Contemporary Issues in Criminology
Pre-Test Questions
Course Introduction
This course explores current debates, trends, and challenges within the field of criminology, focusing on issues such as globalization, transnational crime, cybercrime, terrorism, criminal justice policy, and social justice. Students will critically analyze how contemporary social, political, and economic factors shape definitions of crime, crime control strategies, and broader implications for communities and individuals. The course encourages engagement with scholarly research, policy reports, and case studies to develop informed perspectives on pressing criminological issues in the modern world.
Recommended Textbook
Criminology The Core 4th Edition by Larry J. Siegel
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Chapter 1: Crime and Criminology
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Q1) According to the structural perspective, crime rates are a function of _____ forces such as neighborhood conditions, cultural factors, and norm conflict.
A)situational
B)internal
C)political
D)ecological
Answer: D
Q2) Because criminologists are influenced by many disciplines (e.g., sociology, psychology, political science, natural sciences), the field of criminology is considered:
A)comprehensive.
B)international.
C)concentrated.
D)interdisciplinary.
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: The Nature and Extent of Crime
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Q1) As the number of guns in the population increases so too do violent crime rates.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Racial threat theory contends that as the percentage of African-Americans in the population increases, so does the amount of social control that the justice system aims at blacks.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) When evaluating the three primary sources of crime data, the crime patterns and trends:
A)are often quite dissimilar.
B)are often quite similar.
C)are incapable of providing an accurate picture of crime.
D)are not consistent over time.
Answer: B
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Victims and Victimization
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Q1) People living in rural areas have a victimization rate almost __________ than that of city dwellers.
A)25% higher
B)50% higher
C)25% lower
D)50% lower
Answer: D
Q2) Psychological disorders are prevalent among victims of domestic violence.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Which of the following households is most vulnerable to crime?
A)a rented urban home in the west
B)an owned rural home in the west
C)a rented suburban home in the east
D)an owned rural home in the east
Answer: A
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Chapter 4: Choice Theory: Because They Want to
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Q1) Which of the following circumstances would prompt an offender to decide to forgo crime?
A)The crime would be thrilling to commit.
B)The offender would stand a good chance of being caught and punished.
C)The offender would receive respect from peers.
D)The crime would be easy to commit.
Q2) Why is drug dealing considered a rational crime?
A)Because drug dealers are more intelligent than other street offenders.
B)Because drug dealers approach their "profession" in a businesslike fashion.
C)Because drug dealers lure non-users with "samples" of their product to generate a greater number of hooked, hard-core users.
D)Because drug dealers are consistently able to avoid detection and arrest.
Q3) Criminals structure crime. For instance, crack cocaine street dealers prefer the middle of a long block as the best location for dealing.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain what it means to say that criminals structure crime.
Q5) Describe the development of rational choice theory and the philosophers central to the concept of rational choice.
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Chapter 5: Trait Theory
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Q1) Which perspective bests supports the fact that human history has been marked by war, violence and aggression?
A)biochemical
B)neurophysiological
C)genetic
D)evolutionary
Q2) Biosocial research has found that abnormal levels of the male sex hormones or androgens produce aggressive behavior.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Brain scanning techniques using electronic images suggest which of the following statements is true?
A)All criminals have low levels of testosterone.
B)Both violent criminals and substance abusers have impairment in the pre-frontal lobe.
C)Female inmates show lower levels of synopsis activity than men.
D)Latinos have higher rates of androgens in the cerebral cortex than non-Latinos.
Q4) Discuss the relationship between hormonal changes and mood and behavior.
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Chapter 6: Social Structure Theory
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Q1) Social disorganization theorists, Shaw and McKay focus on transitional neighborhoods as "concentric zones" of crime. Discuss this theory and how they applied their theory to the city of Chicago.
Q2) Social ecology school criminologists associate crime rates and the need for police services to:
A)community deterioration.
B)community fear.
C)community change.
D)poverty concentration.
Q3) ________ are segments of the population whose members have a relatively similar portion of desirable belongings, and who share attitudes, values and norms.
A)Social groups
B)Social classes
C)Social subcultures
D)Social cultures
Q4) Minority and white group members are equally likely to be poor.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Social Process Theories
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Q1) Describe the major premises of the three branches of social process theory - social learning theory, social control theory, and social reaction (labeling) theory.
Q2) When examining the relationship between delinquent peers and fear of punishment, ____ delinquent peers may outweigh the fear of punishment. A)loyalty to B)fear of
C)hostility from D)skills learned from
Q3) Which of the following issues has been raised regarding the validity of social control theory?
A)Delinquency may lead to weakened social bonds, not vice versa.
B)Social control theory has never been empirically tested.
C)Social control theory applies primarily to lower-class youth and does not explain the criminal behavior of middle- and upper-class youth.
D)Social control theory relies too heavily on social relationships that are difficult to measure.
Q4) How do religion and belief impact criminality?
Q5) Explain the influence of family relations on delinquency and crime.
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Chapter 8: Social Conflict and Critical Criminology
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Q1) According to conflict theorists, societal conflict promotes crime by:
A)creating a social atmosphere in which the law is a mechanism for controlling have-not members of society.
B)encouraging greater use of government resources by the poor.
C)decreasing the value of corporate profits.
D)decreasing the role of religion in shaping individual reality.
Q2) Some Native American communities use a peacemaking ceremony called __________ whereby groups of tribal elders, victims and community members meet with offenders in order to determine the best resolution for those accused of breaking the law.
A)a sentencing circle
B)a tribal circle
C)a community circle
D)a resolution circle
Q3) Empirical research confirms that, as predicted by critical criminology, a suspect's race is an important factor in shaping justice system decision making.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Developmental Theories: Life Course and Latent
Trait
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Q1) Latent trait theories hold that human development is controlled by a "master trait" present at birth or soon after.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Laub and Sampson identify life events that enable adult offenders to desist from crime. Accordingly, they identify transitions as short-term events embedded in: A)trajectories.
B)social capital.
C)marital relationships.
D)pathways.
Q3) Gottfredson and Hirschi trace the root cause of poor self-control to: A)lack of education.
B)inadequate child-rearing practices.
C)weak social bonds.
D)peer associations.
Q4) What is problem behavior syndrome and how is it linked to criminality?
Q5) Gottfredson and Hirschi link the propensity to commit crime to two latent traits - an impulsive personality and a lack of self-control. Explain how these traits result in crime.
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Chapter 10: Violent Crime: Personal and Political
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Q1) Political terrorism occurs when a repressive governmental regime forces its citizens into obedience, oppresses minorities, and stifles political dissent.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The USA Patriot Act was passed to allow law enforcement agencies greater latitude in fighting terrorism.
A)True
B)False
Q3) One type of interpersonal violence is child abuse. Which age group suffers the highest rate of child abuse victimization?
A)children in the age group of birth to one year old
B)children in the age group of two to four years old
C)children in the age group of six to eight years old
D)children in the age group of ten to twelve years old
Q4) Voluntary or nonnegligent manslaughter refers to a killing committed in the heat of passion or during a sudden quarrel that provoked violence.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Property Crimes
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Q1) Criminologists suspect that most property and theft-related crimes are the work of professional criminals.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Female and male burglars show similar offending patterns but specific gender differences exist. Discuss these similarities and differences.
Q3) Criminologists suspect that, of the millions of property and theft-related crimes that occur each year, most are committed by:
A)professional criminals.
B)specialized criminals.
C)occasional criminals.
D)naïve criminals.
Q4) Arson is the willful, malicious burning of a home, public building, vehicle, or commercial building. Identify and discuss the various motivations for arson.
Q5) False pretenses (fraud) involve a "trespass in the taking."
A)True
B)False
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Enterprise Crime: White-Collar Crime, Cyber
Crime, and Organized Crime
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Q1) What has been the Internet's impact on the pornography industry and why?
Q2) Organized crime has become multi-ethnic and now includes Asian, Latin, and European groups.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Pharmacists have been known to alter prescriptions or substitute low-cost generic drugs for more expensive name brands. This is an example of which category of white-collar crime?
A)professional chiseling
B)churning
C)employee fraud
D)influence peddling
Q4) Identify and discuss the three major areas of enterprise crime.
Q5) Discuss and provide examples of employee fraud, management fraud, and client fraud.
Q6) One important contemporary change in organized crime is
A)the degree of violence being used.
B)the use of the Internet to support criminal activities.
Page 14
C)the declining involvement in drug trafficking.
D)the interweaving of ethnic groups into the traditional structure.
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Page 15
Chapter 13: Public Order Crimes
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Q1) Explain the concept of social harm and discuss the contention by some scholars that public order crimes are not necessarily victimless offenses.
Q2) Which category of prostitute is considered the least attractive, lowest paid, and most vulnerable, regardless of whether the prostitute is male or female?
A)brothel prostitutes
B)streetwalkers
C)escorts
D)circuit travelers
Q3) When paraphilias are engaged in by adults in the privacy of their homes they remain outside the law's reach.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Border patrols are examples of ________ strategies aimed at stopping drug use.
A)rehabilitation
B)interdiction
C)restorative
D)diversion
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Chapter 14: The Criminal Justice System
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Q1) The rehabilitation model embraces the notion that, given the proper care and treatment, criminals can be changed into productive, law-abiding citizens.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Relatively few contacts between police and the public involve police use of physical force, but:
A)federal law enforcement agents use force more so than local police officers.
B)the statistics may be inaccurate.
C)there are racial and ethnic differences in the rate at which force is applied.
D)there are age and gender differences in the rate at which force is applied.
Q3) At the preliminary hearing, formal charges are read, defendants are informed of their constitutional rights, bail is considered, and a trial date is established.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The crime control model calls for determinate sentencing, in which all offenders in a particular crime category receive the same sentence.
A)True
B)False
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