Family Questions from "Crime Types" for the Midterm

Below are the questions (and answers) I accepted, with some editing. Remember, these questions will be on the midterm exam coming up this Thursday, 10/21.

CHAPTER 2: HOMICIDE AND ASSAULT RED FAMILY (Sami, Amanda, Taylor, Kirsten)

1. Identify the characteristics of most murders. (2pts) (Note: you do not have to list all of them to get full credit, but you should be able to identify several.)

ANSWER: Most murders are one-on-one situations where the victim and the perpetrator are acquainted. Most involved individuals of the same age, race, and gender. And they tend to be crimes of passion which result from a heated, emotional argument.

2. In what way do independent killers (or hitmen) use Sykes and Matza's "techniques of neutralization?" (1)

ANSWER: By classifying killing as a job or a normal business transaction, which enables the hitman to neutralize any sense of moral responsibility.

3. Why is the use of "threats" so important in gang violence, and how does this contribute to the growth of gangs? (2)

ANSWER: Threats keep opposing gangs in a constant state of anticipation of what the other gang will do, causing them to act irrationally, out of fear, using violence. Threats increase the solidarity of a gang and motivates other young people in the neighborhood to join for protection.

4. In the article, "How Women Experience Battering," how is Sykes and Matza's "techniques of neutralization" used in a unique way? (1)

ANSWER: As the basis for categories of rationalization that battered women, as VICTIMS, rationalize the behavior of their abusers.


CHAPTER 3: VIOLENT SEX CRIMES GREEN FAMILY (Michaela was the only one who submitted questions; the other family members, Lauren A., David, and Sarah get 2 points off for this activity.)

1. What are the typical characteristics of gang rape victims on college campuses? (1)

ANSWER: They are generally rather naive, first-year students who have somehow gained a reputation for being promiscuous.

2. According to research by Scully and Marolla, referred to in the Introduction to Chapter 3, most rapists are driven by what? (1)

ANSWER: a will to degrade or dominate their victims, not by a quest for sexual gratification.


CHAPTER 4: ROBBERY YELLOW FAMILY (Francis, Patrick, Cynthia, Anna)

1. Why do people resort to robbery instead of seeking legal work? (2)

ANSWER: Because criminals are addicted to pleasure. They rob and spend the money as quickly as possible on parties, drugs, clothes, etc. and when they run out, they want to have their "fun" back as quickly as possible, so they rob again. A job with a paycheck would not give them the cash they need when they need it. And since criminals tend to be unskilled and uneducated, it would be difficult for them to hold down even a minimum-wage job.

2. What is the term Samaha prefers as an alternative for "robbery," and why? (2)

ANSWER: "Aggravated property crime," because a robbery combines elements of property theft and violence into a single criminal transaction.

3. What two things govern an individual's decision to commit a carjacking? (2)

ANSWER: (1) PERCEIVED SITUATIONAL INDUCEMENTS (immediate pressures on an individual such as peer pressure, need for cash or drugs, revenge) and (2) PERCEIVED OPPORTUNITY (potential risks and rewards).
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That's it. See you tomorrow (Tues. 10/19).