CRJ 435 EXAM 1- MIDTERM EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

• Question 1 Needs Grading Name and describe the distinct types of gang members identified by Tita and colleagues (2003). Be sure to identify the most common type. Selecte d Answer: Correct The most common type of gang member identified by Tita and colleagues is the "Active Soldier". They are the most likely to be involved with gang activity other than attacking rival gangs. Second, there "Shot Callers" are the leaders, they are older and usually isolated from the gang's every day activity. Finally, the "Shooters" are the most likely members to commit crimes against other gangs. Answer: According to Tita and colleagues (2003), the majority of gangs have three primary types of members: (1) “shot callers,” (2) “shooters,” and (3) “active soldiers.” Shot callers are gang leaders, and they are most often older and more isolated from other gang members and activities. Shooters are the members most likely to engage in violent acts directed toward another gang. Finally, active soldiers, the most common type of gang members, are those who are most likely to report an association with a gang though they are not necessarily involved in violent attacks of rivals. • Question 2 Needs Grading Compare and contrast the two terms most commonly used to describe gangs in the empirical literature: “youth gangs” and “street gangs”. Selecte The term youth gang and street gang are often used interchangeably. However, d there is a distinction between the two terms. Youth gang refers to a young gang-- Answer: one that is not heavily involved in major criminal activity. Street gangs are older gangs that are involved in more serious crimes like assault, robbery, and murder. Correct Answer: The two terms most commonly used to describe gangs in the empirical literature are (1) “youth gangs” and (2) “street gangs.” Youth gangs are younger gangs whose members are largely children and adolescents. Since members in these gangs have participated in gang activity for a comparatively shorter time than members of street gangs, prevention and intervention programs are recommended. Street gangs, on the other hand, tend to have older members who commit largely violent urban crimes. Some street gangs are also involved in drug trafficking. • Question 3 Needs Grading What is the difference between gangs that have a horizontal structure and gangs with a vertical structure? Selecte A horizontal structure is one in which there are links between separate gangs. d For example, the Chicano gangs of LA. These gangs, while separate from each Answer: other, have a common solidarity around them being from barrios. This solidarity adds to the individual gang's stability. A vertical structure is a typical gang structure in which leadership is divided into different levels or hierarchies--a member's power and authority is related to their position in the chain of command. Correct Answer: Klein (1971) and Spergel (1990) described gangs or alliances among them as either "horizontally" or "vertically" structured. Gangs that are horizontally structured have no hierarchy. Rather, these gangs are better thought of as social networks that are allied with other gangs such as in nations or supergangs. In contrast, gangs that are vertically structured have a hierarchy that differentiates between leaders and followers or among age groups. Members of vertically structured gangs move up the hierarchy as they get older or as they gain status. • Question 4 Needs Grading What are the two research methodologies that are most commonly used to assess the number and demographic characteristics of gangs and gang members? Select one demographic characteristic (age, race/ethnicity, or gender) and discuss possible explanations for why these two methodologies may give different estimates of the demographic make-up of gangs & their members. Selecte The NGC uses law enforcement agencies to collect its demographics data. Th d issue with using these agencies solely is that the growth of the numbers over Answer: time could be due to these agencies not purging names from their databases. Correct Answer: The two research methodologies that are most commonly used to assess the number and demographic characteristics of gangs and gang members are law enforcement surveys and self-report surveys of youth. These methods give conflicting accounts for the demographic characteristics of age, race/ethnicity, and gender. Only one of these needs to be discussed. For age, law enforcement surveys such as the NYGS tend to report gang members are older as (1) law enforcement tends to give greater attention to street gangs whose members are older and (2) young gang members age with the passage of time and law enforcement fails to regularly clean its databases. For race/ethnicity, self-report surveys report relatively equal levels of involvement across race/ethnicity groups while law enforcement surveys report greater involvement among Hispanics and African Americans than among Whites. This may be due to (1) the overrepresentation of minorities in the juvenile and criminal justice systems or (2) the tendency among law enforcement to patrol areas where Hispanics and African Americans reside more heavily. For gender, law enforcement surveys report considerably less gang involvement among females than self-report surveys. This may be due to law enforcement paying greater attention to (1) older gang members (when girls drop out earlier than boys) and (2) violent activity in which a smaller proportion of girls are involved in. • Question 5 What are the key features of routine activities (opportunity) theory and what is the Needs Grading primary difference between it and other societal-level theories detailed in Chapter 4? Selecte This theory state that crime occurs when all of these factors meet: d A motivated offender Answer: A suitable opportunity/target Absence of a capable guardian or supervisor This theory assumes that the propensity to commit a criminal act is already present and awaiting an opportunity to be committed. Correct Answer: Routine activities (opportunity) theory asserts that criminal behavior results from the convergence of three factors: (1) motivated offenders, (2) the presence of suitable targets, and (3) a lack of capable guardians. Unlike other societal-level theories detailed in the chapter, routine activities (opportunity) theory assumes that some people have a propensity for crime-committing behavior, which provides opportunities to commit crimes. • Question 6 Needs Grading What is collective efficacy? How is it related to gang activity in a neighborhood? Selecte Collective efficacy is the mutual trust and willingness of community members to d intervene, when needed, for the common good. The absence of collective Answer: efficacy is what relates to gang activity in a neigborhood. If the members of the community have not decided to stand togeter and not allow these activities to take place (calling the police, participating, etc...), the gang will assume the role of policing themselves and continue to flourish. Correct Answer: Collective efficacy, or informal social control, is the linkage of mutual trust and the shared willingness to intervene for the public good. Residents in neighborhoods high in collective efficacy are able to cooperate and be effective in preventing and reducing undesirable behaviors, including gang-related beahvior, from occuring in that neighborhood. Residents in neighborhoods low in collective efficacy are unable to effectively work together in preventing or reducing gang-related activity. • Question 7 Needs Grading Define social control and discuss its relationship to delinquency in Thrasher’s (1927, 2000) social disorganization theory. Selecte Social control is using the process of socialization and social learning to reduce d the inclination to participate in antisocial behavior. Thrasher believed that youths Answer: join gangs because they do not feel connected to existing social institutions--the gang was their own society. This is because the youth was not socialized properly to feel as though they are a part of society and not on the outside of it. Correct Answer: Social control refers to conventional institutions such as family, education, and religion that support prosocial development. According to Thrasher (1927, 2000), in areas where neighborhood conditions are compromised due to structural conditions such as poverty, residential instability, and population heterogeneity, social control mechanisms are ineffective, thus leading to disorganization and crime/delinquency. • Question 8 Needs Grading Briefly describe how social disorganization theory would explain gang behaviors such as homicide. Be sure to specify the key variables/mechanisms through which social disorganization in a neighborhood results in gang activity. Selecte d Social disorganization theory assumes that strong social relationships can help to prevent crime. When most community members know and are on good terms Answer: with each other, the adult population has a greater chance of being able to influence the children in the community. The community can have the ability and willingness to intervene when children and other community members behave unacceptably. According to this theory, poverty and ethnic diversity within a community tends to interfere with the community members’ ability or willingness to work together therefore, leading to higher rates of delinquency in the community. I believe this theory is very fitting for larger cities. High crime areas are high crime areas because, in the developmental history of the area, there was a period of racial diversity that, over time, broke down the ability of existing community members’ relationships. Additionally, the reason these diverse groups flocked to these areas is because they were areas that were affordable or accessible for poverty stricken immigrants. These areas have continued to be places that are affordable and accessible for the poor due to low and subsidized living costs—a fact I find troubling because assistance programs for housing, in general, concentrate their programs in these areas instead of spreading them out across the city to allow the poor to integrate into other communities. Correct Answer: Social disorganization in a neighborhood is characterized by (1) residential instability, (2) concentrated disadvantage (poverty), and (3) racial/ethnic heterogeneity. Neighborhoods with these structural disadvantages are unable to effectively exercise social control over youth or develop collective efficacy. Social control in a neighborhood is usually exerted through private, parochial, and public ties. Gangs may develop to take the place of weak social institutions or they may arise as a result of the failure of existing social institutions to prevent gang activity. Low collective efficacy means that residents are unable to organize in such a way so as to prevent or reduce gang activity. User XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Course Drugs, Gangs and Organized Cri Test Midterm Exam: Chapters 1 - 5 (150 pts) Started 10/19/15 1:32 PM Submitted 10/19/15 3:32 PM Status Needs Grading Attempt Score Time Elapsed Instruction s Grade not available. 2 hours, 0 minute out of 2 hours. • Question 1 0 out of 3 points CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. In what Southern cities did gang-related homicides make up 20% of all homicides between 1996 and 2009? Answer Selected Answers: New Orleans San Antonio Correct Answers: Houston Atlanta Response Feedback: Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 14; Question Type: MR • Question 2 3 out of 3 points The was responsible for most drastically increasing the number and diversity of new immigrants entering the United States since the 19th century. Answer Selected Answer: Immigration and Naturalization Act Learning objective: N/A Cognitive Domain: Comprehension Answer Location: Pg. 14 Question Type: MC Correct Answer: Immigration and Naturalization Act Learning objective: N/A Cognitive Domain: Comprehension Answer Location: Pg. 14 Question Type: MC • Question 3 0 out of 3 points Which of the following is the name of the first New York City area gang with a clear leadership structure? Answer Selected Answer: Bowery Boys Correct Answer: Forty Thieves Response Feedback: Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 2 ; Question Type: MC • Question 4 0 out of 3 points Given its designation as an “early warning” location for gang violence in California, San Francisco is more likely than other cities to lead the development and dissemination of gang-related law enforcement intelligence. Answer Selected Answer: Correct Answer: Tru e Fals e Response Feedback: Learning objective: N/A ; Cognitive Domain; Application ; Answer Location: Pg. 12; Question Type: TF • Question 5 3 out of 3 points Which of the following is NOT an example of an illicit economy, such as that which emerged in the Robert Taylor Homes (RTH) in the 1970s? Answer Selected Answer: Babysitti ng Correct Answer: Babysitti ng • Question 6 3 out of 3 points The success that a given ethnic or racial group has in assimilating to American culture is inversely related to gang activity within that group over time. Answer Selected Answer: e Tru Correct Answer: e Tru • Question 7 0 out of 3 points CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. In which of the following regions are the presence of transnational gangs NOT pronounced? Answer Selected Answer: South Correct Answer: Northe ast Response Feedback: Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application ; Answer Location: Pgs. 12, 18; Question Type: MS • Question 8 3 out of 3 points CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following historical events are examples of the racial unrest between Blacks and Whites that in part led to development and expansion of Black gangs? Answer Selected Answers: The Great Migration The Civil War Correct Answers: The Great Migration The Civil War • Question 9 3 out of 3 points Of the 19% of inmates classified as gang members in a 2009 Directors of Security survey, the proportion of inmates who were part of a gang before coming to prison was the proportion of those who joined gangs after entering prison. Answer Selected Answer: equal to Correct Answer: equal to • Question 10 Which of the following is NOT an example of a “threat to law 3 out of 3 points enforcement” as delineated by the Texas Fusion Center’s assessment matrix of prison gang threat? Answer Selected Answer: Impersonating an officer Correct Answer: Impersonating an officer • Question 11 3 out of 3 points Which of the following is the most common myth told about gangs in the broadcast media? Answer Selected Answer: Children are joining gangs at younger and younger ages. Correct Answer: Children are joining gangs at younger and younger ages. • Question 12 Gangs are structured similarly to corporations. Answer 0 out of 3 points Selected Answer: Correct Answer: Tru e Fals e Response Feedback: Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 25; Question Type: TF • Question 13 3 out of 3 points CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following reflect reasons why children are actually not joining gangs at younger and younger ages? Answer Selected Answers: Children below a certain age are not sufficiently exposed to gangs. Teenagers and young adults in gangs prefer not to hang out with children. Correct Answers: Children below a certain age are not sufficiently exposed to gangs. Teenagers and young adults in gangs prefer not to hang out with children. • Question 14 3 out of 3 points The bulk of drug-related gang violence is due to fighting over market control of the drug market. Answer Selected Answer: e Fals Correct Answer: e Fals • Question 15 0 out of 3 points Law enforcement personnel attribute the majority of gang violence to gang migration. Answer Selected Answer: Correct Answer: Tru e Fals e Response Feedback: Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 28; Question Type: TF • Question 16 3 out of 3 points Which of the following is NOT one of the common myths promoted about gangs? Answer Selected Answer: Gangs are key players in firearms trafficking. Correct Answer: Gangs are key players in