Crime Victims An Introduction to Victimology 9th Edition by Andrew Karmen - Test Bank

 TEST BANK

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. In accounting for repeat victimizations, the term _____ focuses on the offender.

a. penal couple

b. duet frame of reference

c. boost explanation

d. flag explanation

ANS: C LO: 1│3 REF: p. 137

2. In accounting for repeat victimizations, the term _____ emphasizes the vulnerability and attractiveness of the target.

a. penal couple

b. duet frame of reference

c. boost explanation

d. flag explanation

ANS: D LO: 1│3 REF: p. 137

3. Responsibility for one’s conduct is a changing concept. Its interpretation can be influenced by:

a. social conditions

b. political conditions

c. cultural conditions

d. all of these

e.

ANS: D LO: 1│2 REF: p. 142

4. The term _____ refers to those situations in which victims carelessly and unknowingly make it easier for a criminal to commit a theft.

a. provocation

b. precipitation

c. facilitation

d. curiosity

ANS: C LO: 3 REF: p. 144

5. Auto theft and burglary are the property crimes most often cited by victimologists who study the problem of _____

a. provocation

b. precipitation

c. facilitation

d. curiosity

ANS: C LO: 3│4 REF: p. 144

6. By definition, victim-facilitated burglaries are not break-ins but acts of _____.

a. robbery

b. trespass

c. criminal mischief

d. vandalism

ANS: B LO: 3│4 REF: p. 144

7. The NCVS keeps track of categories of burglaries, including _____.

a. unlawful entries

b. attempted forcible entries

c. forcible entries

d. all of these

ANS: D LO: 3 REF: p. 144

8. The _____ of the head of the household is the most important determinant of whether or not someone is likely to facilitate a burglary.

a. socio-economic status

b. race

c. age

d. gender

ANS: C LO: 3│4 REF: p. 144

9. The idea of _____  is applied to those cases in which the person who was killed had been the first to use force by drawing a weapon, striking the first physical blow during an argument, or in some way initiating violence to settle a dispute.

a. provocation

b. precipitation

c. facilitation

d. penal couple

ANS: B LO: 2│3 REF: p. 154

10. _____ implies that the loser is more responsible than the victor for the victimization that occurred.

a. Provocation

b. Precipitation

c. Facilitation

d. Penalization

ANS: A LO: 3 REF: p. 154

11. _____ has been applied when those who get killed play contributory roles in their deaths by exercising poor judgment, taking excessive risks, or pursuing a self-destructive lifestyle.

a. Provocation

b. Boost explanation

c. Facilitation

d. Subintentional death

ANS: D LO: 2│3 REF: p. 154

12. A(n) _____ would not be considered a victim of murder.

a. bank robber killed by bank guard

b. offender killed by use of excessive force by police

c. passerby hit by police gun fire

d. owner killed during a robbery

ANS: A LO: 1│3 REF: p. 155

13. A _____ is a classification scheme that aids in the understanding of what a group has in common and how it differs from others.

a. typology

b. trend

c. rate

d. profile

ANS: A LO: 7 REF: p. 137

14. Arguments that the victims of a crime might share responsibility with their offenders for what happened due to facilitation, precipitation, and provocation have been characterized as:

a. a just world outlook

b. victim defending

c. victim blaming

d. offender blaming

ANS: C LO: 2 REF: p. 138

15. _____ challenges whether it is accurate and fair to try to hold the wounded party accountable to some degree for his or her own injuries or losses.

a. The just world outlook

b. Victim defending

c. Victim

d. Offender blaming

ANS: B LO: 2 REF: p. 138

16. _____ proceeds from the assumption that sometimes the victim bears some responsibility for the crime.

a. The just world outlook

b. Victim defending

c. Victim blaming

d. Offender blaming

ANS: C LO: 2 REF: p. 138

17. The belief that people get what they deserve is called _____.

a. the just world outlook

b. victim defending

c. victim blaming

d. offender blaming

ANS: A LO: 1 REF: p. 139

18. Which of the following is NOT an example of a ‘Technique of Neutralization’?

a. “That guy was asking for it!”

b. “They are a bunch of crooks themselves!”

c. “We should get a medal for this!”

d. “That person did not deserve this!”

ANS: D LO: 2 REF: p. 139

19. _____ resists any attempt to shift the burden of full responsibility off of lawbreakers’ backs and onto the victims’ shoulders.

a. The just world outlook

b. Offender defending

c. Victim blaming

d. Offender blaming

ANS: D LO: 9 REF: p. 142

20. According to _____, neither the offender nor the victim is the real culprit.

a. the just world outlook

b. system blaming

c. victim blaming

d. offender blaming

ANS: B LO: 10 REF: p. 142

21. _____ are operations that dismantle stolen cars and sell the parts as if they came from legitimate salvage and recycling pipelines.

a. Theft rings

b. Chop shops

c. Pawn shops

d. All of these

ANS: B LO: 11 REF: p. 147

22. _______ bear no responsibility because they tried to protect themselves by scrupulously following crime prevention tips suggested by security specialists to protect personal data.

a. Conscientiously resisting victims

b. Conventionally cautious victims

c. Carelessly facilitating victims

d. Precipitative initiators

ANS: A LO: 4│10 REF: p. 149

23. Making an offender’s task more difficult through threat assessment and advanced planning is known as _____.

a. conscientious resistance

b. conventional caution

c. careless facilitation

d. crime resistance

ANS: D LO: 11 REF: p. 172

24. According to the _____, the number of offenses committed will not drop when targets are hardened because criminal activity simply will be displaced.

a. typology of crime facilitation

b. valve theory of crime shifts

c. carelessly facilitating victims theory

d. theory of precipitative initiators

ANS: B LO: 11 REF: p. 172

25. Minimizing the chances of being harmed when exposure is unavoidable is known as _____.

a. situational crime prevention

b. crime control

c. facilitation

d. risk management

ANS: D LO: 10 REF: p. 171

26. One theory explaining why some groups suffer higher victimization rates than others calls attention to exact locations rather than the general lifestyle of particular individuals and is known as the _____ factor

a. risky lifestyles

b. deviant place factor

c. equivalent groups

d. social ecology

ANS: B LO: 8 REF: p. 168

TRUE/FALSE

1. The idea of shared responsibility suggests that there is a possible explanation for why a particular person was a crime victim.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 1 REF: p. 135

2. In accounting for repeat victimizations, the theory of boost explanation focuses on the offender.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 1│3 REF: p. 137

3. Steal-to-sell operations alter the registration and title documents and vehicle identification number in what is called jiggling.

a. true b. false

ANS: F LO: 2 REF: p. 147

4. The term facilitation refers to those situations in which victims carelessly and unknowingly make it easier for a criminal to commit a theft.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 3 REF: p. 144

5. Auto theft and burglary are the property crimes most often cited by victimologists who study the problem of provocation.

a. true b. false

ANS: F LO: 3 REF: p. 144

6. Avoidance strategies are actions people take to limit personal exposure to dangerous people and frightening situations.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 10 REF: p. 171

7. Being a defensive driver is example of becoming crime conscious.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 11 REF: p. 171

8. The equivalent group explanation holds that crime prevention rests upon interventions that are designed to block criminal opportunities from developing in a particular time and place.

a. true b. false

ANS: F LO: 8 REF: p.171

9. Installing surveillance cameras is an example of victimization prevention.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 11 REF: p.171

10. Out of 36 million alarm activations across the country responded to by the police, about 95% were false alarms.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 6 REF: p. 145

11. The first in-depth investigation of what was deemed to be victim precipitation centered on homicide.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 2 REF: p. 154

12. The term subintentional death has been applied to situations in which victims played a contributory role in their own demise.

a. true b. false

ANS: D LO: 3 REF: p. 154

13. Provocation accuses the loser of being more responsible than the victor for fight that occurs.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 3 REF: p.154

14. Arguments that the victims of a crime might share responsibility with their offenders for what happened due to facilitation, precipitation, and provocation have been characterized as victim blaming.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 2│6 REF: p. 138

15. Victim defenders challenge whether it is accurate and fair to try to hold the wounded party accountable in any degree for his or her own injuries or losses.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 2│6 REF: p. 138

16. The victim blaming process starts when an assumption is made that there is something wrong with the victim.

a. trueb. false

ANS: T LO: 2│6 REF: p. 138

17. Offender blaming resists any attempt to shift the burden of full responsibility off of lawbreakers’ backs and onto the victims’ shoulders.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 1│2 REF: p. 142

18. Conscientiously resisting victims bear no responsibility because they tried to protect themselves by scrupulously following crime prevention tips suggested by security specialists and by purchasing anti-theft devices.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 11 REF: p. 171

19. Vulnerability refers to a target’s ability to resist and repel an attack.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 8│11 REF: p. 166

20. Locking the car doors, activating an alarm, and parking in a well-monitored area are examples of target hardening.

a. true b. false

ANS: T LO: 8│11 REF: p. 171

ESSAY QUESTIONS

1. Assume a scenario where a husband has a long history of physical abuse toward his wife and children. The wife’s order of protection and previous complaints to the police have not stopped the abuse. One night, the wife shoots the husband in his sleep. Examine this scenario from the perspectives of “victim blaming,” “victim defending,” and “system blaming.”

ANS: Victim blaming would argue the wife should have left him when the abuse began. She facilitated the crime by staying with her abusive husband. Victim defending would argue no one is to blame for having violent crimes committed against them. System blaming would take the angle of arguing the criminal justice system did not do its job of protecting the wife, noting the wife did attempt to stop the violence through the orders of protection and the complaints to the police

LO: 2│6│9 REF: p. 138-142

2. The notions of victim facilitation, precipitation, and provocation have been derived from the broader theme of shared responsibility. Outline and discuss each of these concepts. Compare and contrast them.

ANS: Victim facilitation refers to when a victim helps an offender due to their own carelessness. People who do not guard their possessions carefully are more apt to be partially blamed for the crime. For example, leaving a purse completely unattended at a bar provides an opportunity for a would-be thief to take it and run. This is different from victim precipitation where a victim is believed to contribute significantly to the crime. This is common in crimes of violence where there is no clear cut explanation for how the crime was ignited. Precipitation stepped up a notch is called provocation. This is a stronger term of condemnation than the former. Here the injured party is thought to have contributed to the responsibility of the crime through either challenging the offender or inciting the violence that ensured in some way. Precipitation and provocation have been used interchangeably in victimology, which is unfortunate as they are two distinct terms indicating shared responsibility.

LO: 1-3 REF: p. 144-154

3. Arguments that the victims of crime might share responsibility with their offenders are common in victimology. Outline and discuss the concepts of victim blaming and victim defending.

ANS: If a victim has taken steps to reduce the risk of victimization, she is considered blameless in the crime. In situations where the crime is a rouse, either for financial gain or to cover up another crime, the ‘victim’ would be considered responsible. Victim blaming incorporates those crimes where the victim is seen as being involved with the offender somehow in the commission of the crime. Victimologists describe a three stage through process with victim blaming beginning with the idea that there is something wrong with the victim in terms of their behavior or attitude. Second, these differences are considered the reason for their victimization. Third, victims are assumed to want to avoid future victimization through changing their behavior or attitude. The underlying belief to this thought process is a justification for others in society; a reasoning for why crime would not happen to them. “She was a victim because she acted carelessly. I don’t act carelessly; therefore it won’t happen to me”. The idea of a just world reduces fear of victimization. Victim defending argues those who blame victims are overstating the extent to which victims are generally involved in the crime. In addition, they argue the advice given to reduce victimization is not realistic given the conditions of, for example, inner city neighborhoods where risk may not be avoided. Two arguments tend to go with victim defending. First is the concept of offender blaming where the full responsibility is given to the offender for the crime. The second is system blaming. This concept advocates the institutions in our social system are to blame.

LO: 2│6 REF: p.138-143

4. Why are some individuals chronically victimized? How does this tie into the concept of shared responsibility?

ANS: Often the focus for shared responsibility are with victims who have had many experiences with falling prey to crime. It is not uncommon for offenders to target the same victims multiple times in a period of time. In fact, being a victim in the past is one of the best predictors of whether an individual will be harmed again, by the same offender or another one. The more victimizations one experiences, the higher the probability of future victimization. Individuals who are chronically victimized tend to hang out in ‘hot spots’, which are areas with high crime rates. People who have experienced multiple victimizations are also those who tend to not learn from past mistakes and routinely do the same things that made them high risk for victimization to begin with. Analysts offer two reasons for repeat victimizations and these are boost and flag explanations. The first looks at offender behavior and how successful crimes tend to dictate the location and person for the second attempt. For example, a house successfully burglarized is one likely to be targeted again. Flag explanations focus on victims and refer to vulnerable or attractive opportunities and targets. For example, taxi drivers are often mugged because they are an attractive opportunity as they carry good sums of cash.

LO: 8  REF: 122-124

5. Using the typologies of different kinds of victims of burglary to illustrate the differences between complete innocence, facilitation, precipitation, provocation, and full responsibility.

ANS: Conscientiously resisting victims are blameless in cases of burglary. They followed all the crime prevention tips and purchased house alarm systems. These victims take the crime of burglary seriously, even making sure they have all the receipts, descriptions, and proper insurance coverage for items in their homes. Conventionally cautious victims locked their houses at night and made sure some lights were on when they were not home, but did not take the extra precautions the conscientiously resisting victims did—such as a house alarm. Therefore, both groups are considered blameless, although they might be susceptible to criticism for not resisting enough. Carelessly facilitating victims leave their house doors unlocked and are not conscious of simple risk avoidance techniques such a leaving a light on in the house when they leave at night. They are considered partly responsible as they did not remotely attempt to thwart a burglar’s objective. Precipitative initiators took steps that went beyond carelessness to facilitate the burglary for their own gain, such as having their old stereo system stolen from their house so the insurance will pay for a new one. They may have left the front door wide open, or left for a trip and did not lock any doors or windows while they were gone. Provocative conspirators are accomplices to the crime. In other words, the crime would not have occurred without their assistance. They may seek to pay a criminal to burglarize their home so they may obtain the insurance money. Finally, fabricating simulators are not victims because they are making up the story of burglary for their own fiduciary gain. No crime occurred, except of course the insurance fraud the so-called victim facilitated.

LO: 3│6 REF: 141, 144-145, 158