Exam 2: Sentencing and the Correctional Process

Sentencing guidelines are:

Most citizens are interested in offenders serving most of their imposed sentence in prison. This is known as:

With the number of plea bargains increasing over the past few years, there seems to be a transfer of power in the courtroom to the prosecutor from the:

Scott was arrested for the crimes of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Scott was previously convicted of burglary, theft, assault, and several drug offenses. He previously served a 1-year prison sentence for the burglary conviction. Scott was only out of prison 4 months before he was arrested on these new charges. Prior to his first prison sentence, Scott was on probation for his theft, assault, and drug charges. Scott decided that he was going to reject the plea deal offered by the prosecutor of 2 years in prison. Instead, he opts for a trial, where he is found guilty by a jury after 2 hours of deliberation. The judge imposes a 4-year sentence for the aggravated assault and a 1-year sentence for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The judge informs Scott that the sentences will be imposed at the same time, but they will be served one after the other. Therefore, Scott must serve 5 years in state prison. What type of sentences will Scott be serving?

When did federal sentencing guidelines emerge?

When a jury trial is waived, the decision of guilt or innocence falls upon the:

Discuss the various types of structured sentences.

Sentences given by state and federal courts have traditionally been short in the United States.

Governor Smith is concerned with the crime rates in his state. He calls a special session of his cabinet and also contacts a few of the state senators to initiate a special session of Congress. Governor Smith wants to specifically address his states sentencing strategies. After a review of all the sentences imposed during the prior year, Governor Smith is concerned that judges are too influenced by nonlegal factors in determining the appropriate sentence. Which of the following would NOT be considered a nonlegal factor?

A signature bond is usually given for minor offenses, such as minor traffic offenses, and is based on the defendant's written promise to appear in court.

In the case of _________________________________, the Supreme Court found that Washington State's sentencing guidelines violated a defendant's Sixth Amendment rights because they permitted a judge to consider aggravating factors that would increase the sentence.

What are mandatory minimum sentences, and what affect have they had on correctional populations?

Release after serving the required minimum portion of the sentence is a(n):

The ______________________can become a useful tool when an offender is placed on probation by helping to shape treatment and supervision efforts.

In many jurisdictions, prisoners' sentences are reduced by about half. This is known as:

In _________________ the U.S. Supreme Court found that federal law does not allow rehabilitation to be used as a factor when handing down a sentence.

A(An)____________________sentence is one or more sentences imposed at the same time and served simultaneously.

The _____________________of 1984, required that no defendant be kept in pretrial detention simply because he or she could not afford financial bail.

A sentence of 1 to 15 years is an example of an indeterminate sentence.

Before sentencing takes place in felony cases, it is common for the prosecutor to conduct a presentence investigation.