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True / False
1. Most Americans associate race with crime.
a.
True
b.
False
2. Sentencing for drug crimes contributes to the high incarceration rate of African Americans.
a.
True
b.
False
3. African American youths are more likely to be arrested for all crimes than any other race.
a.
True
b.
False
4. Many observers believe the relationship between racism and the criminal justice system is reciprocal.
a.
True
b.
False
5. Examination of self-report studies of criminality has often revealed that African American and white youths
admit to similar participation levels in criminal and deviant activity.
a.
True
b.
False
6. There have always been more African American men in prison than in college.
a.
True
b.
False
7. The argument that African Americans are more criminal than whites by nature is not sustained by the
evidence.
a.
True
b.
False
8. Drug crimes are the only place we see discriminatory incarceration rates.
a.
True
b.
False
9. Ethnicity relates to a person’s language, religion, and group traditions.
a.
True
b.
False
10. According to the authors, race is very controversial to the extent that it has been recognized as having both
political and biological implications.
a.
True
b.
False
11. African Americans make up roughly 13 percent of the entire U.S. population, but make almost 40 percent of the U.S.
prison population.
a.
True
b.
False
12. Race is a sociological concept used to distinguish people by their cultural characteristics.
a.
True
b.
False
13. Hispanics and whites are subjected to the criminal justice system at much higher rates than blacks.
a.
True
b.
False
14. Discrimination occurs when groups are differentially treated without regard to their behavior or qualifications.
a.
True
b.
False
15. One of the most disturbing aspects of contemporary U.S. society is the increasing proportion of children who live in
poverty.
a.
True
b.
False
16. Disparity of income by racial groups is no longer a basic characteristic of U.S. society.
a.
True
b.
False
17. Western states tend to have the highest incarceration rates of African Americans in the United States.
a.
True
b.
False
18. As long as some groups in the United States are unfairly excluded from society’s opportunities, they will have less
motivation to obey its laws.
a.
True
b.
False
19. Those with a felony conviction are not allowed to vote. This is referred to as:
a.
criminal disability.
b.
civil death.
c.
pervasive disability.
d.
disenfranchisement.
20. Which president signed the Fair Sentencing Act eliminating the mandatory minimum sentence for simple
possession of crack and powder cocaine?
a.
President Obama
b.
President Bush
c.
President Reagan
d.
President Clinton
21. The fact that African Americans and Latinos are subjected to the criminal justice system at considerably
higher rates than other ethnic and racial groups is:
a.
indisputable.
b.
arguable.
c.
not borne out by research.
d.
a myth.
22. In terms of culture, the United States is a:
a.
homogenous society.
b.
melting pot.
c.
disassimilated culture.
d.
mosaic.
23. When groups are treated differently without regard to their behavior or qualifications, _______ occurs.
a.
racism
b.
homogeneity
c.
ethnic cleansing
d.
discrimination
24. The argument that African Americans are more criminal than whites by nature:
a.
is a fact.
b.
is not sustained by the evidence.
c.
is sustained by evidence in the court system.
d.
shows that racism is well hidden in the criminal justice system.
25. Many observers believe that the relationship between racism and the criminal justice system is:
a.
reciprocal.
b.
one-sided.
c.
unrecognizable
d.
invisible.
26. The gap between unemployment rates for African American men and every other group in society grows
when:
a.
prisons do not allow inmates to work.
b.
men who are behind bars are released.
c.
men who are behind bars are included in the unemployment rate.
d.
prisoners are not included in the unemployment rate.
27. adults have committed a serious offense in their lifetime.
a.
Few
b.
Most
c.
About half of
d.
All
28. The victim’s perception of the race of the offender:
a.
is usually accurate.
b.
differs from the race of those arrested.
c.
has influence over sentencing.
d.
is neither here nor there.
29. A consequence of the view of differential criminality would be that:
a.
race would not be a factor in the criminal justice system.
b.
the view is vulnerable to charges of racism.
c.
it can inform preventative detention policies.
d.
the view is vulnerable to charges of racism and it would mean the creation of a “criminal class” of
people who are dangerous.
30. Which of the following contribute to high rates of incarceration of African Americans?
a.
drug sentences
b.
poverty
c.
unemployment
d.
all of these
31. Criminal justice officials make a variety of decisions that disadvantage minority males. These include:
a.
where police patrol.
b.
the cost of bail.
c.
the ability to hire a private attorney.
d.
all of these.
32. The problem of disproportionality is if the problem is not racist people but disadvantageous rules and
practices.
a.
more complicated
b.
less complicated
c.
easy to fix
d.
simple
33. Recent sociological studies have demonstrated that:
a.
employers are hesitant to hire young men who have been in prison.
b.
employers are more likely to do a background check on young African American men.
c.
young African American men are barred from many forms of employment.
d.
employers are both hesitant to hire young men who have been in prison and are more likely to do a
background check on young African American men.
34. The high percentage of young African American men behind bars results in:
a.
their lack of earning a wage.
b.
their not being able to parent children.
c.
their not being able to support their partners.
d.
all of these.
35. Prison surpassed college as a place for young African American men after:
a.
1950.
b.
1960.
c.
1970.
d.
1980
36. No one can dispute the impact of the prison system’s growth on young men of color.
a.
underwhelming
b.
insignificant
c.
disparate
d.
equitable
37. African Americans make up 40 percent of the prison population but of all U.S. residents.
a.
5 percent
b.
13 percent
c.
25 percent
d.
32 percent
38. Referrals to juvenile court for African American males occur more than the rate for whites.
a.
twice
b.
five times
c.
triple
d.
half
39. One in three African American men are:
a.
on parole.
b.
on probation.
c.
in college.
d.
under correctional supervision.
40. Patterns of disproportionate representation in the criminal justice system:
a.
start with juveniles.
b.
are a rural phenomenon.
c.
have always existed.
d.
are a relatively new occurrence,
41. Whites tend to admit to more crimes than African Americans or Hispanics when completing a self-
report survey.
a.
theft
b.
drug
c.
burglary
d.
alcohol
42. Self-report studies show that have committed a crime.
a.
very few people
b.
most people
c.
more white people
d.
fewer people of color
43. Some people believe that factors result in large numbers of Hispanics and African Americans being
processed by the criminal justice system.
a.
biological
b.
physiological
c.
sociobiological
d.
sociological
44. Racial disparities become racial ___________ if people who are otherwise similar in their criminality are treated
differently by the criminal justice system because of their race.
a.
discrimination
b.
bias
c.
exploitation
d.
favoritism
45. Young people who live in poverty and disadvantage may develop what has been called “____________,” which
includes a greater willingness to commit violence.
a.
puttin’ work
b.
street cred
c.
jivin’
d.
code of the street
46. The unequal treatment of one group by the criminal justice system, compared with the treatment afforded other
groups, is referred to as______________.
a.
bias
b.
disparity
c.
exploitation
d.
discrimination
47. African Americans are now _________________ times more likely to than whites to be incarecated at some time in
their life in a state or federal prison.
a.
2
b.
5
c.
3
d.
7
Numeric Response
Match each item to the phrase or sentence listed below.
a. Individuals are asked to report on their own criminal behavior
b. Inequality of treatment
c. A difference explained by legitimate factors
d. Complex concept with changing definitions
e. Cultural characteristics
f. White fear of blacks will be greatest in areas where the proportion of blacks approaches that of whites
g. Punished 100 times more severely than powdered
h. ommitted a crime in their lifetime
48. Race
49. Ethnicity
50. Self-report studies
51. Discrimination
52. Disparity
53. Nearly everyone
54. State presence
55. Crack cocaine
56. Disenfranchisement
57. Racial threat hypothesis
58. An investigation of behavior (such as criminal activity) based on a subject’s responses is a(n) .
59. distinguishes people according to language, religion, and group traditions.
60. Racial disparities become racial if people who are otherwise similar in their criminality are treated
differently by the criminal justice system.
61. Some people claim that eliminating racism from the criminal justice system is not likely to occur, because
the system is embedded in a larger racist ________.
62. President Barack Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act of , eliminating mandatory minimum
sentences for crack and powder cocaine use by offenders.
63. are seven times more likely than whites to have been incarcerated at some time in a state or federal
prison.
64. The is the belief that white fear of African Americans is least when whites are the majority.
65. is a difference between groups that can be explained by legitimate factors.
66. is assumed to be a biological concept that divides humankind into categories related to skin color and
other physical features.
67. According to the authors, some people believe that factors result in large numbers of Hispanics and
African Americans being processed in the criminal justice system.
68. _________________ such as poverty, single parent families, and unemployment contribute to higher crime rates.
69. Racial disparities become racial ______________ if people who are otherwise similar in their criminality are treated
differently by the criminal justice system because of their race.
70. The disparity between ___________ and punishment patterns is key to the claim by some scholars that the criminal
justice system is biased against minority groups.
71. The overrepresentation of African Americans in the criminal justice system has led to ________________.
72. The _____________ perception of the race of the offender often differs from the race of those arrested.
73. Racist _____________, it is argued, help produce the higher crime rates among minorities, and then racist fears of
minorities help justify treating them more harshly when they are caught.
74. The sentencing for _____________ crimes, starting in the 1980s, has led to a rapid increase in incarceration rates of
African Americans.
75. List and explain three ways in which the criminal justice system operates to allow for an overrepresentation
of African Americans and Latinos/as in the prisons. Be sure and give one example involving the police, one
involving the courts, and one involving corrections. In your opinion, what can be done to change this issue
facing corrections?
76. Discuss what impact a high level of incarceration has on both African American and Latino communities.
What implications does this impact have for the effectiveness of community-based corrections?
77. Discuss how the relationship between politics and criminal justice policy are reflective of race and
punishment. Are there differences? How have the differences changed over time?
78. Describe the significance of race and punishment. What steps can be made to reduce the racial differences in
punishments? In your opinion, will this significant problem ever be fully addressed? Be sure to explain your
answer.
