Chapter 3: Defining and Measuring Crime

Chapter 3: Defining and Measuring Crime

TRUE/FALSE

1.Proceedings in civil court are generally initiated by the state on behalf of the plaintiff.

TF

2.The maximum penalty for capital offenses is death.

TF

3.Murder is an example of an offense classified as mala prohibita.

TF

4.The UCR presents the most comprehensive representation of victim data in the United States.

TF

5.Part Two offenses include both felonies and misdemeanors.

TF

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1.Civil law is concerned with disputes between entities and

a. / defendants.
b. / lawyers.
c. / governments.
d. / private individuals.

2.Civil law involves all of the following except

a. / beyond a reasonable doubt
b. / a plaintiff.
c. / a defendant.
d. / damages.

3.Proof of guilt in a criminal case requires

a. / proof without doubt.
b. / proof beyond a reasonable doubt
c. / proof beyond reasonable suspicion.
d. / proof of tort.

4.The Model Penal Code provides for ____ degrees of felony.

a. / two
b. / three
c. / four
d. / five

5. Which of the following would be considered a mala prohibita offense?

a. / Murder
b. / Rape
c. / Bigamy
d. / Theft

6. An offense which is said to go against “natural laws” is referred to as

a. / Mala in se
b. / Corpus delicti
c. / Mala prohibita
d. / Actus reus

7.In the UCR, the FBI presents crime data in all of the following ways except

a. / rate per 100,000 people.
b. / percentage change from a previous period.
c. / in rank order by occurrence.
d. / aggregate (total) number of crimes.

8.The Uniform Crime Reports include

a. / the number of crimes cleared
b. / number of criminal convictions.
c. / number of unreported offenses.
d. / victimization data.

9.Part II offenses do not include

a. / DUI.
b. / vagrancy.
c. / gambling.
d. / arson.

10.Part II offenses include

a. / all crimes recorded by the FBI that do not fall into the Part I category.
b. / crimes identified by INTERPOL as significant threats.
c. / all misdemeanors that do not fall into the Part I category.
d. / they vary from year to year, there is no set list.

REF:76

11.The majority of Part I offenses committed in the U.S.are

a. / violent crimes.
b. / property crimes.
c. / public order offenses.
d. / white collar crimes.

REF:76

12.Flaws in the UCR cited in the text include all of the following except

a. / lack of full citizen reporting.
b. / police underreporting.
c. / differential interpretations.
d. / lack of political support.

REF:77-78

COMPLETION

1.______is the type of law dealing with disputes between private individuals and between entities.

REF:69

2.______offenses are only crimes because a statute or legislative law declares them to be.

REF:72

3.The Uniform Crime Report is compiled each year by the ______.

REF:75

4.______are those crimes that, due to their seriousness and frequency, are recorded by the FBI to give a general idea of the “crime picture.”

REF:76

5.For crime reporting purposes, ______typically occurs when the arrested suspect is charged with a crime and handed over to a court for prosecution.

REF:78

Chapter 3: Defining and Measuring Crime – Worksheet 2

TRUE/FALSE

1.Proceedings in civil court are generally initiated by the state on behalf of the plaintiff.

TFREF:69

2.The maximum penalty for capital offenses is death.

TFREF:70

3.Murder is an example of an offense classified as mala prohibita.

TFREF:72

4.The UCR presents the most comprehensive representation of victim data in the United States.

TFREF:75

5.Part Two offenses include both felonies and misdemeanors.

TFREF:76-77

MULTIPLE CHOICE

6.The acronym NIBRS stands for

a. / National Individualized Basic Record System.
b. / National Incident-Based Reporting System.
c. / National Intelligence Bureau Record System.
d. / National Intelligence Bureau Reporting System.

REF:78

7.Which of the following is an advantage of the NCVS?

a. / It measures only crimes reported to the police and ending in criminal conviction
b. / It represents data collected directly from offenders, regardless of whether an arrest was made
c. / It collects data on the victimization of minor children under the age of 12
d. / It represents victimization rates, including those crimes not reported to police

REF:79-80

8.Self-reported surveys collect crime data from

a. / victims
b. / law enforcement
c. / offenders
d. / criminologists

REF:80

9.Data for the NCVS is collected by

a. / the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
b. / the Census Bureau.
c. / the Department of Homeland Security.
d. / university researchers.

REF:80

10.Self-report survey data are collected by all of the listed except

a. / by questionnaire.
b. / by telephone.
c. / by personal interview.
d. / the census.

REF:80

11.The strongest statistical determinant of criminal behavior appears to be

a. / neighborhood.
b. / age.
c. / parents.
d. / peers.

REF:82

12.Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons for the high rate of offending by adolescent populations?

a. / Peer pressure
b. / Socialization with other juvenile delinquents
c. / Hormone levels
d. / Poverty

REF:82-83

13. The crime spike in the 1980’s and early 1990’s is thought by someto be related to the introduction of which illegal drug?

a. / Methamphetamine
b. / Crack
c. / Heroin
d. / Marijuana

REF:83

14. Which decade has been referred to as the “golden era” of low crime rates?

a. / 1970’s
b. / 1980’s
c. / 1990’s
d. / 2000’s

REF:84

15.Since 2000 crime rates nationwide, in the U.S. are

a. / rising steadily.
b. / dropping steadily.
c. / up and down
d. / relatively flat

REF:85

16.Which group are the most likely to be victims of homicide?

a. / Caucasians
b. / African Americans
c. / Hispanics
d. / Native Americans

REF:85-86

17.A term used to describe the actual amount of crime that takes place is ______

a. / the crime rate.
b. / the hidden figure of crime.
c. / the dark figure of crime.
d. / the official record of crime.

REF:89

18.Approximately what percentage of all murders involve a male victim and a male perpetrator?

a. / 25
b. / 45
c. / 65
d. / 75

COMPLETION

1.______are a method of collecting crime data that relies on participants to reveal their own criminal or deviant behavior.

2.Because much crime goes unreported, this amount of crime that occurs in the U.S. is referred to as the .

3.In recent years, crime rates have steadily ______.

4.In terms of gender, crime is an overwhelmingly activity.

5.______are the fastest growing group in the United States prison population.