Exam 12: Public Order, Morality, and Vice Crimes

Pornography is a form of obscenity that depicts sexual acts of behaviors with the intent to arouse sexual excitement in any individual.

Why did a federal judge strike down the Child Online Protection Act (COPA)?

What law addresses Internet Child Pornography and has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court?

Most major cities have ordinances against people moving about with no visible means of financial support. What is the name for this offense?

What mens rea is required to convict a suspect of the crime of prostitution?

Many cities have trouble with teenagers and drug users hanging out in the parking lot of schools, shopping centers, and other establishments. What law enables law enforcement to deal with this issue?

Mohammad just moved to the United States and has completed all of the requirements to become a U.S. citizen. Mohammad has one wife from his life in Afghanistan. According to his culture, Mohammad is allowed to have at least five wives. In America having multiple wives is considered _________________ , which is illegal in America.

In some cases, ____________, alone is the key element in a crime.

Joe was driving westbound on I-20 heading toward New Mexico. A Texas DPS officer pulls Joe over because the car he is driving has a taillight that is not working. As the officer chats with Joe he notices a small bag containing a residue of a white substance lying on the driver's seat beside Joe. The officer asks Joe to step from the vehicle and asks Joe if he has any drugs or other contraband. Joe assures the officer that he and vehicle is clean and encourages the officer to search the car, thinking that the officer will decline since he is a lone officer. The officer accepts the offer, but handcuffs Joe and places him in the back of the patrol car during the search (after a cursory pat down). The officer discovers a small tin box under the driver's seat. The box contains several small plastic bags of a substance the officer recognizes as heroin. Additionally, Joe shows signs of being highly agitated with very constricted pupils. Additionally, the officer locates a loaded .45 Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol under the driver's seat within easy reach of the driver. The officer continues his search in the trunk of the vehicle and discovers an unlocked briefcase loaded with large, plastic bags full of the same substance and a scale. The total quantity of controlled substance in Joe's possession is estimated to be over 100 grams of mixture. What charges may be filed against Joe? What schedule will the charges be filed under? A criminal history check verifies that Joe is a known offender and that this will be his 2ⁿᵈ offense. What federal trafficking penalties will apply to Joe's case? What penalties will Joe face for a third offense? Does the possession of a firearm add to the charges?

____________________ was the federal government's first effort to criminalize opium and cocaine.

A drug or other substance that has a high potential for abuse and has no current accepted medical use in treatment in the United States is consider a _______________ controlled substance.

Normal prohibitions against profanity have a tendency to run afoul of __________________ protections.

Though the Supreme Court defined obscenity, states are not obligated to follow its lead - at least as far as their pornography definitions go.

Jack is a participant in a protest. The protestors become violent and begin throwing rocks and Molotov Cocktails at the opposing group. Police close in on Jack to arrest him for his participation in the acts of violence. Jack fights the officers and makes every attempt to stop the attempt to place him under arrest. What crime may Jack be charged with in addition to his involvement in the riot?

With complicity, an accomplice derives his or her criminal liability from a primary offender.

The primary reason incest is taboo even today is because incest can produce _____________.

The _______________, finalized in 1972, was created to achieve uniformity in state laws concerning the criminalization and scheduling of drugs.

Several decades ago, in Smith v. United States, the Federal Appeals Court announced that the test for identifying obscenity was whether to the average person applying contemporary standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest.

What is often called the world's oldest profession and typically includes sex, drugs, and human trafficking?