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PUP 3002 Final Questions with Answers
(100% Correct Answers)
Crime Answer: Any violation of the law.
How is crime seen as a science? Answer: Certain variables affect an individual's
probability of crime.
How much does crime cost us? Answer: Financial Cost: 200 billion a year
(1990s)
Emotional Cost: Unmeasurable, but assumed high
What are the 5 types of crimes? Answer: Violent
White Collar/Corporate
Organized
Property
Drug
Which variables affect an individual's probability of crime, what are their
values? Answer: Dependent Variable= Crime
1=Criminal; 0=Non-criminal
Independent Variables (for an individual)
Wealth (-) (aka any value that is a negative)
Education (-)
Family (-)
Independent Variables (for a community)
,2
Law enforcement (?)
Community with crime (+)
What are the two major data sources that measure crime? Answer: FBI's
Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS)
What does the UCR do, what are its measurement errors? Answer: -Established
in 1930. Data is voluntarily submitted to it by about 17,000 local law
enforcement agencies
-Measurement error: some agencies may interpret the FBI's guidelines
differently or not report certain crimes for political reasons
-Measurement error: many victims do not report crime
What does the NCVS do? Answer: -Managed by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics. Established in 1972
-A large survey of randomly selected American households regarding crime
victimization.
-Generally, finds more crime than reported in the UCR
What did Becker (1968) argue? Answer: Becker (1968) argued that crime is a
function of:
-the punishment associated with being arrested and convicted
-the probability of being arrested and convicted
-the return or benefit from crime, which is also weighed
How does Prospect Theory differ from typical expected utility theory? Answer:
Incorporates human psychology into expected utility theory; very similar
,3
State the equation for crime as a rational choice. Answer: Expected Utility
(Crime) = Probability (Not Caught) Utility of Not Caught +
Probability(Caught) Utility Caught
Define expected utility theory. Answer: Used by Becker to define the rationality
behind criminal behavior; weighing the costs.
What was Becker's argument? Answer: Crime is a function of 3 things:
1. Probability of being caught
2. Benefit from the crime
3. Punishment associated with the arrest
Define the variables of the utility of not being caught. Answer: -People tend to
commit crimes because they want monetary value, prestige, etc.
-Personal costs are factored in.
-Variables
*Will committing a crime hurt one's self (Tell Tale Heart; Crime and
Punishment)
*One's valuation of personal harm can be predicted by several variables:
mental illness; empathy; morals
-Social Groupings: Is this simply part of my group identity? Does helping the
group make this okay?
Define the variables of the utility of being caught. (costs for getting caught)
Answer: Individuals who commit a crime experience three types of costs:
1. Punishment by the state—fines, imprisonment
2. Social costs—mom yells at you, partner leaves you
, 4
3. Economic opportunity costs—what are you giving up to commit these
crimes
Define the variables of the probability of being caught. Answer: -For deterring
crime, what is even more important than actual punishment is a person's
perception that they will be caught and convicted.
*How many cops are in the area?
*Do I possess the skill set to get away with it?
Is there a pattern in the probabilities of committing crimes? Answer: The
expected probability of committing a crime are different from individual to
individual, but TRENDS are identifiable
How do we deter crime from happening? Answer: -We must deter individuals
from viewing crime as a 'rational choice.'
-Strategies:
*Reduce the perceived benefits of crime
*Increase the probability of getting caught
*Increase the cost of crime
How do the perceived benefits of crime relate to the economy? Answer: Crime
is often seen as a way to make money. Individuals that have less opportunity to
make money through legal means have greater incentive to resort to crime
When the economy is good, more (and better) jobs are available.
When the economy increases, crime tends to decrease
Remember, crime is more appealing to those who earn less money
As we know, education and wage rate tend to be strongly related. Those with
better education tend to have jobs that make more money, decreasing their rate
of committing crime.
PUP 3002 Final Questions with Answers
(100% Correct Answers)
Crime Answer: Any violation of the law.
How is crime seen as a science? Answer: Certain variables affect an individual's
probability of crime.
How much does crime cost us? Answer: Financial Cost: 200 billion a year
(1990s)
Emotional Cost: Unmeasurable, but assumed high
What are the 5 types of crimes? Answer: Violent
White Collar/Corporate
Organized
Property
Drug
Which variables affect an individual's probability of crime, what are their
values? Answer: Dependent Variable= Crime
1=Criminal; 0=Non-criminal
Independent Variables (for an individual)
Wealth (-) (aka any value that is a negative)
Education (-)
Family (-)
Independent Variables (for a community)
,2
Law enforcement (?)
Community with crime (+)
What are the two major data sources that measure crime? Answer: FBI's
Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS)
What does the UCR do, what are its measurement errors? Answer: -Established
in 1930. Data is voluntarily submitted to it by about 17,000 local law
enforcement agencies
-Measurement error: some agencies may interpret the FBI's guidelines
differently or not report certain crimes for political reasons
-Measurement error: many victims do not report crime
What does the NCVS do? Answer: -Managed by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics. Established in 1972
-A large survey of randomly selected American households regarding crime
victimization.
-Generally, finds more crime than reported in the UCR
What did Becker (1968) argue? Answer: Becker (1968) argued that crime is a
function of:
-the punishment associated with being arrested and convicted
-the probability of being arrested and convicted
-the return or benefit from crime, which is also weighed
How does Prospect Theory differ from typical expected utility theory? Answer:
Incorporates human psychology into expected utility theory; very similar
,3
State the equation for crime as a rational choice. Answer: Expected Utility
(Crime) = Probability (Not Caught) Utility of Not Caught +
Probability(Caught) Utility Caught
Define expected utility theory. Answer: Used by Becker to define the rationality
behind criminal behavior; weighing the costs.
What was Becker's argument? Answer: Crime is a function of 3 things:
1. Probability of being caught
2. Benefit from the crime
3. Punishment associated with the arrest
Define the variables of the utility of not being caught. Answer: -People tend to
commit crimes because they want monetary value, prestige, etc.
-Personal costs are factored in.
-Variables
*Will committing a crime hurt one's self (Tell Tale Heart; Crime and
Punishment)
*One's valuation of personal harm can be predicted by several variables:
mental illness; empathy; morals
-Social Groupings: Is this simply part of my group identity? Does helping the
group make this okay?
Define the variables of the utility of being caught. (costs for getting caught)
Answer: Individuals who commit a crime experience three types of costs:
1. Punishment by the state—fines, imprisonment
2. Social costs—mom yells at you, partner leaves you
, 4
3. Economic opportunity costs—what are you giving up to commit these
crimes
Define the variables of the probability of being caught. Answer: -For deterring
crime, what is even more important than actual punishment is a person's
perception that they will be caught and convicted.
*How many cops are in the area?
*Do I possess the skill set to get away with it?
Is there a pattern in the probabilities of committing crimes? Answer: The
expected probability of committing a crime are different from individual to
individual, but TRENDS are identifiable
How do we deter crime from happening? Answer: -We must deter individuals
from viewing crime as a 'rational choice.'
-Strategies:
*Reduce the perceived benefits of crime
*Increase the probability of getting caught
*Increase the cost of crime
How do the perceived benefits of crime relate to the economy? Answer: Crime
is often seen as a way to make money. Individuals that have less opportunity to
make money through legal means have greater incentive to resort to crime
When the economy is good, more (and better) jobs are available.
When the economy increases, crime tends to decrease
Remember, crime is more appealing to those who earn less money
As we know, education and wage rate tend to be strongly related. Those with
better education tend to have jobs that make more money, decreasing their rate
of committing crime.
