Chapter 10

Learning Objectives 

After reading this chapter, one should be able to answer the following questions:    

1. What community and parent characteristics are related to heightened risk of crime? 
2. What is recidivism? And what are some variables related to recidivism? 
3. How might we reduce crime?  
4. What are some preventive ways of working with those at risk of criminal activity? 
5. What is the difference between retribution and restoration? Why do some prefer restoration?

Test your knowledge of this chapter with this quiz!  

Question 1

Research finds that people are more likely to believe crime is worse

Nationally

Locally

There is no difference in perception

People don’t think about differences, since they are so overwhelmed with statistics

None

Question 2

The early community psychology literature

Warned psychologists away from consideration of crime

Encouraged community psychologists to study crime, its causes and consequences

Remained neutral on the study of crime and criminal behavior

Used statistics to show crime was based on individual’s personality

None

Question 3

Justice and enforcement of laws can provide the assurance of the contract between a society and its members. Yet our systems have been

Biased

Racist

Colonialist

All of the above

None

Question 4

Studies have found Zero Tolerance policies to be:

Both fair and effective

Equally enforced as they should be

Enforced disproportionately, based on race

All of the above

None

Question 5

Parental monitoring of youth appears to have what impact?

It does not make a difference in youth crime

It offsets at-risk community-based factors

It only works if the community context is orderly and supportive

It has a small effect on community chaos

None

Question 6

The philosophical basis on which the present-day legal system in the US is based is that of:

Reprehension

Rehabilitation

Restitution

Retribution

None

Question 7

The country with the highest percentage of its population in jail or prison is:

China

Russia

US

South Africa

None

Question 8

Race has been demonstrated to play a role in:

Verdicts (guilty or not)

Length of incarceration

Sentencing decisions

All of the above

None

Question 9

As cited in the book, what is the typical US recidivism (reconviction) rate within three years after the first crime?

0.1

0.25

0.4

0.6

None

Question 10

In high-crime neighborhoods, citizens:

become involved for the sake of the general public

are least likely to become involved

are more likely to become involved

are especially interested in community policing

None

Question 11

Offenders who participate in ____ are less likely to reoffend.

Restorative justice programs

Retribution programs

Boot camps

Swift and severe punishment programs

None

Question 12

A review of police presence in schools showed that these programs had what impact?

Decreased incidence in school violence

Decreased severity of school violence when it occurred

No effect on incidences of violence or the severity of violence

Increased incidents of school violence

None

Time’s up

Study Questions 

1. Give examples of external/environmental factors that influence criminal behavior tendencies. 
2. How do community programs try to address issues related to crime? 
3. What alternatives to person-focused variables might a community psychologist propose?  

Additional Resources

• Gun violence and crime 
  • Amnesty International: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/arms-control/gun-violence/    
  • Council on Foreign Relations: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-gun-policy-global-comparisons   
  • Pew Research: Gun Violence: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/03/05/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-us/    
  • Pew Research: Crime: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/24/what-the-data-says-about-crime-in-the-us/ 
  • The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America, June, 2024, p. 9. Retrieved July 25, 2024, from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/firearm-violence-advisory.pdf 
• Incarceration 
  • A State of Mind: Confronting our mental health crisis (PBS): https://www.pbs.org/video/crisis-behind-bars-rt07jv/ 
  • ‘Diversion program offers defendants with mental disorders a 2^nd chance’ (ABC News 7 Bay Area): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W03T_cNaH_c 
  • Justice Disorder – Mental Health and Incarceration in the United States (NEJM): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP_yU8WLyhI 
  • ‘Program diverting mentally ill defendants to treatment instead of jail wins support’ (11 News): https://www.kktv.com/video/2023/01/25/program-diverting-mentally-ill-defendants-treatment-instead-jail-wins-support/ 
  • The Released (PBS Frontline, 2009):  https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-the-released/ 
• Mediation 
  • National Association for Community Mediation: https://www.nafcm.org