Q&A Hero

Q: Alex was recently found guilty of first-degree murder. Based upon state law, the judge was forced to use a system/guideline to determine the sentence that he was to receive. Alex was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He will spend his time in a prison approximately 25 miles from his home. Alex was thankful for this sentence because it was a death penalty case otherwise. Alex will be under lock and key for the next 25 years. He will not be able to harm anyone in the general public, which is a form of a. rehabilitation. b. incapacitation. c. restorative justice. d. intermediate sanction.

Q: Alex was recently found guilty of first-degree murder. Based upon state law, the judge was forced to use a system/guideline to determine the sentence that he was to receive. Alex was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He will spend his time in a prison approximately 25 miles from his home. Alex was thankful for this sentence because it was a death penalty case otherwise. Alex will be incarcerated for a period of 25 years. Which goal of punishment does his sentence meet for the general public? a. Specific deterrence b. General deterrence c. Intermediate sanction d. Death

Q: _____ is a reduction in a prisoner's sentence as a reward for participation in educational or other rehabilitation programs, and for work assignments, such as disaster relief and conservation projects. a. Earned time b. Good time c. Remedial time d. Good Samaritan time

Q: _____ are rigorous, military-style regimes for younger offenders designed to accelerate punishment while instilling discipline. a. Day reporting centers b. Prisons c. Boot camps d. Halfway houses

Q: _____ relationships among courtroom actors can facilitate plea bargains and shape the content of prosecutors' sentencing recommendations. a. Working b. Exchange c. Court d. Involved

Q: In _____ the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that execution of developmentally disabled defendants was unconstitutional. a. Roper v. Simmons (2005) b. McCleskey v. Kemp (1987) c. Gregg v. Georgia (1976) d. Atkins v. Virginia (2002)

Q: This group works tirelessly to exonerate those who have been unjustly incarcerated? a. The Innocence Project b. Freedom Riders c. Guilt By Association d. The Truth Project

Q: ______ is the state with the most defendants on death row. a. New York b. Washington c. California d. Florida

Q: The late Chief Justice ______ actively sought to reduce the opportunities for capital punishment defendants to have their appeals heard by multiple courts. a. John Roberts b. William Rehnquist c. Earl Warren d. John Marshall

Q: Many exonerations are not based on DNA evidence, but on the discovery that prosecutors had ignored or _______ evidence. a. hidden b. destroyed c. contained d. shared

Q: Under the ________ approach, the amount and kind of punishment are calculated to discourage a criminal from repeating the offense. a. incapacitation b. rehabilitation c. general deterrence d. specific deterrence

Q: In recent years, dozens of people have been released from prison when their innocence was discovered through the use of a. polygraph tests. b. lie detector tests. c. eye witness testimony. d. DNA testing.

Q: Which demographic group are you most likely to find overrepresented in the prison population of most states? a. White males b. African American males c. White females d. Hispanic men

Q: Legislatures construct sentencing guidelines according to two dimensions. These dimensions are a. seriousness of the offense and gender. b. recidivism and gender. c. seriousness of the offense and prior record. d. gender and family responsibilities.

Q: Sentencing guidelines provide a. judges with guidance on incarcerating felons. b. corrections officers with discretion when incarcerating felons. c. police officers with discretionary power for arrests. d. prosecutors with guidance on plea-bargaining cases.

Q: Which of the following is true regarding presentence reports? a. They are scientific. b. They avoid stereotypes. c. They ease the strain of decision making for a judge. d. They are prepared by the prosecutor.

Q: Which of the following is not a factor in sentencing decisions? a. Attitudes and values of the judge b. Conflicting goals of criminal justice c. Administrative pressures d. Community values

Q: Over half of the adults under correctional supervision are on a. probation. b. parole. c. house arrest. d. intensive supervision probation.

Q: Probation officers play a role in sentencing by a. preparing the presentence report for the judge. b. always asking for leniency. c. instructing victims about what to say at sentencing hearings. d. working with the defense attorney to prepare each defendant's rehabilitation plan.

Q: A presentence report is prepared by a. the court clerk. b. the judge. c. a probation officer. d. the prosecutor.

Q: Which of the following offenders is most likely to be sentenced under the philosophy of selective incapacitation? a. A first-time drug offender b. A juvenile offender c. A repeat burglary offender d. A female offender

Q: Defendants whose cases are processed through the lower court assembly line appear to receive a. severe punishment. b. moderate punishment. c. little or no punishment. d. "just desserts" style punishment.

Q: Felony cases are processed and offenders are sentenced in the courts of _____ jurisdiction. a. limited b. general c. specific d. felony

Q: Which of the following is a valid observation about the orientation and assumptions of lower courts in their attempt to process a large mass of cases? a. All defendants will go to trial. b. The vast majority of defendants will plead guilty. c. The courts must take extra care to filter out innocent defendants because prosecutors never drop charges. d. Each defendant is entitled to use 2 weeks or more of courtroom time in a trial.

Q: Which of the following statements about the death penalty is true? a. The offender's race and sex can be considered as factors when deciding whether to invoke the death sentence. b. Offenders sentenced to death are not entitled to effective counsel. c. It is constitutional to exclude jurors who do not believe in the death penalty from capital cases. d. It cannot be imposed on an offender who was a juvenile at the time the offense was committed.

Q: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty, as administered, constituted cruel and unusual punishment in the case of a. Furman v. Georgia (1972). b. Gregg v. Georgia (1976). c. McCleskey v. Kemp (1987). d. Payne v. Tennessee (1991).

Q: How many states use the death penalty? a. All 50 states b. About three-fourths of the states c. About one-fourth of the states d. About one-tenth of the states

Q: From 1975 to 2000, the number of people facing the death penalty in the United States a. increased. b. decreased. c. stayed the same. d. remained unknown.

Q: Which of the following is true about the death penalty? a. All Western democracies use the death penalty. b. Most Western democracies use the death penalty. c. The United States is virtually the only Western democracy to use the death penalty. d. None of the Western democracies, including the United States, uses the death penalty.

Q: When the commission of a specific crime leads offenders to be required to serve a minimum period of incarceration before release, this is called a. an indeterminate sentence. b. a presumptive sentence. c. a mandatory sentence. d. good time.

Q: Which of the following determines whether a prisoner receives a reduction in sentence due to "good time" for good behavior? a. Judge b. Prosecutor c. State supreme court d. Prison administrator

Q: Which of the following is not true about incarceration? a. Incarceration is thought to have a significant effect in deterring potential offenders. b. Incarceration is inexpensive. c. Incarceration is the most visible and well-known penalty imposed by U.S. courts. d. The majority of persons under correctional supervision are not incarcerated.

Q: Which term is used to define a model of justice that focuses on repairing damage done to the victim and the community? a. Reparations b. Rehabilitation c. Retribution d. Incapacitation

Q: When the goal of punishment is to restore a convicted offender to society through therapy, this is called a. incapacitation. b. special deterrence. c. rehabilitation. d. retribution.

Q: Punishment that uses imprisonment or execution to prevent a person from committing additional crimes is called a. incapacitation. b. special deterrence. c. rehabilitation. d. retribution.

Q: Punishment designed to affect the future choices and behaviors of individuals and targeted toward individuals who have already been convicted is called a. incapacitation. b. special deterrence. c. rehabilitation. d. retribution.

Q: Which English scholar developed utilitarianism and viewed retribution as pointless? a. Orville Majors b. Thomas Hobbes c. John Locke d. Jeremy Bentham

Q: Punishment that assumes that members of the general public will not commit a crime because they observe the punishment of others who have committed a crime is called a. incapacitation. b. specific deterrence. c. rehabilitation. d. general deterrence.

Q: The pursuit of justice through punishment imposed on a person as "payback" for harming society by violating criminal laws is called a. incapacitation. b. special deterrence. c. rehabilitation. d. retribution.

Q: Eyewitness error is not a reason for wrongful convictions. a. True b. False

Q: Studies in Pennsylvania show that the largest risk to being sentenced is to be young, male, and black. a. True b. False

Q: The use of crack cocaine in poor, poverty-laden communities has had little effect on increasing the sentencing disparity. a. True b. False

Q: Lethal injection has been shown to violate the Eighth Amendment. a. True b. False

Q: Truth in sentencing guidelines are laws that require offenders to serve 85% of their sentences. a. True b. False

Q: Incarceration involves depriving an offender of the ability to commit crimes against society, usually by detaining the offender in prison. a. True b. False

Q: Since the 1980s, sentencing guidelines have been established in the federal courts and in nearly two dozen state court systems. a. True b. False

Q: The development of DNA technology has increased the number of people convicted by juries and later exonerated by science. a. True b. False

Q: Gender does not affect sentencing decisions. a. True b. False

Q: The prison population contains a higher proportion of Hispanics than does the general population. a. True b. False

Q: Sentencing guidelines provide additional discretion for judges in the sentencing process. a. True b. False

Q: Presentence reports are prepared carefully to avoid stereotyping defendants. a. True b. False

Q: Attitudes of judges factor into sentencing decisions. a. True b. False

Q: Misdemeanor courts usually can only impose sentences of 1 year or less in jail. a. True b. False

Q: Sentencing decisions are most often based on specific formulas. a. True b. False

Q: Most states use lethal injection as the preferred method of execution. a. True b. False

Q: It is constitutional for states to execute persons under the age of 18. a. True b. False

Q: The death penalty was found to be racially discriminatory by the U.S. Supreme Court. a. True b. False

Q: The prison population contains the same proportion of African Americans as the general population. a. True b. False

Q: All 50 states impose death as a sentence. a. True b. False

Q: Two-thirds of those on death row are from the South. a. True b. False

Q: A determinate sentence means that the defendant determines his or her own punishment with the assistance of a counselor. a. True b. False

Q: Indeterminate sentences are consistent with rehabilitation. a. True b. False

Q: Small counties frequently cannot afford to seek the death penalty as punishment due to the expenses involved in trials. a. True b. False

Q: Approximately 30% of persons under correctional supervision are in prison. a. True b. False

Q: Restorative justice programs in Vermont have increased the percentage of nonviolent offenders in the state's prisons. a. True b. False

Q: Many legislators, prosecutors, and judges have abandoned rehabilitation as a goal. a. True b. False

Q: Social scientists have been able to measure how many people stopped themselves from committing a crime as a result of the threat of certain punishments being imposed. a. True b. False

Q: The goal of deterrence assumes that criminals are rational beings. a. True b. False

Q: An example of retribution is the saying, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." a. True b. False

Q: When imposing a sentence, judges consider one goal only, such as retribution, incapacitation, rehabilitation, or deterrence. a. True b. False

Q: Punishments rarely reflect the dominant values of a particular timeframe in history. a. True b. False

Q: Ryan is a district attorney in a small community. Ryan's best friend, Eric, happens to work in the public defender's office. Both Ryan and Eric have a meeting tomorrow morning with the superior court judge to discuss a case involving a sexual assault. The victim in the case would prefer not to testify in this case. Luckily, Ryan and Eric have a wonderful working relationship with the judge hearing the case. Both gentlemen are actually looking forward to coming to an arrangement in this case and having lunch afterward with the judge. The relationship among Ryan, Eric, and the judge is built upon mutual respect and admiration. All parties want to work toward the same common goal. This would be referred to as a. a workgroup. b. the going rate. c. continuance. d. culture.

Q: The ______ is the missing actor in the courtroom's workgroup process that produces plea bargains. a. suspect b. crime victim c. judge d. probation officer

Q: Because of their position in the justice system, ______ can define the level of their involvement in the processing of criminal cases. a. prosecutors b. defense attorneys c. judges d. suspects

Q: In which case did the Supreme Court rule that juries of fewer than 12 members are permitted by the U.S. Constitution? a. Williams v. Florida(1970) b. Boykin v. Alabama (1969) c. North Carolina v. Alford (1970) d. Ricketts v. Adamson (1987)

Q: According to the ruling in _____, prosecutors may, for example, threaten repeat offenders with life sentences under habitual offender statutes if they do not agree to plead guilty and accept specified terms of imprisonment. a. Bordenkircher v. Hayes (1978) b. Boykin v. Alabama (1969) c. North Carolina v. Alford (1970) d. Ricketts v. Adamson (1987)

Q: Which is not a step in the trial process? a. Selection of the jury b. Opening statements c. Interrogation d. Jury decision

Q: A witness observes a man stab an innocent bystander. What type of evidence would the witness offer? a. Circumstantial b. Direct c. Real d. Demonstrative

Q: _________ evidence requires that the jury infers a fact from what the witness observed. a. Circumstantial b. Direct c. Real d. Demonstrative

Q: Which is not a strategy that a defense attorney representing a client will employ? a. Contrary evidence is introduced to rebut or cast doubt on the state's case b. An alibi is offered. c. An admission of guilt is offered. d. An affirmative defense is presented.