PUP 3002 - CHAPTER 9-12 EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWER
What are the primary political economy concepts we use to provide insight on crime
policy - Correct Answers -Opportunity costs and expected utility.
What are the primary measures of crime - Correct Answers -Uniform crime report and
the National crime victimization survey
What is one of the greatest deterrents of crime - Correct Answers -Education
Crime - Correct Answers -a violation of the law. It is a way to satisfy desires
What are the five types of crime
how much does this costs us a year - Correct Answers -violent crime
white collar/corporate crime
organized crime (including terrorism)
property crime
Drug crime
about 200 billion, but immeasurably high emotional costs
Uniform Crime report - Correct Answers -One of two major sources of crime data. Data
is voluntarily submitted to it by about 17,000 local law enforcement agencies. Often
thought of as objective data and NOT free from error due to some agencies interpreting
the FBI'S guidelines differently or not reporting certain crimes for political reasons
- Measurement error: Some victims of crime do not report it to the police
National Crime Victimization survey - Correct Answers -managed by the bureau of
Justice Statistics
- A large survey of randomly selected American households regarding crime
victimizations
- generally finds more crime reported than in the UCR
- Problem: No independent check on what is reported
What are general demographic characteristics - Correct Answers -Data for homicide is
also a similar pattern to property crimes
- black males between 18-24 are most likely to be murdered
- white women over 25 are least likely
- young people 18-24 kill the most. Males commit almost 90% of murders
-White women over 25 and black men between 18-24 commit the most murders
Gary Becker said that crime is a function of - Correct Answers -1) The punishment
2) The probability of punishment
, 3) The return benefit from crime (including the probability of getting a return)
Why do individuals engage in crime - Correct Answers -- Reasons from both nurture
and nature
- Those with mental illness are likely to run afoul with the law and other are raised in
environments that encourage law breaking (way to get ahead, and a right of passage)
Blend of economic, expressive, personal, and social factors
Pyschic Rewards - Correct Answers -social factors and emotional rewards
Expected Utility model of crime - Correct Answers -Probability(Not Caught)*Utility of Not
caught+Probability(caught)*Utility caught
- All probabilities are non negative as well as different per individual and the decision
maker chooses the option with the greatest expected utility
- Anything that increases either the PR(being caught) or the utility(not being caught)
increases the probability that one commits the crime
- Anything that increases the PR(being caught) or increases the UT(being caught)
decreases the Prob that one commits the crime
- Expected prob. differ from individual but trends are identifiable
Expected Utility of a choice - Correct Answers -the probability of an outcome multiplied
by the utility of an outcome summed across all possible outcomes of a choice.
Prospect Theory - Correct Answers -- Incorporates aspects of human psychology into
expected utility theory
- Adds two new parameters :
*W- a weighing function. This allows for a variation across individuals in the probability
or weight they assign to events (allows variation for indv. in weight they assign)
*V-a value function. this allows for deviation in utility from a reference point (indv. may
differ in the value or utility they assign to the status quo)
Other aspects of prospect theory - Correct Answers -- people tend to overweight low
probability events
- In a domain of losses people are risk averse
- in a domain of gains people are risk acceptant
- Those with fewer opportunities to get ahead in life our more likely to be risk acceptant
and opt for crime
Benefits of criminal success - Correct Answers -- primary benefit is attainment of
criminal objective such as robbing a bank
- in addition there may be emotional such as (thrill of undertaking something risky) or
social such as (gaining prestige or membership in a gang)
How does a person assign costs of success - Correct Answers -Character ( refers to a
persons value system) - compromises two dimensions which are rule following and
empathy
QUESTIONS AND ANSWER
What are the primary political economy concepts we use to provide insight on crime
policy - Correct Answers -Opportunity costs and expected utility.
What are the primary measures of crime - Correct Answers -Uniform crime report and
the National crime victimization survey
What is one of the greatest deterrents of crime - Correct Answers -Education
Crime - Correct Answers -a violation of the law. It is a way to satisfy desires
What are the five types of crime
how much does this costs us a year - Correct Answers -violent crime
white collar/corporate crime
organized crime (including terrorism)
property crime
Drug crime
about 200 billion, but immeasurably high emotional costs
Uniform Crime report - Correct Answers -One of two major sources of crime data. Data
is voluntarily submitted to it by about 17,000 local law enforcement agencies. Often
thought of as objective data and NOT free from error due to some agencies interpreting
the FBI'S guidelines differently or not reporting certain crimes for political reasons
- Measurement error: Some victims of crime do not report it to the police
National Crime Victimization survey - Correct Answers -managed by the bureau of
Justice Statistics
- A large survey of randomly selected American households regarding crime
victimizations
- generally finds more crime reported than in the UCR
- Problem: No independent check on what is reported
What are general demographic characteristics - Correct Answers -Data for homicide is
also a similar pattern to property crimes
- black males between 18-24 are most likely to be murdered
- white women over 25 are least likely
- young people 18-24 kill the most. Males commit almost 90% of murders
-White women over 25 and black men between 18-24 commit the most murders
Gary Becker said that crime is a function of - Correct Answers -1) The punishment
2) The probability of punishment
, 3) The return benefit from crime (including the probability of getting a return)
Why do individuals engage in crime - Correct Answers -- Reasons from both nurture
and nature
- Those with mental illness are likely to run afoul with the law and other are raised in
environments that encourage law breaking (way to get ahead, and a right of passage)
Blend of economic, expressive, personal, and social factors
Pyschic Rewards - Correct Answers -social factors and emotional rewards
Expected Utility model of crime - Correct Answers -Probability(Not Caught)*Utility of Not
caught+Probability(caught)*Utility caught
- All probabilities are non negative as well as different per individual and the decision
maker chooses the option with the greatest expected utility
- Anything that increases either the PR(being caught) or the utility(not being caught)
increases the probability that one commits the crime
- Anything that increases the PR(being caught) or increases the UT(being caught)
decreases the Prob that one commits the crime
- Expected prob. differ from individual but trends are identifiable
Expected Utility of a choice - Correct Answers -the probability of an outcome multiplied
by the utility of an outcome summed across all possible outcomes of a choice.
Prospect Theory - Correct Answers -- Incorporates aspects of human psychology into
expected utility theory
- Adds two new parameters :
*W- a weighing function. This allows for a variation across individuals in the probability
or weight they assign to events (allows variation for indv. in weight they assign)
*V-a value function. this allows for deviation in utility from a reference point (indv. may
differ in the value or utility they assign to the status quo)
Other aspects of prospect theory - Correct Answers -- people tend to overweight low
probability events
- In a domain of losses people are risk averse
- in a domain of gains people are risk acceptant
- Those with fewer opportunities to get ahead in life our more likely to be risk acceptant
and opt for crime
Benefits of criminal success - Correct Answers -- primary benefit is attainment of
criminal objective such as robbing a bank
- in addition there may be emotional such as (thrill of undertaking something risky) or
social such as (gaining prestige or membership in a gang)
How does a person assign costs of success - Correct Answers -Character ( refers to a
persons value system) - compromises two dimensions which are rule following and
empathy
