Crime

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Crime Questions and Answers

What were the problems with the physical evidence in the O.J. Simpson investigation?

Do negative labels cause crime, or do people who commit crime become negatively labeled? Are labels a cause of crime or a result?

Are criminals rational decision-makers, or are they motivated by uncontrollable psychological and emotional drives?

How would biosocial theories explain the high levels of violent crime in lower class areas?

What is the psychoanalytic theory of criminology?

Does a person bear some of the responsibility for his or her victimization if the person maintains a lifestyle that contributes to the chances of becoming a crime victim? In other words, should we “blame the victim?”

How would you explain the fact that crime is more likely to occur in western and urban areas than in eastern or rural areas?

How would you counteract the assertion that people who commit crime are physically or mentally abnormal?  

List and explain the various clues that flames and smoke can offer the investigator in an arson investigation.

How would a structural theorist explain the presence of middle class crime?

Does a latent trait make a person crime prone, or is crime a function of environment and socialization?

Is poverty the cause of crime?

Are all activities that are labeled criminal really wrong from an ethical perspective?  Where should we draw the line between survival and criminal behavior?

What is the major cause of crime?

Is it a latent genetic trait that makes a person crime prone, or is crime a function of environment and socialization?

What factors influence the offender selection system?

Reflect on changes that have occurred across history regarding the behaviors society considers criminal. Discuss how changes in society at the time might have contributed to changes in which acts are considered criminal.

Explain the differences in men and women as both victims and offenders in terms of deviance and crime.  Are the rates of victimization and crime different?  

What are some current medical explanations of criminal behavior?

What sorts of issues influence the choice of actions taken against offenders?

What is the behavior / learning theory of criminology?

In 2009, how many violent crimes in the U.S. were reported to the police?

Explain as much as possible the decrease in criminal activity for young people after they pass through the period of adolescence.

Can the theories of biological predisposition to crime be reconciled with rehabilitation concepts?

Things like getting married, getting a job, and joining the military help keep us away from crime. How can the government use this to reduce crime?    

Discuss factors to be considered in crime prevention, including the benefits and costs. Tie your discussion to the debate on the legalization of drugs. 

What are some categories for best practices and the prevention of criminal activity in teens?

Is it in the state’s best interest to continue serving inmates with the opportunity to get an education in prison?

Which one is worst: street crime, white collar crime, or green collar crime? Why?

What evidence could be presented to argue that America is too conservative when it comes to crime?

An individual steals a soda from the local convenience store. He explains to his son that his actions are victimless. Is he correct? 

How would you combat urban blight, also referred to as Broken Window Syndrome?

Given that only a small percentage (6%, perhaps) of people in poor neighborhoods become chronic juvenile offenders (and possibly adult criminals), what does that fact say about the causal connection between poverty and crime (that many people think exists)?