TO: Students in CJ 406

FROM: R. B. Taylor

DATE: 10/8/06

RE: Grades for first midterm

Grades are posted in the sheet listed below. Following that you will find the NUMBERED LIST - you want to print that out - when you get your paper back there will be numbers on your answers, and those numbers correspond to this list. The actual midterm follows below that.

Kudos to Mr. Naber!. He was the only one to pick up the huge typo in the first question.

GRADES

 

INTERPRETING THE GRADES

For the average, 0 = fail, 1 = questionable (low pass), 2 = pass, 3 = high pass. So as you can see, using this ruler there is lots of room for improvement.

I will talk you through how to map these grades back onto the class grades for the semester tomorrow in class.

NUMBERED CONCERNS

Q1

  1. Differential association (DA) is not about the exposure to illegal or illegitimate means and values; it is about the relative exposure to pro-legal vs. anti-legal values and ways of life. It is the ratio of the two that is critical.
  2. With respect to the conflict perspective and Black's thesis, it is not necessarily the case that the sociological structuring of access to law and responses to broken laws result in people developing oppositional attitudes - an "us against them" attitude. Such attitudes are psychological, and Black's thesis is purely sociological, or pure sociology. So there is no need to bring in any individual-based constructs
  3. In discussing Black's model, it is not necessary to presume that people turn to self help because they realize they are disadvantaged in terms of their access to other avenues (e.g., through the courts) of conflict resolution. In their mind, it just may be -- this is how you take care of things. There need not be a consciousness that the other approaches are closed off
  4. When talking about Coser and the functions of conflict, it is easy to simplify the group-enhancing properties by focusing simply on  power - the conflict tells who is on top. But it is more than that. More importantly, it is about enhancing group identity, and clarifying the boundaries of the specific group.
  5. When thinking about Sutherland and Coser a similarity that can be pointed out is that both postulate conflicting values in different segments of society, i.e.,  they both lay the ground work for conflict by postulating conflicting norms.
  6. W/ Sutherland, the conflict arises from the competing norms and values and pro law vs. anti law - the conflict does not arise when the crim jus system responds - it comes much sooner - what is the relative immersement in an oppositional subculture

Q2

  1. M&R would not expect temporal variation because the structural and cultural factors that they say make the US (and to some extent England) different from other western nations are factors that have been relatively constant for a long time. They is why they cast back to earlier authors who have talked about the American dream, and say the average homicide rate in the US has been high for a hundred years. These are long-term, cross national value and structural differences -- US vs. other countries. If these are so deepseated and so enduring and so constant -- at least constant in their difference with other countries -- how can they change to explain changing crime rates?
  2. The discussion of anomie makes it sound like it is weakening, rather than a constant condition.

Q3

  1. When you are describing LaFree you want to be specific about the three different crime periods - the flat period after WW II, the extreme run up period, and the flat period - and you want to be precise about the years that are linked to each of these three periods.
  2. In describing LaFree and the three primary institutions, there needs to be more specificity or clarity about the points.
  3. Need to be clearer about the dynamics linking the failings of the institutions -- their declining legitimacy - and the increasing crime rates. There are three specific intervening processes - criminal motivation, social control, and guardianship - all three of these connect the institutional changes with the crime changes - want to be sure to explain each of these and if possible give an example.  Similarly, you want to be clear about how the insititutional responses lead to lower crime, through what (you explain) mediating processes).
  4. Seems to be some confusion between fundamental or traditional institutions, and institutional responses.
  5. US does NOT far exceed other countries on homicide and robbery rates - homicide, yes, robbery, no.
  6. The US vs. other country data on both homicide and robberies was not mentioned.
  7. On paid parental leave the answer mentions the data but does not connect the pattern to the subordination of family to the economy in the US vs. other countries.
  8. With LaFree, the key point is not the height of the crime at any one time, but rather when was crime changing fast, and when crime was changing fast, what else also was changing fast.

 

CJ 406 FALL 2006 FIRST IN-CLASS EXAM

October 3, 2006

INSTRUCTIONS

GENERAL

WORD PROCESSING INSTRUCTIONS

During the entire exam, the only program running on your computer will be your word processor.

·        During the entire exam, the only removable media in the computer will be your floppy disk. No zip disks, no memory sticks.

·        Save one file to the computer hard disk as you write. Save often.

·        PUT PAGE NUMBERS ON THE BOTTOM, and also use the last four digits of your TUID as part of the footer.

·        When you are done do a final save to the hard disk, but do not exit or close the document. PASSWORD PROTECT YOUR FILE in this last save to the hard disk. REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD. Then SAVE the file AGAIN on the floppy disk using the SAVE AS command, and name the file the LAST FOUR DIGITS OF YOUR TUID.

·        Do not print it out, but bring the floppy to me in my office, and we will print it out there.

 

REMEMBER: READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY and be sure your answer responds to the question. Some of these questions have been changed since your first saw them. Take your time to outline an answer.

 

PART A: More General

  1. Drawing on Sutherland et al., Coser, and Black, explain what important insights the conflict perspective brings to our understanding of crime and society’s responses to crime.[1] Be as specific as you can about the points you attribute to each work. To the extent possible, try to explicitly contrast the functionalist vs. conflict perspective when you are making specific points. Try to balance your answer so you give sufficient attention to both “crime” and “responses to crime.”

PART B: More Specific

  1. Can Messner and Rosenfeld’s model in its current form explain temporal variations in US murder rates, yes or no? Elaborate. If you answer yes, describe how their explanation works. If you answer no, explain why not, and further, describe whether, and if so how, their model could be elaborated to explain this outcome. (Hint: in addition to making general points, you are encouraged to bring in what you know specifically about this temporal variation, from LaFree, and the theoretical features required or excluded by those temporal features.)
  2. You have read two theories seeking to explain macro-level features of crime rates: LaFree, and Messner and Rosenfeld. (a) Summarize the empirical evidence base supporting each model. (b) (i) Which one do you think has the more satisfactory supporting evidence base? (ii) Explain your choice. (iii) For the one you have chosen, characterize how well you think that evidence base supports that theory (very strong, strong, weak, or very weak, for example), and provide the reasoning behind your characterization

 


 

[1] The last version of this question you saw did not mention Sutherland et al.; if you are unable to bring much material from Sutherland et al. into your answer don’t worry about it too much. That will not hurt you. Adding in stuff from Sutherland et al., however, can help you.