Exam 14: Sentencing and Appeals

An offender murders three people and is sentenced to die in the electric chair as just punishment for his acts. This is an example of which purpose of punishment?

Which of the following guidelines are mandatory rather than advisory?

The various states have granted different levels of discretion to judges in regard to how they may or may not sentence defendants. List, define, and explain these sentencing schemes.

List and explain the significant limitations on the ability of federal courts to grant habeas corpus review. Do you think such limitations make obtaining review too difficult?

Sentences of imprisonment longer than 1 year are typically served in any but which of the following?

Trial errors reviewed in an appeal are reviewed under the _____.

Punishment is supposed to be proportional to the committed crime. Courts have repeatedly rejected the application of cruel and unusual punishment to capital punishment in the United States. Capital punishment is a hotly debated topic, but some say that life in prison is a more severe punishment than death. Which punishment do you feel is more severe and why?

Which of the following was not one of the aggravating circumstances of murder upheld in Gregg v. Georgia?

Defendants possess a due process right to a criminal appeal.

In order to order a new trial, an appellate court must have probable cause to suspect that the harm inflicted on the defendant adversely affected the verdict.

In order to file a writ of habeas corpus, a defendant must allege a violation of any but which of the following?

Which of the following is not contained within a presentence report?

Explain the increasing controversy surrounding mandatory minimums and the studies that indicate problems with these laws.

Explain what the right of allocution is and what a victim impact statement is. Do you think these in court processes are important? Why or why not?

Which of the following cases called for the mass release of 46,000 prisoners to ease the overcrowding in the state prison system?

Which of the following sentences has not been deemed cruel and unusual via the Eighth Amendment?

An offender is sentenced to 2 years in prison for aggravated robbery so as to send a message to other potential robbers of what will happen should they commit this crime. This is an example of which purpose of punishment?

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that laws mandating different sentences for an offense based on gender are constitutional.

_____ is the purpose of punishment where punishment is used to remove offenders from society.

An offender is convicted of misdemeanor vandalism, but instead of being sentenced to jail, she is given 200 hours of community service, much of which is spent cleaning up her own graffiti and similar acts of vandalism. This is an example of which purpose of punishment?