Logical Reasoning

PT116 · S2 · Q8 Criminologist: Increasing the current prison

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Criminologist: Increasing the current prison term for robbery will result in no significant effect in discouraging people from committing robbery.

Claim

Increasing the prison term for robbery won’t discourage people from committing robbery.

Evaluate

There's no argument to grapple with. It's just one solitary claim.

Goal

Get rid of the four answers that help us argue that increasing the penalties for robbery won't do much, if anything, to discourage people from robbing.

8.

Each of the following, if true, supports the criminologist's claim EXCEPT:

  1. Many people who rob are

    Strengthens

    This indicates that many who commit robbery are motivated by thrill-seeking and risk-taking. A longer sentence increases the risk, so it might increase the thrill of committing robbery, supporting the claim that harsher penalties won't discourage it.

    5% picked this

  2. An increase in the prison

    Strengthens

    This presents an analogous case where increasing prison terms did not discourage embezzlement, therefore lending support to the claim that a similar approach wouldn't deter robbery.

    8% picked this

  3. Correct

    Prison terms for robbery have

    Why this is right

    This suggests that prison terms for robbery have generally decreased in length without addressing the impact of increasing them. It doesn't provide information that supports or undercuts the claim about the deterrent effect of longer sentences for robbery. And it almost might suggest to us that prison terms are currently too lax to be a deterrent, but raising them might work.

    Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    76% picked this

  4. Most people committing robbery believe

    Strengthens

    This claims that most people who commit robbery believe they won't be caught, so the length of the prison term is irrelevant to them, supporting the idea that increased penalties won't act as a deterrent.

    3% picked this

  5. Most people committing robbery have

    Strengthens

    This suggests that most people committing robbery are unaware of the prison sentence, indicating they wouldn't be deterred by lengthening it, aligning with the claim that increasing terms won't discourage robbery.

    7% picked this

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