CRJU 2200 1st EditionExam # 1 Study Guide Criminal Justice Study GuideDATE TOPIC AND READING ASSIGNMENT Jan. 14, 16 Introduction, Crime Myths, Crime & the Media, Crime & Social Science · Alvarez & Bachman, Chapter 1: “Through the Looking Glass” (read by Thurs.) · Walker, Chapter 1: “Crime and Policy: A Complex Problem” · Best, “Telling the Truth about Damned Lies and Statistics” (online reading) · “Crime Definitions” (one-page description in the “Lecture Outlines” folder on the Desire2Learn course page) Reading/discussion questions: 1. How is crime portrayed in the mass media? How do media images of crime compare to the reality of crime? (See Alvarez and Bachman, Chapter 1). Crime is portrayed as being overly dramatic in the mass media. The news stations obtain the information and thendepending on the stations’ particular stance, will provide information about the crime that occurred. Images ofcrime compared to the reality of the crime are often heightened.2. What explains the dramatic drop in crime that began during the mid-1990’s? (Walker, Chapter 1). Criminologist and policy analysts believe that the decline in crime was due to an increased incarceration number,decline in the use of crack cocaine, stronger economy and community policing. 3. What is “evidence-based policymaking?” Why is it important? (Walker, Chapter 1). Evidence based policy making is extensively used in health care policy and has become one of the most importantdevelopments in criminology. This approach requires policies to be based on a solid foundation of evidence drawnfrom the best research.Questions you should be able to answer following the class sessions: 1. What makes the study of crime, or any other phenomenon, “scientific”? The study of crime is scientific because test or research is done to determine the cause of the crimescommitted. Also data is retrieved during this process. 2. Why is the New Orleans disaster described as a dramatic example of media distortion? What really happened in New Orleans? Is there any truth to the rumors of extreme violence? How do we know? The New Orleans disaster was described as being distorted by the media because many of the residents wereunder-prepared for the hurricane because the media down played the severity of the storm. Also many residentswere unable to leave. Contrary to the initial media reports, the threat of violence did not dominate the experienceof storm victims. Truth to the rumors of extreme violence can be determined by victims who survived the stormand were able to provide information.3. What are the major sources of media distortion? One major source of the media distortion is public officials. News coverage is another source of media distortion aswell.Jan. 21, 23 Crime in the U.S., Trends, and International Comparisons · Alvarez & Bachman, Chapter 2: “A Murderous Society.” · Walker, Chapter 3: “The Going Rate”Reading/discussion questions: 1. Is our current society more violent than ever before? Why or why not? Explain. Our current society is not more violent than ever before but often tends to fluctuate being little to no violence andbeing an overly violent nation.2. How does our murder rate compare to that of other nations? The murder rate of the United States is high compared to that of other nations due to the promotion ofviolence in many different scenarios. Also the laws of fire arms in America are more lenient than in manynations.3. Is the U.S. more, or less, punitive than other advanced nations? Explain. The US seems to be more punitive on certain crimes than other advanced nation especially when suchpunishments such as the electric chair are considered as well as serving life in prison and many other forms ofpunishment.4. What is the law of “criminal justice thermodynamics”? If a criminal gets enough punishment it will eventually cause them to change their criminal ways.Questions you should be able to answer following the class sessions: 1. How do public perceptions of the crime problem (including youth violence) compare with actual trends in crime? The actual trends in crime are significantly lower than they are perceived to be in the media especiallywhen it comes to youth violence.2. What is the “super predator” myth? The super predator myth is a prediction of a new brand of youth criminals who will be more violent and ruthlessthan in the past.3. How can we explain, in further detail, the crime drop? Many factors have likely played a role in the declining crime rate such as policing strategies, mass incarceration,decline in drug use, and stabilization of the economy.4. What is the “criminal justice funnel”? What do we learn about the percentage of crimes that come to the attention of officials, and that are cleared in arrest? How do offenders view the c.j. system, especially their chancesof being apprehended? How do their views affect their behavior? The criminal justice funnel is the total crime rate to the number of reported crimes to the number of arrest thatoccur to the number of the convicted. Many crimes are never reported so there is no chance of them being clearedby arrest. Experienced offenders understand this better than most that the chances of being caught for any givencrime are low therefore they continue to commit crimes with no regards to the criminal justice system.5. What are the 3 major strategies for measuring crime? What are the major strengths and limitations of each strategy?1. Official statistics: uniform crime reports; annual report of crimes known to law enforcement agencies thus missesunreported crimes (which are most crimes). 2. Victimization surveys: sample of Americans asked if they had everbeen victimized in the past year, whether reported or not; only 40% of victims reported the crime. 3. Self-reportedsurveys: sample of people are asked about the crimes they have committed; if respondents are assured anonymityor confidentiality, results tend to be fairly reliable; captures crimes that only the offenders are aware of; mostindividuals have engaged in some form of crime; only 25% of serious violent juveniles have had contact with thecriminal justice system.6. Is the “Scared Straight” program an example of an evidence-based approach to crime control? Why or why not?How have researchers measured the effectiveness of the program? What were the results, and how can we explainthese results?The Scared