Chapter 6: Theories on Female Offending

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. ______ theories of criminality explore the large-scale social explanations for crime.

A. Macro

B. Sociological

C. Micro

D. Behavioral

2. ______ theories of criminality focus on individual differences between law-abiding and law-violating behaviors.

A. Macro

B. Psychological

C. Micro

D. Behavioral

3. Which of the following were the first to attempt to investigate the nature of the female offender?

A. Hirschi

B. The Glueck's

C. Lombroso and Ferrero

D. Agnew

4. Lombroso and Ferrero suggested that ______.

A. criminals have atavistic degenerative physical characteristics

B. criminals lack self-control

C. criminals do not have strong social bonds

D. criminals are strained

5. Which of the following was written by Lombroso and Ferrero?

A. Five Hundred Criminal Careers

B. The Female Offender

C. The Criminality of Women

D. none of these

6. All of the following are criticisms of Lombroso and Ferrero EXCEPT for ______.

A. Small sample size

B. Heterogeneity of sample

C. Assumptions lack scientific basis

D. Failure to control for additional environmental factors

7. Who of the following conducted a longitudinal study of female offenders?

A. Pollack

B. Hirschi

C. The Glueck's

D. Daly

8. The Glueck's were among the first to focus on female ______.

A. delinquency

B. victimization

C. social roles

D. recidivism

9. According to Pollack, the ______ of women suggested that women gain power by deceiving men through sexual playacting and faked sexual responses.

A. blurred boundaries

B. power control

C. masked criminality

D. hidden nature

10. Which of the following was written by Pollack?

A. Five Hundred Criminal Careers

B. The Female Offender

C. The Criminality of Women

D. Criminal Woman, the Prostitute, and the Normal Woman

11. Traditional criminological theories focused exclusively on ______.

A. the body

B. violent crime

C. delinquency

D. male criminality

12. Who of the following developed social bonding theory?

A. Hirschi

B. Lombroso and Ferrero

C. Chesney-Lind

D. Sutherland

13. All of the following are elements of the social bond except ______.

A. attachment

B. commitment

C. integration

D. belief

14. According to Hirschi, which of the following can serve as one of the strongest inhibitors of delinquency?

A. Family

B. Peers

C. School

D. Sports

15. Which of the following describes the difference in social bonds found between American girls and Turkish girls?

A. Girls in Turkey are more attached to peers.

B. Girls in America are more attached to peers.

C. Girls in Turkey are more attached to school.

D. Girls in America are more attached to school.

16. Differential association was developed by which of the following?

A. Sutherland

B. Hirschi

C. Pollack

D. Gottfredson

17. Differential association focuses on the influence of which of the following?

A. Families

B. Peers

C. Teachers

D. Religion

18. Which of the following theories posits that learned behaviors are a result of peer associations?

A. Life Course

B. Power Control

C. Social Bonds

D. Differential Association

19. Girls are more likely to experience strain as a result of ______.

A. violence in the home

B. violence at school

C. violence in the neighborhood

D. nonviolence

20. Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime focuses on ______.

A. definitions favorable to law violation

B. social bonds

C. self-control

D. patriarchy

21. Gottfredson and Hirschi suggest the development of self-control is rooted in ______.

A. the body

B. the mind

C. gender

D. family

22. Adler and Simon suggested that which of the following caused increases in female offending?

A. Liberation of women

B. Socialization of women

C. Abuse of women

D. Integration of women

23. Which of the following is a weakness of Hagan's power-control theory?

A. It fails to focus on gender.

B. It fails to incorporate socialization into gender roles.

C. It fails to consider one-parent households.

D. It fails to measure parental control.

24. Feminist criminology began as a reaction to which of the following?

A. Male chauvinism in the discipline

B. Gender neutrality in research

C. A lack of sexism in the literature

D. An abundance of female-centered research

25. Which of the following social bonds refers to the investment that an individual has to the normative values of society?

A. Commitment

B. Attachment

C. Involvement

D. Belief

26. All of the following were identified as challenges faced by feminist criminology EXCEPT for _____.

A. exploring the relationship between gender, race, and class

B. exploring how the War on Drugs has impacted women

C. exploring ways to link research with activism

D. exploring how political environments affect women

27. ______ refers to the level at which one might participate in conventional activities such as studying or playing sports.

A. Commitment

B. Attachment

C. Involvement

D. Belief

28. ______ refers to the bond that people have with family, friends, and social institutions that may serve as an informal control against criminality.

A. Commitment

B. Attachment

C. Involvement

D. Belief

29. _____ refers to a general acceptance of the rules of society.

A. Commitment

B. Attachment

C. Involvement

D. Belief

30. The concept of ______ refers to nondistinct categories of victim and offender.

A. blurred boundaries

B. distinct boundaries

C. no boundaries

D. excess boundaries

31. All of the following were identified as themes that alter the experiences for Black women in the criminal justice system EXCEPT for ______.

A. many Black women experience structural oppression in society

B. Black families differ in their intimate and familial relations

C. the Black community and culture features unique characteristics as a result of their racialized experiences

D. Black woman are individual, but not unique

32. ______ suggests that events in significant life events can explain why a person engages in crime.

A. Social bond theory

B. Differential association theory

C. Power-control theory

D. Life course theory

33. ______ built upon the themes of gender roles and socialization to explain patterns of female offending.

A. Feminist criminology

B. Social criminology

C. Feminology

D. Sociology

34. Developments in feminist research have addressed the significant relationship between ______ and offending.

A. assault

B. victimization

C. criminality

D. female criminality

35. ______ believed that criminal data sources failed to reflect the true extent of female crime.

A. Hirschi

B. Manson

C. Lomroso

D. Pollak

36. The Charles Manson murders took place during which of the following decades?

A. 1940s

B. 1950s

C. 1960s

D. 1970s

37. According to the case study, the Manson women’s actions could be associated with which of the following theories?

A. social disorganization

B. strain

C. routine activities

D. social bonds

38. The Manson women have all been denied ______.

A. probation

B. entry into prison rehabilitation programs

C. parole

D. constitutional rights

True/False

1. Pollack believed that crime data sources reflect the true extent of female crime.

2. Commitment refers to the bond that people have with family, friends, and social institutions that may serve as an informal control against criminality.

3. Life course theory allowa for a gender-neutral review of how the different developmental milestones in one’s life can explain criminal behavior.

4. Differential association was unique in that it highlighted why people may not become involved in criminal activity.

5. According to Hirschi, attachment refers to the investment that an individual has to the normative values of society.

6. According to Sutherland, delinquency occurs when there is an excess of definitions unfavorable to violations of law.

7. Research shows that social bonds impact men and women differently.

8. The general theory of crime can explain the delinquency of boys but fails in its explanation for girls.

9. Differential association is strongly supported by research.

10. According to Broidy and Agnew, boys and girls experience different types of strain.

11. Impulsivity is an indicator of a lack of self-control.

12. According to power-control theory, girls will demonstrate higher rates of delinquency in families with patriarchal values.

13. Differential association theory posits that these learned behaviors are a result of peer associations.

14. All marginalized women resort to crime.

15. Theories on criminal behavior try to explain why offenders engage in crime.

Essay

1. Describe how theories of female offending have changed over time (i.e., from historical to traditional to modern).

2. Describe the contributions of and challenges facing feminist criminology.

3. Compare and contrast social bonding theory to the general theory of crime. What has recent research on these theories found regarding gender differences?

4. Discuss differential association theory.

5. Discuss Hirschi’s social bond theory (1969).