginia imposes harsh sentencing for recreational drug use.

B. A local city provides clean needles and methadone replacement therapies.

All societies have the same definition of crime. A. True B. False

B. False

A crime rate is calculated by taking the population and dividing it by the number of crimes. A. True B. False

B. False A crime rate is calculated by taking the number of crimes and dividing it by the population.

Which of the following illustrates a crime being cleared by "exceptional means"? A. A suspect is arrested and charged for attempted murder after being identified by the victim. B. DNA evidence is used to clear a rape case. C. Evidence allowed arrest and prosecution even though the victim refused to cooperate. D. Physical evidence is linked to an assault case.

C. Evidence allowed arrest and prosecution even though the victim refused to cooperate.

Why do critics argue for decriminalizing some public-order crimes like vagrancy and prostitution? A. These behaviors are relatively rare. B. White-collar crimes should be the focus of legislation because it is much costlier. C. They criminalize the survival centered actions of marginalized groups. D. These crimes cause no harm to victims or perpetrators.

C. They criminalize the survival centered actions of marginalized groups.

Which of the following might be a penalty for a misdemeanor? A. 10 years in prison B. death penalty C. community service D. life sentence

C. community service

Counting only the most serious crime on the Uniform Crime Report is known as the ______. A. dark figure of crime B. crime rate C. hierarchy rule D. key variable

C. hierarchy rule

Statistics from which type of crime show that women outnumber men in arrests? A. drug sales B. obscenity C. prostitution D. sex trafficking

C. prostitution

Which field is a subset of criminology? A. psychology B. legal studies C. victimology D. evolutionary biology

C. victimology

Which of the following is an example of policy research? A. Criminologists explain the motives of white-collar crime. B. Researchers describe the percentage of male vs. female offenders. C. The UCR presents official statistics about crimes committed. D. Researchers examine use of force policies used by law enforcement.

D. Researchers examine use of force policies used by law enforcement.

Which crime would be measured in the NCVS? A. corporate crime B. prostitution C. murder D. rape

D. rape

Nonprofessional "pilferers" who act impulsively are known as which of the following? A. boosters B. fraudsters C. fences D. snitches

D. snitches

Émile Durkheim

Father of sociology is famous for two major contributions to criminology: (1) his concept of anomie, (2) his ideas about crime having important functions for society. best known for structural functionalism presented Harms principle

Temporal orderterm-40

For a correlate to be a cause, it must also precede the outcome in time. Temporal order is about the time ordering of the predictors and the outcome

Drug use and crime are linked, in that different drug effects can lead to different behaviors. Match the type of effect a drug can have to the behavior it can encourage.

Inducing violence is a psychopharmacological effect. Motivating users to employ illegal means of obtaining money is an economic compulsive effect. Drug traffickers and distributors relying on violent strategies to maintain market control is a systemic effect.

Edwin Sutherland: stated 3 domains of criminology study-

Law making. Law breaking. reaction to law breaking.

The consensus perspective assumes that...

Laws reflect general agreement (or consensus) in society about what is and is not acceptable behavior.

infraction

Minor violation of a rule or law, called violations or petty offenses. Many infractions are violations of ordinances, municipal codes, or administrative regulations rather than criminal codes.

Match the example of unobtrusive research methods with the term.

Physical trace analysis would be publicly discarded drug use paraphernalia. Analysis of available data would be emergency room data on treatment of drug overdoses. Content analysis is analyzing crime news articles. Covert observation is observations in a public shopping mall.

What agency is tasked with compiling crime data submitted by law enforcement agencies through the UCR program?

The FBI

dark figure of crime.

The crime that happens without ever becoming known to officials

Falsifiability

Theories must be testable using data. Good theories can be falsified (or disconfirmed), whereas bad theories cannot be falsified no matter how much data one analyzes. Falsifiability requires that concepts in the theory are observable and measurable.

Logical consistency

Theories should pass the logic test given what we know to be true about crime patterns. Also, the claims of the theory must not be contradictory or built on incompatible assumptions about human nature or the origins of law.

parsimony

Theories that are concise and simple (or "elegant") are preferable to complex theories, all else being equal. When it comes to concepts and propositions of theories, smaller is better.

Empirical validity

Theories that are supported by evidence across multiple examinations are better than theories that receive partial, mixed, or no support.

Scope

Theories with broader scope can explain more kinds of crime, such as property crime and violent crime or crime by juveniles and adults. When it comes to scope, bigger is better.

Statistical association

To be a cause of crime, a factor must first be a correlate of crime. A correlate is a predictor, called a variable, that is statistically associated with an outcome, such as criminal conduct, incarceration, community crime rates, or risk of victimization.

The two types of categories of criminal offenses are misdemeanors and felonies.

True

he study of groups of people in their natural setting is known as ethnography. True False

True

Criminology

scientific study of crimes and criminals

applied research

scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Class 2 Misdemeanor

a (low-level offense typically resulting in fines or probation, if enforced),

The most important source of victimization data in the U.S. is the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

a nationally representative, household-based survey that collects data on household and personal victimization of people age 12 and older.

Survey research relies on which of the following?

a representative sample

Expressive crimes,

allow the offender to let out, or express, negative feelings like anger or frustration, often spontaneously. They are emotionally driven acts, such as an assault or property damage prompted by an insult or perceived slight. Expressive crimes yield phenomenological rewards.

Criminal Law

an individual has committed an offense against the state or federal government.

Explanatory research

answers the "Why?" question: Why were there more murders in 2020 than 2019? Why do white-collar workers with high incomes commit money-generating crimes? Does age at release from prison predict whether a sex offender will re-offend?

Jails

are short-term holding facilities, usually operated by a city or county, that house individuals who have been arrested, are awaiting case disposition (trial or plea agreement) or sentencing or are completing a short sentence for a misdemeanor or low-level felony.

Having a parent who is incarcerated is a ______ of youth incarceration.

correlate

Which of the following is an exception to the safeguards against participants being deceived?

covert observation

Mala in se

crimes are considered morally wrong irrespective of whether they are prohibited by law.

mala prohibita

crimes, are regarded as wrong simply because they are against the law, not because they are inherently immoral, or a violation of mores.

survey that collects data at one point in time is known as ______ research.

cross-sectional

longitudinal

describes research that measures a trait in a particular group of subjects over a long period of time

Arson

he intentional and wrongful burning of someone else's property ( as to destroy a building) or one's own property (as to fraudulently collect insurance)."

Civil law

in contrast, deals with disputes between parties.

Unobtrusive research

includes physical trace analysis, analysis of available (or archival) data, content analysis, and covert observation, none of which intrude into the lives of others.

clearance rate

indicates the proportion of known offenses that were cleared by either arrest or exceptional means. One person's arrest can clear multiple offenses, and several arrests are necessary for clearing crimes with more than one offender.

prisons

institutions designed to house convicted, adult felons, serving a sentence of one year or more

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

is a clearinghouse for detailed crime data reported by local, state, tribal, and federal police agencies. It avoids the three major shortcomings of its predecessor: (1) a limited number of offenses included, (2) the hierarchy rule, and (3) reliance on aggregate counts that fail to supply offense details.

Larceny

is the unlawful appropriation of personal property belonging to an individual or business with the intention of permanently depriving them of it.

The conflict perspective assumes that

law reflects the interests of those who are most powerful in society

Misdemeanors

less serious crimes usually punishable by a sentence in a local jail

four main tasks of quantitative criminology:

measurement ("How much crime?"), causality ("What causes crime?"), generalization ("Can findings apply elsewhere?"), and replication ("Can the research be repeated to yield similar findings?").

Qualitative research, in contrast, uses

nonnumerical data, such as statements from people who are interviewed individually or in focus groups, descriptions of observations made by researchers (called field notes), or textual content from existing sources (e.g., Twitter posts, news articles, or offender manifestos).

The term beneficence has to do with which of the following?

not causing harm

Serial murder

occurs when an offender kills multiple victims over three or more incidents with a cooling off period between each act. Mays clearly fits the bill. Researchers identify four primary types of serial murderers, including visionary, mission-oriented, hedonistic, and power and control-oriented murderers.

Mass murder

occurs when an offender kills several victims—typically defined as four or more—in a single incident or during a brief crime spree. A related term, active shooter, refers to a particular form of mass murder during which an offender, armed with one or more guns, kills or attempts to kill large numbers of people indiscriminately in a public space.

Burglary

occurs when someone enters a structure without permission in order to commit certain forms of crime, such as theft, assault, rape, or arson. Burglary, a property crime, is characterized by unlawful entry. Structures subject to burglary include houses, apartments, barns and stables, house trailers, offices, stores, vessels (i.e., ships), and other dwellings that have a physical construction.

basic research

pure research that aims to confirm an existing theory or to learn more about a concept or phenomenon

Which type of research seeks to generalize based on a representative sample?

quantitative

big data

referring to enormous data sets too complex for traditional data analysis software. Think of big data as any large data set containing information from networked devices or any Internet activity.

unobtrusive research

research technique in which the researcher, without direct contact with the subjects, examines the evidence of social behavior that people create or leave behind

Ethnography

s "the study of groups of people in their natural setting, typically involving the researcher being present for extended periods of time in order to collect data systematically about their daily activities and the meanings they attach to them."

Robbery

s a violent crime. It is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear."43 The element of force or threatening force characterizes this form of theft as a violent, direct-contact offense rather than a property crime.

Criminology is a

social science

Etiology

study of causes

sociology

study of the evolution, development, and functioning of human society

Mens Rea

the intention or knowledge of wrongdoing that constitutes part of a crime, as opposed to the action or conduct of the accused.

Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program

the longest running source of official crime data in the U.S. It was created in 1929 with data collection beginning the next year, following efforts by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to design a standardized (or uniform) system for reporting and tracking crime statistics.

relativism

the notion that the deviance or moral wrongfulness of an act is dependent upon—or relative to—the cultural and historical context in which it occurs. example decades ago, driving with no seatbelts were acceptable.

Violent crime is a direct-contact crime, which means that...

the perpetrator and the victim come together in the same place and time at the moment of the offense (compare this to a crime like motor vehicle theft, during which the victim and offender are unlikely to interact).

level of analysis

the scale or size of our research focus, determines what we see through the lens. example: "Does moving to a low-poverty neighborhood reduce the risk of arrest for adolescents?" or "Does ADHD increase criminal activity in young adulthood?"

In ______, researchers rely on several data sources or research methods to gain a more complete and accurate understanding of their subject.

triangulation

manslaughter

unlawfully killing another without planning in advance. "the heat of passion)

Absolutism

which posits that some behaviors are objectively, inherently wrong regardless of public sentiment or response.