Question 1

The prediction instrument used in the Wenk study

Accepted Answer

A)   identified more true positives than false negatives
B)   identified more true negatives than false negatives
C)   identified more false negatives than false positives
D)   identified more false positives than true positives

Question 2

Questions about chronic offenders that remain unanswered include

Accepted Answer

A)   when do they begin their criminal careers and can we identify them early?
B)   how much and what kinds of crime do career criminals commit?
C)   how long do chronic offenders remain active and when do they stop?
D)   all of the above
E)   none of the above

Question 3

Wolfgang's Delinquency in a Birth Cohort research uncovered some important offending trends including which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   a small percentage of delinquents are responsible for the majority of all crimes
B)   reasons why most delinquents stop committing illegal acts at some point
C)   that most young males have at least one officially recorded act of violence
D)   failing liberal policies contributed to increased rates of chronic offending in the 1960s A

Question 4

Various estimates of annual offending rates tell us that

Accepted Answer

A)   there is no average career criminal
B)   rates vary but within a narrow range
C)   offenders average 50 felonies a year
D)   official records provide the best estimates

Question 5

The Rand Inmate Survey used which prediction method?

Accepted Answer

A)   actuarial
B)   prior history
C)   clinical evaluation
D)   all of the above

Question 6

Estimates of annual offending rates from the Rand Inmate Survey are best described as

Accepted Answer

A)   low rates with consistent nationwide trends
B)   average rates with consistent nationwide trends
C)   high rates with state-to-state variations
D)   unable to assess due to the prediction problem

Question 7

Other cohort studies have found that

Accepted Answer

A)   chronic offending patterns in large urban areas differ drastically from those in small Midwestern communities
B)   the proportion of chronic offenders in a cohort increases as the proportion of minorities in an area increases
C)   a small group of offenders accounts for a high proportion of all crimes by the cohort
D)   chronic offending patterns in the U.S.are not found in other countries

Question 8

Predictions of future dangerousness in the Texas death row inmate study

Accepted Answer

A)   were wrong in 95% of the cases
B)   were right in 20% of the cases
C)   resulted in 155 wrongful executions
D)   incorrectly gave 8 life sentences for each correct death sentence

Question 9

The results of Rand's second attempt at predicting career criminals were published in a report entitled

Accepted Answer

A)   Selective Incapacitation
B)   Reducing the Prediction Problem
C)   Why the High-Rate Offenders Are Hard to Predict
D)   Delinquency in a Birth Cohort

Question 10

Wolfgang's original findings have been confirmed by other cohort studies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The problem with the Sentencing Commission study is that

Accepted Answer

A)   it ignores offenders' prior histories
B)   it uses race as a factor to determine future dangerousness
C)   it is based on false evidence
D)   it gives only broad, instead of specific, predictions D

Question 12

Prevalence of criminality refers to participation in crime while persistence refers to continuing criminal activity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

The research studies discussed in this chapter have provided information on

Accepted Answer

A)   the prevalence of criminality and seriousness of offending
B)   the onset and desistance of criminal careers
C)   the persistence and desistance of criminal careers
D)   the frequency of offending and career length

Question 14

The method of estimating annual offending rates in the Rand Inmates Survey was a major advance over previous estimates because it relied on self-report data.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

The Sentencing Commission's evaluation of federal sentencing guidelines tells us that

Accepted Answer

A)   this prediction instrument is more accurate at predicting chronic offending than what judges were able to do
B)   this carefully designed prediction instrument is currently the most accurate method for predicting chronic offending
C)   people with longer prior records are more likely to commit future crime than people with shorter prior records
D)   prediction instruments are unnecessary, because chronic offenders are easily identified based on prior record and the seriousness of offense

Question 16

Research indicates that the most accurate method of predicting chronic offending is the actuarial approach.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The Sentencing Commission's evaluation of federal sentencing guidelines found that as criminal history scores increased so did recidivism rates.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The effectiveness of the Rand prediction scale was assessed by correlating predicting scores with inmates' actual reported criminal behavior.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Some say timing is everything.Wolfgang's original study was published at a time when

Accepted Answer

A)   the public was tired of getting tough and sought to prevent chronic offending
B)   the public was eager to explore responses to crime that existed outside the CJS
C)   crime rates had been rising and the public was disillusioned with liberal policies
D)   all of the above
E)   none of the above C

Question 20

Wolfgang's follow-up study using a 1958 cohort found

Accepted Answer

A)   offenders in the 1958 cohort began their criminal careers at an earlier age than the 1945 cohort
B)   a small percentage of the cohort was chronic recidivists, but they committed more and more serious crimes than the 1945 cohort
C)   the same pattern in chronic offending held for both boys and girls
D)   the original study was a fluke as similar patterns in chronic offending were not identified

Exam 4: The Prediction Problem

The prediction instrument used in the Wenk study

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Questions about chronic offenders that remain unanswered include

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Wolfgang's Delinquency in a Birth Cohort research uncovered some important offending trends including which of the following?

Correct AnswerverifiedA

Various estimates of annual offending rates tell us that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Rand Inmate Survey used which prediction method?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Estimates of annual offending rates from the Rand Inmate Survey are best described as

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Other cohort studies have found that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Predictions of future dangerousness in the Texas death row inmate study

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The results of Rand's second attempt at predicting career criminals were published in a report entitled

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Wolfgang's original findings have been confirmed by other cohort studies.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The problem with the Sentencing Commission study is that

Correct AnswerverifiedD

Prevalence of criminality refers to participation in crime while persistence refers to continuing criminal activity.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The research studies discussed in this chapter have provided information on

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The method of estimating annual offending rates in the Rand Inmates Survey was a major advance over previous estimates because it relied on self-report data.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Sentencing Commission's evaluation of federal sentencing guidelines tells us that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Research indicates that the most accurate method of predicting chronic offending is the actuarial approach.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Sentencing Commission's evaluation of federal sentencing guidelines found that as criminal history scores increased so did recidivism rates.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The effectiveness of the Rand prediction scale was assessed by correlating predicting scores with inmates' actual reported criminal behavior.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Some say timing is everything.Wolfgang's original study was published at a time when

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Wolfgang's follow-up study using a 1958 cohort found

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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A

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D

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C

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