Question 1

Which theory argues that structural characteristics such as low economic status and residential mobility disrupt a community's social organization and contribute to high crime rates?

Accepted Answer

Social disorganization theory posits that a community's structure, including factors like poverty and residential instability, weakens the community's ability to maintain social control and prevent crime, leading to higher crime rates.

Question 2

Social bond theory contends that structural characteristics of communities disrupt community social organization and contribute to high rates of delinquency.

Accepted Answer

Social bond theory, developed by Travis Hirschi, focuses on the individual's bonds to society (attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief) as factors preventing delinquency, rather than emphasizing structural characteristics of communities as the primary contributors to delinquency rates.

Question 3

Anomie theory views crime and delinquency as resulting from the social structural characteristic of anomie or normlessness, which frees people to pursue economic success by whatever means necessary.

Accepted Answer

Anomie theory, particularly as developed by sociologist Robert K. Merton, suggests that crime and delinquency occur when there is a disjunction between societal goals (such as wealth and success) and the socially approved means to achieve those goals. In a state of anomie or normlessness, societal norms are unclear or broken down, leading individuals to pursue success through deviant means if they are blocked from achieving it through legitimate paths.

Question 4

Research has consistently identified a number of risk factors that increase the likelihood of problem behaviors and negative developmental outcomes.

Accepted Answer

Research in developmental psychology and related fields has consistently identified various risk factors, such as poverty, family conflict, and substance abuse, that can increase the likelihood of problem behaviors and negative developmental outcomes in individuals.

Question 5

Contemporary approaches to delinquency prevention argue that risk factors must first be identified through research and then addressed through a broad range of prevention programs at the family, school, and community levels.

Accepted Answer

Contemporary approaches to delinquency prevention indeed emphasize the importance of identifying risk factors through research. These approaches advocate for addressing these risk factors with a variety of prevention programs that operate at multiple levels, including family, school, and community, to effectively prevent delinquency.

Question 6

Delinquency prevention programs focus on dynamic risk factors because of their potential for change.

Accepted Answer

Dynamic risk factors, unlike static factors, are changeable aspects of an individual's life or environment, such as peer associations or substance use, making them key targets for intervention in delinquency prevention programs.

Question 7

Cost-benefit analysis of delinquency intervention programs seeks to comprehensively identify and measure the benefits and costs of a program, including those that occur during and after participation in the program.

Accepted Answer

Cost-benefit analysis of delinquency intervention programs aims to evaluate both the immediate and long-term economic impacts of these programs, including all associated benefits and costs that accrue during and after participation, to determine their overall effectiveness and value.

Question 8

The program features that lead to successful prevention program implementation have been identified through evaluation research.

Accepted Answer

Evaluation research has identified key features and practices that contribute to the successful implementation of prevention programs, such as clear objectives, evidence-based strategies, and ongoing monitoring and adaptation.

Question 9

Life Skills Training (LST) is a universal prevention program that provides a three-year drug use prevention curriculum to sixth or seventh graders, with booster sessions during the following two years.

Accepted Answer

Life Skills Training (LST) is indeed a universal prevention program designed to reduce the risks of drug use by targeting social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. It typically starts with sixth or seventh graders and includes booster sessions over the following two years.

Question 10

Externalizing disorders are characterized by mood problems, such as depression, or by behavior featuring anxiety and social withdrawal.

Accepted Answer

Externalizing disorders are characterized by outward-directed behaviors, such as aggression, hyperactivity, and conduct problems, rather than mood problems or behaviors related to anxiety and social withdrawal, which are more characteristic of internalizing disorders.

Question 11

Oppositional defiant disorders are the externalizing behaviors most closely associated with delinquency.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Oppositional defiant disorders are the externalizing behaviors...

Question 12

Approximately 5-10% of all ADHD children are involved in some form of conduct disorder as a child, serious delinquency as an adolescent, and criminal behavior as an adult.

Accepted Answer

The percentage of ADHD children involved in conduct disorder, serious delinquency, and criminal behavior is higher than 5-10%. Studies suggest that children with ADHD are at a greater risk for these outcomes, with varying percentages reported, often significantly exceeding the 5-10% range depending on the study and the specific outcomes measured.

Question 13

Risk assessment instruments classify youth according to their likelihood of delinquent offending.

Accepted Answer

Risk assessment instruments are tools used to evaluate the potential risk factors in individuals, particularly youth, to predict their likelihood of engaging in delinquent or criminal behavior. These assessments help in making informed decisions regarding interventions, supervision levels, and treatment plans.

Question 14

Functional Family Therapy and Multisystemic Therapy are family-based interventions that have proven to be effective in reducing delinquency.

Accepted Answer

Both Functional Family Therapy (FFT) and Multisystemic Therapy (MST) are evidence-based interventions that have been shown to be effective in reducing delinquent behavior and improving family dynamics. They are designed to address the complex interplay of factors that contribute to delinquency, including individual, family, and environmental influences.

Question 15

Travis Hirschi's _____________ theory explains conformity in terms of four elements of the social bond: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.

Accepted Answer

Travis Hirschi's theory that explains conformity through the elements of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief is known as the social bond theory. These four elements are crucial in forming a bond between individuals and society, which in turn influences their likelihood to conform to societal norms and laws.

Question 16

Sampson and Laub's ______________ theory explores how informal social controls in adulthood involve obligations and restraints that are attached to particular roles, such as marriage and work, and that prohibit crime.

Accepted Answer

Sampson and Laub's life-course theory focuses on how changes and transitions in life, such as marriage and employment, can influence an individual's criminal behavior by introducing new social controls and responsibilities that discourage criminal activity.

Question 17

Gottfredson and Hirschi's ______________ theory focuses on controls within individuals.

Accepted Answer

Gottfredson and Hirschi developed the self-control theory, which posits that individuals with low self-control are more likely to engage in antisocial or criminal behavior. This theory emphasizes the importance of self-control as an internal mechanism that restrains individuals from such behavior.

Question 18

______________ theories focus on peer groups as the context in which delinquent behavior is reinforced.

Accepted Answer

Social learning theories emphasize the role of peer groups in reinforcing delinquent behavior through observation and imitation.

Question 19

Youth enter the child welfare system primarily because of:

Accepted Answer

Youth primarily enter the child welfare system due to maltreatment, which includes various forms of abuse and neglect. This is the most common reason for intervention by child welfare services, aiming to protect children from harm.

Quiz 13: Delinquency Prevention, Assessment, and Early Intervention