Quiz 2 --Conflict Theory--EXTRA CREDIT

  • Due Feb 25, 2015 at 11:59pm
  • Points 0
  • Questions 0
  • Time Limit None

Instructions

  1. According to Merton, a manifest function is
    1. The intended function
    2. The unintended function
  2. According to Merton, a latent function is
    1. The intended function
    2. The unintended function
  3.  What is the manifest function of prisons?

 

 

 

  1. What is the latent function of prisons?

 

 

5.  Give an example of 2 laws which benefit the ruling class at the expense of the rest of society or rather provides evidence for Quinney’s proposition that:

Definitions of crime are composed of behaviors that conflict with the interests of the dominant class

     1.

 

 

 

   2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.  Read the following excerpt and answer the question below.

Many American companies are paying federal income taxes at far below the 35 percent rate often cited as Links to an external site.the highest in the world. And many of the most profitable companies are effectively paying no taxes at all Links to an external site., according to a new report by the left-leaning Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ), which advocates for tax fairness.

The think tank analyzed the 2008-2012 federal income tax filings of 288 Fortune 500 companies, focusing on companies that were "consistently profitable." CTJ found that 111 of the companies spent at least one year of the five paying zero or less in effective federal taxes. Twenty-six companies effectively paid "less than zero" taxes over that entire time because of massive tax breaks, according to the report.

 

 

Reference :  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/25/corporation-tax-rate_n_4855763.html Links to an external site.

            QUESTION:  The working poor and the middle classes often pay a higher percentage of their earnings in taxes than corporations.  Furthermore, if individuals fail to pay taxes, they can fail jail time or garnishment of their salaries.  Circle the proposition from Quinney’s article, Social Power and Conflict Theory of crime which best explains the U.S. tax structure.  Explain in 1 or 2 sentences why this proposition fits the excerpt from the article above.

  1. Crime as a legal definition of human conduct is created by agents of the dominant class in a politically organized society or
  2. Definitions of crime are composed of behaviors that conflict with the interests of the dominant class or
  3. Definitions of crime are applied by the class that has the power to shape the enforcement and administration of criminal law

d.  Crime is political behavior and the criminal becomes in fact  a member of a ‘minority group’ without sufficient public support to dominate the control of the police power of the state.

Explain your answer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.  Based on the conflict theory, the crimes of the dominant class are treated differently than those of the lower classes.  You were introduced to this case in class through a clip from the Cobert Report and the lecture on Conflict theory.

Europe's largest bank allowed drug cartels to launder billions of dollars through its U.S. operations, and skirted bans against transactions with Iran. Those are among the findings of a Senate investigation of London-based HSBC.

Question:   What was the penalty imposed on HSBC for laundering money for drug cartels and terrorists?

 

 

8.  List 5 crimes that Roth identifies as crimes by private military contractors since the Cold War.

 

 

a)  Which contractors were accused of murdering U.S. prisoners of war at Abu Ghraib prison?

 

9. According to the article:  Military Contractors and Crime, the author states criminological research has focused on “street crime,” and have failed to focus on corporate crime, state crime, crimes of globalization and this article focuses on the crimes of private military contractors.  Which theoretical framework is the author applying in this passage? ___________________________

10.  In the passage below from the article on Private Military Contractors (PMCs), the author attempts to explain why PMCs committed some of their crimes.  Identify the theory that the author is applying

 

PMCs operating in high intensity conflicts (i.e., the Democratic Republic of the

Congo) find themselves in a highly disorganized environment often negotiating

between paramilitaries, their employer, and the foot soldiers they have hired.

In such environments the choice to partake in attaining additional profits or loot

becomes much easier than in a situation wherein there is a stable environment.

We are not excusing the illegal choices made by contractors, merely trying to

elucidate the conditions from which they operate

Only registered, enrolled users can take graded quizzes