Review Questions for the Midterm
 

1. Describe the trends in violent crime in the United States since the 1960s.
2. Distinguish between exogenous and endogenous effects and give examples of each.
3. Which of the following variables helps to explain the crime "boom" in the 1960s"?  Economic stress, political legitimacy, family disorganization, age structure, drug markets, routine activities, incarceration rates, education and welfare programs.
4. Which of the following variables helps to explain the crime "bust" in the 1990s"?  Economic stress, political legitimacy, family disorganization, age structure, drug markets, routine activities, incarceration rates, education and welfare programs.
5. What is the demographics of homicide in the United States?  Which gender, age and racial groups are more likely to be perpetrators?  To be victims?
6. How does a generational theory of social change fit with the trends in crime in the United States since the 1960s?  Which of the variables does it fit best, economic stress, political legitimacy, family disorganization, age structure, drug markets, routine activities, incarceration rates, or spending on education and welfare programs?
7. explain the difference between deontological and teleological ethical theories.  How would each be applied to issues such as:  abortion, the death penalty, racial profiling, racial preferences, gun control, drug legalization, physician-assisted suicide?
8. Explain the differences between ethical egoism, group loyalty, utilitarianism and ethical formalism.  How do they apply to specific issues?
9. What is Kant's "categorical imperative"?  How does it apply to issues in criminal justice?
10. What is the difference between "act" and "rule" utilitarianism?
11. Explain the concept of a system.  What are the major components of the criminal justice "system?"  How does a systemm model help us understand the failure of policies such as mandatory sentencing and three-strikes laws?
12. What is the "Criminal Justice Wedding Cake"?  How are the crimes in each layer treated differently?
13. What is meant by the "going rate" in criminal justice prosecution?  How are sentences determined?
14. What is the role of repeat or career criminals in criminal justice?  What are the difficulties of focusing on career criminals as a crime reducing strategy?
15. How effective is policing in reducing violent crime?  How can it be made more effective?
16. What is the difference between "selective" and "gross" incapacitation?  What are the practical and ethical difficulties with selective incarceration?
17. How effective have rehabilitation programs been?  What is the evidence?  How can they be made more effective?
18. What is the argument that the criminal law in the United States "overreaches"?
19. What is the argument that the law itself is criminogenic?
20. How extensive is drug use in America?  What have the trends been?
21. What has been the impact of the war on drugs?
22. How successful have drug interdiction efforts been?
23. How effective is drug treatment?
24. What do different people believe the consequences of drug legalization would be?