Answer all five (5) short answer Questions (one paragraph answers of about 3 to 5 sentences). There is no need for citations. Use full sentences (not bullets). Each is worth 3 marks for a total of 15/30 points on this exam.
Short Answers:
1. Contrast the criminal defenses of duress and necessity. How does each impact mens rea?
2. What are the impacts of scientific, positivistic criminology (Lombroso, Freud and other psychological and statistics-based theories) — which focus on the individual characteristics of offenders and crime patterns rather than just their actions, on criminal justice policy?
3. Contrast Durkheim and Merton’s applications of the concept of “anomie”.
4. For Howard Becker (labeling theory), what is the difference between primary and secondary deviance?
5. What kinds of crime are well studied through: (1) self-report surveys vs. (2) victimization surveys?
Essay Question: Answer one of the following questions. No more than 3 pages, ds (which is NOT MORE than 900 words). The question is worth 15 points of this exam the exam itself is worth 30% of your final grade.
The answer is a formal essay that must include an introduction with a thesis statement, a body that goes in the same order as the arguments presented in the introduction, and a brief conclusion, followed by a reference list of the course readings that you are referring to in your essay..
(1) Compare and contrast the labelling and strain theory approaches to the problem of crime. Are they macro or micro in focus, consensual or conflictual? What do they regard as the sources of crime? What do they say we should do to help reduce crime in our society? Which approach do you think is most accurate/important and why?
(2) Compare and contrast Instrumental, Structural and Left Realist Marxist theoretical approaches to the problem of crime. Are they macro or micro in focus, consensual or conflictual? What do they regard as the sources of crime? What do they say we should do about the problem of crime? Which approach do you think is most accurate/important and why?
