Chapter 2 The Nature and Extent of Crime PDF

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Chapter 2 The Nature and Extent of Crime...

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime 1. How are crime rates expressed in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR)? a. in terms of the number of offences reported to the police b. in terms of the number of arrests made by the police c. in terms of the number of offences per 100 000 people d. in terms of the change in the numbers of convictions from the previous year ANSWER: c 2. When was the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) first introduced? a. 1952 b. 1962 c. 1972 d. 1982 ANSWER: b 3. What term did Biderman and Reiss coin to describe the many acts that are defined as crimes but never appear

in the official crime statistics? a. the dark figure of crime b. the uncountenanced crime rate c. the underworld of criminals d. the covert crime data ANSWER: a 4. In recognition of the limitations of the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) survey, which instrument did Canada

introduce in 2009? a. the revised Uniform Crime Report (UCR2) b. the General Social Survey c. the Crime Severity Index d. the Personal Risk and Victimization Survey (PRVS) ANSWER: c 5. How often are police agencies required to complete and submit a Uniform Crime Report survey? a. daily b. weekly c. monthly d. yearly ANSWER: c 6. What distinguishes the UCR from the GSS—VS? a.The UCR is based on crimes dealt with by police; the GSS—VS is based on

crimes as experienced by victims. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime b.The UCR reports the total number of people who broke the law; the GSS—VS

reports the total number of people who may break the law each year. c.The UCR and the GSS—VS both report the incident rates each year, but the GSS—VS also focuses on the clearance rates of the crimes. d.The UCR provides regional crime rate information; the GSS—VS looks only at types of crimes committed each year as reported by victims. ANSWER: a 7. Most self-report studies involve which group? a. adult inmates of jails b. adult executives of security companies c. women d. adolescents ANSWER: d 8. Doreen’s homework assignment was to write a paper on the strengths and weaknesses of the Uniform Crime

Report (UCR). What would she discuss as being a major weakness? a.The UCR severely overestimates the actual number of crimes. b.The UCR emphasizes white-collar crimes to the detriment of street crime reporting. c.Police in various communities may have different understandings and definitions of certain crimes. d.The complex scoring procedure used on the UCR surveys means that many serious crimes may be double-counted. ANSWER: c 9. For her class report, Sahar was assigned to research and discuss the use of self-report studies as a source of crime statistics. What will her major critique probably be? a.Self-report studies focus primarily on white-collar crimes. b.Respondents in self-report studies are overwhelmingly male. c.Self-report studies tend to feature an over-representation of hard-core chronic offenders. d.Respondents in self-report studies may not be totally truthful about offences they have committed. ANSWER: d 10. What is true with respect to the findings of self-report studies? a. The number of law-breakers exceeds the number reported by the UCR. b. Delinquents focus on and specialize in one area of criminal activity. c. The most common offences include theft over $50. d. A large number of delinquents come from broken homes. ANSWER: a Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime 11. Where do the data in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) come from? a. victimization surveys b. police departments c. self-report offender surveys d. Statistics Canada ANSWER: b 12. Peter reads the paper daily and has the all-news channel on continuously when he is home. Despite the latest news release reporting a severe decline in the number of young people who are law-breakers, he believes the statistics reported to be inaccurate. Which data collection tools would substantiate his belief? a. self-report surveys b. crime severity index c. uniform crime reports d. international crime survey ANSWER: a 13. What do the majority of self-report studies focus on? a. inmates convicted of violent crimes b. juvenile delinquency and youth crime c. victims of violent crime d. data collected by Statistics Canada ANSWER: b 14. Most criminologists believe that homicide data are the most accurate and valid UCR statistics. What do data

indicate about homicide rates in Canada? a. They have increased over the last decade. b. They peaked in the 1970s. c. They have been relatively stable for more than two decades. d. They have been on a steady decline since 1985. ANSWER: b 15. Which statement captures the nature of youth crime rates compared with adult crime rates? a.The youth property crime rate is higher than the adult property crime rate, but

violent crime rates are the same. b.Overall, youth crime rates are half of adult crime rates. c.Youth and adult crime rates are gradually increasing at the same rate. d.Overall, both adult and youth crime rates are declining. ANSWER: d 16. What statement best summarizes the prediction made by criminologists such as Ouimet for future crime rates in Canada? Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime a.Crime rates will maintain their current rates for the next five to eight years. b.Crime rates will begin to increase as the 35- to 43-year-old population

increases. c.Crime rates will decrease quite dramatically over the next five years, but this is expected to reverse quickly thereafter. d.Crime rates will continue to decline until a new youth cohort similar to the baby boomers comes along. ANSWER: d 17. Contemporary criminologists forecast the crime rates will continue to trend downward in Canada. What do they believe is the leading cause of this decline? a. demographic changes b. increased militarization of police forces c. harsher sentencing d. robust economic activity ANSWER: a 18. When did homicide rates in Canada peak? a. in the

1960s b. in the 1970s c. in the 1980s d. in the 1990s ANSWER: b 19. With respect to the ecology of crime, which factor influences the crime rate? a. Most crimes occur in the spring. b. Domestic assault increases as the temperature rises. c. Robbery rates decrease in the winter. d. Crime activity is highest in the middle of the month. ANSWER: b 20. What is NOT included in the category of street crimes? a. prostitution b. fraud c. murder d. robbery ANSWER: b Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime 21. Referring to the ecology of crime, when is crime most likely to happen? a. in January and February b. in April and May c. in July and August d. in October and

November ANSWER: c 22. During what months do the majority of murders and robberies occur? a. December and January b. May and June c. July and August d. September and October ANSWER: a 23. People living in poverty are believed to engage in disproportionate amounts of crimes, such as sexual assault or murder, as a way to vent their anger and frustration against society. What term is used to classify these crimes? a. deliberate b. expressive c. instrumental d. defensive ANSWER: b 24. Which variable has an inverse relationship with crime rates and is considered by criminologists to be one of the greatest influences on crime trends? a. age b. economy c. opportunity d. gangs ANSWER: a 25. Crime peaks in adolescence and then declines rapidly thereafter. What is the peak age for property crime? a. 14 b. 16 c. 18 d. 20 ANSWER: b 26. Males over 55 years of age are most frequently charged with which offence? a. vagrancy Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime b. child pornography c. impaired driving d. prostitute solicitation ANSWER: c 27. Regardless of economic and marital status, which factor has the greatest influence on crime rates and trends? a. race and ethnicity b. gender c. age d. temperature ANSWER: c 28. Which statement best reflects crime data as they relate to the majority of offenders? a. They continue to commit crimes if not caught at an early age. b. They are likely to remain career criminals. c. They commit only a single criminal act. d. They often do not consider their actions to be criminal. ANSWER: c 29. In general, how are age and criminality related? a. very little b. proportionately to the numbers in the

population c. directly for males and indirectly for females d. inversely ANSWER: d 30. What is NOT an explanation of why crime is primarily a young person’s phenomenon? a. Young people tend to discount the future. b. As people mature, ties to society tend to decline. c. Peer influences are especially strong for young people. d. Conventional means of problem solving are more readily available as a person

matures. ANSWER: b 31. Subsequent to the discovery of the chronic offender, what do criminologists now have to consider in their

explanations of crime? a. racial categorization b. persistence and desistance c. severity of criminal acts d. poverty as the root of criminality Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime ANSWER: b 32. What factor is most commonly the cause of decreasing criminal activity as people age? a. a decrease in testosterone levels b. an increased tolerance for frustrating events c. having a decreased ability to avoid detection by police d. having more commitments and more to lose if caught ANSWER: d 33. Cesare Lombroso put forward a theory known as the masculinity hypothesis. What did it suggest? a. Female criminals are deficient in feminine qualities. b. Female criminals wish to be treated like men. c. Male criminals are overly masculine. d. Male criminals are deficient in male qualities. ANSWER: a 34. What type of crime is rarely discussed with consensus among Canadians? a. youth crime b. firearms crime c. mass murder d. sexual assault ANSWER: a 35. On April 1, 2003, the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) became law in Canada. What new model for dealing with youth did it introduce? a. youth cooperation model b. justice model c. alternative justice model d. youth accountability model ANSWER: b 36. Which statement provides a sociological explanation for the correlation between crime and gender? a. Females who commit crimes do so as a result of higher androgen levels. b. Males who commit crimes do so as a result of higher androgen levels. c. Females who commit crimes do so as a result of difficult upbringings. d. Males who commit crimes do so as a result of mild levels of depression. ANSWER: c 37. What reason is given by most Canadian police and correctional agencies for NOT collecting or publishing data that link racial characteristics to crime? a.the financial burden of recording and analyzing an additional level of crime Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime information b.the likelihood that social factors other than race are at play in higher crime rates among some groups c.the fear that identified racial groups will retaliate against police if they are identified as more criminal d.the concern that the self-fulfilling prophecy would arise if groups are identified ANSWER: b 38. The data reported by the Uniform Crime Report surveys are noted for their accuracy. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 39. In 1962, all police agencies in Canada began reporting crimes on a monthly basis using the Uniform Crime

Report (UCR). a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 40. Critics of self-report studies frequently suggest that expecting people to candidly admit illegal acts is unreasonable. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 41. In general, self-report studies indicate that the number of people who break the law is far greater than the

number projected by official statistics. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 42. Criminologists view change in the population age distribution as having the greatest influence on crime trends. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 43. Canada has one of the most restrictive firearms control legislation in the world. Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 44. The relationship between official crime and social class is largely a function of law enforcement practices. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 45. Poverty alone can explain why a particular individual becomes a chronic violent offender. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 46. Self-report surveys reveal a clear relationship between social class and crime. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 47. Canadian studies of youth have found increases in youth crime rates since the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA). a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 48. Nationwide studies of youths have found that female violent crime rates are rising. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 49. The criminal justice system processes fewer people from the Aboriginal population than any other group in

Canada. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime e 50. The GSS—VS includes data on important crime patterns such as murder and drug abuse. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 51. A small group of criminal offenders accounts for a majority of all criminal offences. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 52. According to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, violent crime is increasing in Canada. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 53. In their annual publication Canadian Crime Reports, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics presents a

summary of the data collected from the UCR surveys. List and explain the three methods they employ in their reporting. ANSWER Student responses will vary but should discuss the reporting of raw figures, the : calculation of crime rates per 100 000 people, and the computation of the changes in the number and rate of crimes over time. 54. Explain what the following statement means: “The accuracy of the UCR has been suspect.” Include

examples from the text. ANSWER Student responses will vary but should address the fact that the UCR is based : only on police-reported crimes and therefore tends to underestimate the total amount of crime, including white-collar and environmental crime. Furthermore, errors in reporting practices of police agencies—whether unintentional or deliberate—have been found. There are also methodological issues due to the complex scoring procedure. See Table 2.1 for a summary of factors that affect the validity of the UCR. 55. The General Social Survey—Victimization Survey (GSS—VS) is the current method of assessing

victimization in Canada. The GSS—VS, however, may suffer from some methodological problems. Discuss these problems. ANSWER Student responses will vary but should elaborate on the problems of : overreporting and underreporting; the inability to record the personal criminal Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime activity of those interviewed; crimes committed in the workplace, forms of organized crime and corporate crimes that are not recorded; and sampling errors. 56. Each source of crime data discussed in your text has strengths and weaknesses. Discuss the strengths and

weaknesses for two of these sources. ANSWER Student responses will vary. They can elect to discuss the UCR (based only on : crimes reported to police and tends to underestimate the total amount of crime), and/or self-reports from criminal behaviour surveys (often conducted with young people, which tends to over-represent minor crimes and downplay involvement in serious crimes), and/or victim surveys (which may be a more valid representation of minor crimes but an underrepresentation of serious crimes). 57. Self-report data have been used extensively to test the class–crime relationship. Discuss what these data

have taught us about this relationship. ANSWER Student responses will vary. Self-report studies do not generally find a direct : relationship between social class and youth crime—socioeconomic status is related to official processing (police, courts, and correctional agencies) but not actual commission of crime. Recent studies suggest that serious, official crime is more prevalent among the lower classes but the less serious, self-reported crime is evenly spread throughout the classes. 58. Discuss what your text tells us about the trends in both violent and property crime. ANSWER Student responses will vary. Students should note that official statistics show : that homicide rates peaked in the 1970s and that violent crime rates have been

declining for the past decade (although the media/politicians are hyping an increasingly violent and crime-ridden Canadian society). Canadian property crime rates began to level off in the 1980s (youth population aged 15 to 24 began to decline in numbers) and the aging of this cohort coincides with the decline in violent crime that began in 1991. Carrington’s research shows that as the Canadian population continues to age, crime rates (both violent and property) will continue to decrease right through to 2041, when the decreases will begin to slow. 59. Discuss the ecology of crime—when do most crimes happen, and why? ANSWER Student responses will vary but should reference the warm summer months : (July/August) when young people are out of school with greater opportunities to

commit crime. People are outdoors, which makes them easier targets, and people are away on vacation, which makes their homes a more attractive target. Crime rates may also reflect days of the months (e.g., government cheques arriving at the end of the month). Criminals are more likely to commit crimes when the season and temperature is most suitable for themselves. 60. Explain what the following statement means: “There is general agreement that age is inversely related to Copyright Cengage Learning. Powered by Cognero.

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Chapter 2 - The Nature and Extent of Crime criminality.” Then, explain why aging out occurs. ANSWER Student responses will vary. According to statistics, crime tends to be a young : person’s game. Younger people tend to be greater risk-takers and thrill-seekers (impatient/tend to discount the future); may turn to crime as a way of solving teenage angst (loneliness, frustration, fear of peer rejection). Aging individuals become more concerned with ties to conventional society, families, and longterm rewards, and life experience helps them find nondestructive solutions to their personal travails. 61. The Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) was enacted on April l, 2003, in an effort to combat youth crime in Canada. Discuss Canada’s history of dealing with young offenders and the reasons for the recent changes. Discuss the pros and cons of the Act. ANSWER Student responses will vary however should include mention and discussion of : the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA), 1908, the Young Offenders Act (YOA), 1984, and the introduction of the “justice model” in the Yout...