Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
36. The deterrence model assumes that individuals ______.
a. are rational and think carefully before committing crimes
b. are not in control of their emotions or actions
c. are incapable of making a cost–benefit analysis
d. are driven by spiritual forces to act a certain way
37. Which government applied Beccaria’s ideas most strictly?
a. the United States
b. Germany
c. France
d. Russia
38. Which one of Beccaria’s ideas was rejected by the French?
a. the concept of deterrence
b. ignoring the intent of offenders
c. punishment should be swift
d. public knowledge of punishments
39. Which two crimes did Beccaria consider the most heinous?
a. treason and espionage
b. murder and rape
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
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c. robbery and assault
d. kidnapping and arson
40. Which selection is NOT one of Beccari’s reasons for advocating public
punishments?
a. It serves as a form of checks and balances on government.
b. Citizens are entitled to know these punishments.
c. They can serve as entertainment for the public.
d. They can have a deterrent effect.
True/False
1. The death penalty serves as a very effective deterrent against murder crimes.
2. Of any other perspective to date, deterrence theory has had the most profound
impact on justice systems in our nation.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
3. The most important distinction of the Classical School theories is that they
emphasize individual decision-making regardless of any extraneous influences
on a person’s free will, such as the economy or bonding with society.
4. The emphasis on individual responsibility is why the Classical School theories
are used as the basis for U.S. policies on punishment for criminal activity.
5. For the vast majority of human civilization’s history, people believed that
criminal activity was caused by either supernatural or religious factors.
6. Utilitarianism is the ideal of the greatest happiness shared by the greatest
number.
7. Beccaria supported capital punishment.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
8. Beccaria claimed that torture should not be used against defendants.
9. Paradigms before the Enlightenment and contemporary times tended to focus
on the human ability to choose one’s own behavior and destiny.
10. Exorcisms are still used today by some religious institutions, including the
Catholic Church.
11. All the Enlightenment philosophers had one common belief: punishment.
12. One of the most common supernatural beliefs of primitive cultures was that
the moon, in its fullest state, was a trigger for criminal activity.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
13. Beccaria claimed torture should not be used against defendants. Although
some countries still use torture, the former U.S. Attorney General Alberto
Gonzalez wrote a memo stating that torture of terrorist suspects by the U.S.
military was not to be condoned.
14. Beccaria claimed to know the most certain way to reduce crime: “The surest
but most difficult way to prevent crimes is by perfecting education.”
15. The legal term for intent is known as actus reus.
16. Some of the primitive theories of crime and delinquency accurately predicted
who would commit offenses.
17. Celerity of sentencing is related to the deterrence aspect of punishment,
according to Beccaria.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
18. The idea of hedonistic calculus was proposed by Beccaria and was an idea
from the Classical School of thought.
19. Most of the Western world still uses the Classical/Neoclassical frameworks
for their criminal justice systems.
20. The Classical/Neoclassical perspective fell out of favor with researchers and
academics in the field of criminology more than a century ago.
21. Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham were both proponents of pre-classical
theories of criminal behavior.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
22. States with the death penalty have lower murder rates than states with the
death penalty.
23. The majority of Americans polled were in favor of the death penalty for those
convicted of murder.
24. All primitive forms of punishment, such as stoning and flogging, have been
eradicated worldwide.
25. Utilitarianism is a philosophical concept that relates to the idea of the greatest
good for the greatest number.
Essay
1. What was considered the first rational theory of criminal activity? Provide an
example.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
2. What is hedonistic calculus?
3. Explain the idea of a social contract. Give an example of a liberty we give up in
order to maintain acceptance of the social contract.
4. All Classical School theories share what important common theme?
5. Cesare Beccaria believed that the social contract should be fair for all (a fair
deal). Discuss what this means.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
6. Although the Pre-Classical perspective is that a full moon causes primitive and
violent behavior, the Classical School and modern studies contend that the moon
affects crime in a different way. How?
7. The idea that laws should be more understandable for the public is related to
what Enlightenment ideal?
8. “The impression of pain may become so great that, filling the entire sensory
capacity of the tortured person, it leaves him free only to choose what for the
moment is the shortest way of escape from pain.” Explain what Beccaria was
saying in this quote.
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
9. Describe how you think Beccaria would react to our current criminal justice
system’s high incarceration, use of the death penalty, incarceration of mentally ill,
and racial and social class disparities.
10. Beccaria states, “Of two men, equally innocent or equally guilty, the strong
and courageous will be acquitted, the weak and timid condemned.” Is this true of
the U.S. modern criminal justice system?
11. How is Classical theory different from Neoclassical theory?
12. According to Hobbes, if a government does not punish those individuals that
break their laws, what can happen?
Schram, Introduction to Criminology 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
13. According to Beccaria, how can too much or too little severity in punishment
lead to more crime? Explain both.
14. How has deterrence theory shaped our criminal justice system? Explain what
deterrence theory is and give examples of how it has shaped the way we have
responded to crime as a nation.
15. Cesare Beccaria states that, “The true measure of crimes is namely the harm
done to society.” Explain how this statement relates to his ideas concerning free
will, the social contract, individual choice, utilitarianism, and Enlightenment ideals
overall.