SOC 3420 Criminology 12-14
According to legal scholar, Morris Cohen, why should victimless crimes be criminally
prohibited?
a. Because then moral crusaders would not get to define the law
b. Because victimless crimes are highly immoral just like "street crimes."
c. Because one of the functions of criminal law is to express the public's shared sense
of morality
d. Because victimless crimes cause social harm and all acts that cause social harm are
criminally prohibited
REFERENCES: Law and Morality
According to the theory of social harm, immoral acts can be distinguished from crimes
on the basis of the ____they cause.
a. social outrage
b. injury
c. financial loss
d. depravity
REFERENCES: The Theory of Social Harm
People who seek to control or criminalize deviant behaviors in accordance with their
own way of thinking are called ______.
a. moralists.
b. moral entrepreneurs
c. power seekers
d. social activists
REFERENCES: The Theory of Social Harm
The movement to ban gay marriage in California that led to the passage of Proposition
8 is an example of a/an _____.
a. moral crusade.
b. religious policy.
c. ethical mandate.
d. social campaign.
REFERENCES: The Theory of Social Harm
Which of the following statements is accurate?
a. Societies usually encourage behaviors that lawmakers consider dangerous.
b. The line between behaviors that are immoral and those that are criminal are often
blurred.
c. People with religious beliefs rarely engage in moral crusades.
d. Most behaviors are declared criminal before they are deemed immoral.
REFERENCES: The Theory of Social Harm