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Test Bank and Answer Key
TRUE/FALSE
1. While crime rates are down, most criminologists feel that this is a statistical artifact rather than a
genuine decline.
2. Explaining the crime drop might involve broad changes in behavior that are beyond the
reach of social science to explain.
3. Traditionally, crime policy has not demanded high quality research evidence of effectiveness for
its implementation or continuation.
4. While ineffective crime policies may be expensive, they cannot actually cause harm.
5. America has two crime problems: one problem affects the poor minority inner-city population
while the other affects the poor rural white population.
6. America’s crime problem is primarily a drug problem.
7. According to findings of the Sentencing Project, the public believes the justice system is far more
lenient than it really is.
8. There have been no signs of reversal of the imprisonment boom.
9. The war on crime raises expectations of a victory and an end to the problem rather than the goal
of decreasing crime to a tolerable level.
10. A comprehensive social ledger on imprisonment would take into account the combined
effect of adverse impacts on the “collective efficacy” of neighborhoods.
11. The public health arena has few similarities with the field of crime control.
12. While drug decriminalization has traditionally been a liberal proposal, a surprising number of
prominent conservatives endorse drug legalization.
13. Both liberals and conservatives acknowledge the influence of the family on the likelihood that an
individual will or will not commit crime.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Regarding crime in America, select the most accurate statement
a.
property crime is down, but violent crime has been rising steadily since the 1970s
b.
both property and violent crime have been increasing steadily for two decades
c.
both property and violent crime are at their lowest levels since 1993
d.
no discernible trends can be determined using crime data from the last 10 years
2. The increasing crime rate in the U.S.
a.
began in the early 1960s
b.
contributed to crime being a major issue in American politics
c.
has instilled fear that ripped our social fabric as people moved out of their communities
d.
all of the above
e.
none of the above
3. The following evidence indicates that the crime drop is genuine
a.
reliable NCVS data shows similar trends to UCR reports
b.
we have seen crime drop for two years in a row
c.
crime is down in every city in the nation
d.
statistics don’t lie
4. Explanations for the recent crime drop
a.
have not yet been considered due to the newness of the trend
b.
are complex and difficult to assign to one factor
c.
suggest that the addition of many new police officers and zero tolerance policies have
been more influential than tough new sentencing laws and increased incarceration
d.
pinpoint one single factor that the majority of criminologists agree on
5. Select the most accurate statement
a.
contextual factors such as a shifting proportion of crime-prone young people in the
population and the economic downturn have not likely impacted the crime rate
b.
contextual factors include changes in corrections that have reduced crime while policy
factors include changes in policing that have reduced crime
c.
the interplay of contextual factors and criminal justice policies best explains the great
crime drop
d.
distinguishing between contextual and policy factors that affect the crime rate is a fruitless
effort since these factors are arguably a false dichotomy
6. Evidence-based policy originated in
a.
educational policies
b.
health care policies
c.
the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act
d.
Canada’s economic policies
7. One of the consequences of criminal justice practitioners’ traditional reliance on good intentions
rather than solid evidence in criminal justice policymaking has been
a.
a misinterpretation of crime data as showing a 10-12 year decline
b.
an overemphasis on contextual factors as indicators of success
c.
inexpensive and effective policies such as Scared Straight
d.
the continuation of expensive but ineffective policies such as DARE
8. The Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study and Scared Straight are examples of
a.
the first evidence-based crime policies in the U.S.
b.
well-intentioned treatment that can cause harm in the absence of research evidence on
effectiveness
c.
punitive responses to crime stemming from increased crime rates of the 1960s
d.
the interplay between contextual and policy factors in policy making
9. Select from the following list the item that is NOT a requirement of evidence-based policy
a.
intentions and instinct
b.
empirical evidence of effectiveness
c.
high quality research designs
d.
replication of findings
10. A systematic review of all available research studies on a particular topic is known as
a.
evidence-based policy
c.
meta-analyses
b.
replication
d.
contextual analyses
11. Walker argues that the first obstacle to developing sensible and effective crime policies is
a.
that they do not employ evidence-based standards
b.
that people do not understand the nature of the crime problem or how the justice system
works
c.
the drastic underfunding of crime policies
d.
that they are based on the idea that “one size fits all”
12. When Walker talks about America's two crime problems, he is referring to
a.
crimes known to police and unreported and undetected crime
b.
property crime and violent crime
c.
those affecting poor minorities and white middle class
d.
street crime and white-collar corporate offenses
13. The crime problem within the United States in comparison to other countries is one of
a.
property crimes
b.
sexual assaults
c.
lethal violence
d.
drug use
14. During the past 40 years, incarceration rates have
a.
decreased in urban areas and increased in rural areas
b.
increased in urban areas and decreased in rural areas
c.
remained steady overall
d.
increased exponentially
15. The most important force contributing to the imprisonment boom has been
a.
the implicit racism of the justice system
b.
the recent trend of directing crime policy efforts toward white-collar rather than street
crime
c.
a popular belief that the justice system has been and still is soft on crime
d.
the lack of funding for representation of the accused in court
16. One of the consequences of our wars on crime and drugs has been
a.
a reduction in the racial polarization of the U.S.
b.
the U.S. maintaining the highest incarceration rate in the world
c.
a massive reduction in the number of emergency room admissions reporting mention of
cocaine use
d.
reduced fear of crime
17. The imprisonment boom in America can be partially attributed to
a.
the wars of drugs and crime
b.
determinate sentencing laws, such as truth in sentencing and mandatory sentences
c.
restrictions on good time that limit early release
d.
all of the above
18. The wars on crime and drugs has disproportionally affected
a.
younger Latino female population
b.
older White middle class
c.
young African American males
d.
lower class Whites
19. Research on drug use and drug convictions shows that
a.
minorities are far more likely to use drugs and to be convicted for that use
b.
racial patterns in drug use correlate closely with racial patterns in drug convictions
c.
drug convictions in the U.S. correspond with racial patterns of drug use at a state level, but
not at the federal level
d.
racial patterns in arrest are not consistent with evidence on drug use
20. One criticism of Michelle Alexander’s ideas about crime policy and race is that
a.
she gives too much credence to the gains of the civil rights movement
b.
she embraces the conservative view while ignoring the liberal view
c.
she unfairly blames minorities for their part in creating mass incarceration
d.
she confuses the results of the war on crime with the intent of the great change in U.S.
imprisonment policy
21. Which of the following justifications were provided for the claim that war is the wrong metaphor
for crime?
a.
it raises unrealistic expectations for eliminating crime
b.
it suggests we are fighting a foreign enemy
c.
it leads to the demonization of criminals
d.
all of the above
e.
none of the above
22. A “social ledger” for incarceration would include
a.
a list of the races and religions of all people who have been incarcerated
b.
the impact on people who are stopped and frisked illegally
c.
a discussion of liberal vs. conservative ideology
d.
an explanation of the way in which criminal justice policy unfairly harms minorities
23. This book will focus primarily on the crimes of
a.
murder and other violent crimes
b.
drug possession and use
c.
robbery and burglary
d.
juvenile delinquency
24. Regarding prevention and punishment
a.
while prevention is appealing, our efforts should focus on punishment since the war on
crime cannot be won
b.
soft drug treatment programs are unable to prevent crime as effectively as tough
sentencing policies such as the three-strikes law
c.
prevention was a fad crime policy, and we need to stick with a healthy diet of punishment
d.
this is arguably a false dichotomy since all crime policies are designed to prevent crime
25. According to Walker, which of the following would be considered the most sensible crime policy
goal?
a.
a series of different policies that produces a modest crime reduction
b.
a moderately expensive policy that reduces crime by 15% in 5 years
c.
a simple policy that produces quick and dramatic changes
d.
Walker argues that a sensible crime policy goal is impossible to define
26. A 2013 article in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) argues
that we can learn much from the successes in other areas when we try to deal with gun violence.
One important lesson is that
a.
community efforts are more effective than policy changes
b.
a sweeping policy change is needed to make inroads in solving a problem
c.
it takes a village to help individuals
d.
several approaches reinforce each other to achieve a significant result
27. The state of the economy, as reflected in the unemployment rate, has _________ on criminal
behavior.
a.
negligible effects
b.
direct implications
c.
uneven results, depending on race,
d.
statistically proven effects
28. Extravagant promises about crime reduction have been made by
a.
community and religious programs
b.
both liberals and conservatives
c.
liberal presidents but not conservative presidents
d.
conservative presidents but not liberal presidents
29. Crime-control theology conflicts most directly with which of the following?
a.
community-focused programs
c.
evidence-based practices
b.
the prevention-punishment dichotomy
d.
substantive criminal law
30. In his discussion of conservative and liberal theology, Walker notes that
a.
liberals embrace the crime-control model while conservatives prefer the due process
model
b.
conservatives blame problems on harsh punishment and call for rehabilitation
c.
liberals call for punishment similar to parental discipline, even though the real world of the
CJS does not work like a family
d.
conservatives believe criminals have low self-control, while liberals believe social factors
such as economic opportunities influence behavior
31. Examples of conservatives and liberals switching sides include all but which issue?
a.
legalization of drugs
c.
increased law enforcement presence
b.
offender reentry
d.
decreased prison sentences
32. Liberals and conservatives generally disagree on their preference for crime-control measures.
Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes their respective preferences?
a.
liberals prefer shaming while conservatives prefer reintegration
b.
conservatives prefer retribution and deterrence while liberals prefer rehabilitation
c.
liberals prefer general deterrence while conservatives prefer specific deterrence
d.
conservatives prefer prevention while liberals prefer punishment
33. In terms of the theoretical causes of crime which statement most accurately reflects liberal and
conservative theology?
a.
conservatives believe poverty causes crime while liberals believe crime causes poverty
b.
liberals focus on the moral causes while conservatives focus on practical causes
c.
liberals believe criminals are made while conservatives believe criminals are born
d.
conservatives believe in rational choice and low self-control; whereas, liberals believe in
peer influence and economic opportunity
34. Both liberal and conservative theology is flawed. Which of the following flaws were noted in the
chapter?
a.
conservatives feel too many loopholes allow criminals to beat the system
b.
liberals feel too many loopholes allow criminals to beat the system
c.
liberals are guilty of blaming everything on overly soft punishments
d.
conservatives are guilty of blaming everything on overly harsh punishments
35. Conservatives embrace the _____(1)_____ model while liberals embrace the _____(2)_____
model.
a.
(1) due process (2) crime-control
b.
(1) crime-control (2) due process
c.
(1) community-focused (2) evidence-based
d.
(1) evidence-based (2) community-focused
SHORT ANSWER
1. Explain why no single factor can be considered the cause of the crime decline in the 1990s.
2. Compare and contrast traditional crime policy with evidence-based crime policy.
3. Explain why waging “war” is the wrong way to deal with crime, and describe how a “social
ledger” would be a useful addition to crime policy.
4. Describe how the false dichotomy of prevention and punishment affects the development of
crime policy.
5. Discuss how the wars on crime and drugs have impacted incarceration and how it serves to
undermine the collective efficacy of neighborhoods.
6. Differentiate between conservative and liberal theology.
