Intro to Criminal Justice: Ch. 2, study guide

In most American jurisdictions, the upper age limit for juvenile delinquency is ________, and the lower limit is usually __________.

18;7

Survey results discussed in your text suggest that there is a great fear of being __________ than there is of being _____________.

A crime victim in general; the victim of a specific crime

The term __________ refers to criminal conduct---specifically, intentional, or criminally negligent action or inaction that causes harm.

Actus reus

A study by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) determined which crimes have the highest annual victim costs. There of the following crimes have the high annual victim costs. Which one does NOT belong?

Arson

Any record of crimes---such as offenses known to the police, arrests, convictions, or commitments to prison---can be considered a __________, or an estimate of crimes committed.

Crime index

A(n)_______ is expressed as the number of crimes per unit of population or some other base.

Crime rate

Most people in American society have never committed a crime

False

In general, norms do no change from time to time or from place to place.

False, norms DO change

The major advantage of a social definition of crime, at least on the surface, is that it is narrower and less ambiguous than a legal definition of crime.

False, the major DIS-ADVANTAGE

For many crime victims, ______ is/are the most burdensome and lasting consequence of their victimization.

Fear

People are generally considered either not responsible or less responsible for their crimes if they are:

Forced to commit a criminal act, coerced to commit a criminal act, and/or entrapped

Which of following crimes is NOT a uniform crime report Part 1 offense?

Fraud

A typical __________ definition of crime is "an intentional violation of the criminal law or penal code, committed without defense or excuse and penalized by the state."

Legal

What is the Latin term for crimes that are "wrong in themselves"; crimes characterized by universality and timelessness?

Mala in se

One problem with finding an appropriate definition of crime is that:

Many dangerous and harmful behaviors are not defined as crimes, while many less dangerous and less harmful behaviors are.

Which of the following is a reason why victims fail to report crimes?

May consider the crime insignificant and not worth reporting, may hope to avoid embarrassing the offender, may be intimidated by or afraid of the offender

Most legal excuses for criminal responsibility are based on the belief that certain offenders lack the capacity or competence or have diminished capacity or competence to form:

Mens rea

A(n) ____________ is any standard or rule regarding what human beings should or should not think, say, or do under any circumstances.

Norm

A typical ___________ definition of crime is "behavior that violates the norms of society"

Social

A(n) _______ is an act that is illegal for a juvenile but would not be a crime if committed by an adult, such as truancy or running away from crime.

Status offense

Crimes that are NOT officially recorded by the police are called:

The dark figure of crime

The National Crime Victimization survey was formally called:

The national crime survey

Any index of crime varies with changes in police practices, court policies, and public opinion.

True

Clearance rates are a rough index of police performance in solving crimes

True

Crime rates provide a more accurate indication of increases and decreases in crime index than do total numbers or crimes.

True

The United States Constitution forbids ex post facto laws.

True

The object of criminal justice in the United States is to prevent and control crime

True

If a person does not want to commit a crime but is forced to do so against his or her will, he or she committed the crime.

Under duress

The ________ is/are a collection of crime statistics and other law enforcement information published annually under the title "Crime in the United States"

Uniform Crime Report (UCR)

The practice of counting only the most serious offense in a multiple-crime event is a feature of the:

Uniform Crime Report (UCR)