Exam 11: Court Methods and Challenges: Sentencing and Punishment

DNA testing has led to approximately how many exonerations of death row inmates?

What was the purpose of the Sentencing Reform Act?

An inmate files a civil lawsuit against the prison warden where she is being held. Which of the following would this be considered?

Which of the following was a reason the Sentencing Reform Act was enacted?

What is the overall role of the appellate court?

Describe the factors that are most important in determining what sentence should be imposed on an offender.

Sara is a 30-year-old woman who has just been fired from her job. She lives alone in an apartment that she rents and is having trouble making ends meet. Although she has no previous criminal record, she becomes desperate and decides to rob a bank in the next county. During the robbery, she shows a gun to intimidate the tellers and make them comply with her demands. Which element would be considered an aggravating circumstance?

In states using a determinate sentencing structure, convicted offenders are sentenced for a fixed term.

Which of the following sentences takes an offender's remorsefulness and amenability when inside the prison system into account?

Furman v. Georgia found that which group was given death sentences disproportionately and was denied equal protection under the law?

In which case did the U.S. Supreme Court prohibit application of the death penalty on those under age 18 at the time the crime occurred?

In which model of corrections were offenders separated from each other in order to reflect upon their criminal behavior and expected to work 10 hr a day, 6 days a week?

Jim was convicted of two counts of armed robbery and sentenced to a separate 10-year term for each. This would be considered a concurrent sentence.

During a victim impact statement, the mother of someone who was murdered advocates a sentence to serve as vindication for her slain child. She continues to note that she believes the offender will never experience remorse for his actions or change. Which type of punishment is the mother advocating for?

Which model of punishment viewed fixed sentences, lockstep, and isolation as destructive to inmate initiative?

Distinguish between aggravating and mitigating circumstances and how these apply to sentencing decisions.

A woman is robbed by an armed 15-year-old male after she attends a sporting event in a downtown area. During the sentencing hearing, the woman notes that the offender is young and should be given a sentence that allows him to change his ways to become a productive member of society. Which of the following punishments is the woman advocating for?

Those who oppose the death penalty argue it has claimed the lives of innocent people and that it has no deterrent value.

Which of the following describes sentences in which the separate counts are served together?

The authority to grant discretionary early release to a prisoner varies from one state to another.