Deck 7: Texas-Sized Justice

Question 1

Why are death penalty cases more expensive than other trials?

A) Death row inmates must be held in privately run facilities.
B) Death sentences must gain approval from federal courts in a second trial.
C) Death penalty cases bring automatic appeals, most often paid for by the state.
D) Death penalty defendants are provided private attorneys.
E) The grand jury requirement is unique to capital punishment cases.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In which of the following locations do more people support the death penalty?

A) Vermont
B) The Midwest
C) Texas
D) The Northeast
E) The Insular Territories

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The main cause of the increased prison population in Texas is ______.

A) immoral Texas behavior
B) holding corporate wrongdoers accountable
C) stiffer penalties for drug offenses
D) the influx of illegal immigrants

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Since the tort reform passed by the Texas Legislature in 2003, the maximum amount of noneconomic damages a plaintiff can sue for in Texas is ______.

A) $100,000
B) $250,000
C) $500,000
D) $1 million
E) $5 million

Question 5

Which of the following best describes "frontier justice?"

A) Texans have historically relied on authoritative government for protection from danger.
B) The strong law-and-order atmosphere imposed during Reconstruction established the political culture Texas enjoys today.
C) Texans have always believed that it is important to fend for oneself.
D) Texans are particularly focused in their efforts to dissuade vigilante justice.
E) Texans have a strong faith and trust in state government.

Question 6

A majority of those in Texas prisons have committed ______ offenses.

A) rape
B) murder
C) nonviolent
D) assaultive

Question 7

Which of the following is among the top five states or territories in number of executions completed per year?

A) Minnesota
B) California
C) New York
D) Texas
E) Puerto Rico

Question 8

Which of the following was NOT alleged among the charges in Ruiz v. Estelle (1972)?

A) Texas prisoners suffered unconstitutionally harsh living conditions.
B) Texas prisoners lacked access to proper medical care.
C) Texas prisoners were undercompensated for their voluntary labor.
D) Texas prisoners faced overcrowded conditions.
E) Texas prisoners were protected by inadequate security.

Question 9

Whereas building more prisons would cost the state $1.6 billion, the Madden and Whitmore rehabilitation proposal cost the state ______.

A) $2 billion
B) $1 billion
C) $500 million
D) $241 million

Question 10

The recent focus on rehabilitation over incarceration would be an option most likely for which of the following offenses?

A) rape
B) armed robbery
C) human trafficking
D) drug use
E) fraud

Question 11

Which of the following does the Texas Constitution NOT guarantee to an individual accused of a crime?

A) a speedy and public trial
B) the right to be confronted by the witnesses against him or her
C) an impartial jury
D) the right to demand the nature and cause of the accusation against him or her
E) reasonable bail set and the accused to be released until trial regardless of the alleged crime

Question 12

Which of the following is least likely to be a capital murder according to Texas law?

A) murder of an intruder in your home
B) knowingly murdering a peace officer or firefighter acting in the lawful discharge of duty
C) committing murder for pay or the promise of pay or employing someone to commit murder
D) mass murder
E) murder to obstruct justice or murder of a criminal witness

Question 13

Which two methods of execution has Texas employed since 1923?

A) the electric chair and lethal injection
B) the electric chair and the gas chamber
C) the electric chair and hanging
D) hanging and lethal injection
E) the gas chamber and lethal injection

Question 14

Which of the following presidents was the architect of the war on drugs?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) Jimmy Carter
C) Bill Clinton
D) Richard Nixon

Question 15

Which of the following describes correctly the differences between California and Texas regarding the death penalty?

A) Texas has the death penalty, whereas California does not.
B) California carries out the death penalty about as often as does Texas.
C) California focuses on a speedy process, but Texas focuses on minimizing error.
D) The federal courts in Texas are more likely to intervene in death penalty cases than are the federal courts in California.
E) The costs of a capital murder trial in California are greater than they are in Texas.

Question 16

According to the authors, what has been the primary motivation behind the 2007 move toward emphasizing rehabilitation?

A) a change in political culture
B) a constitutional amendment
C) requirements placed on Texas by the federal government
D) popular outcry
E) cost savings

Question 17

Which of the following does NOT reflect the authors' description of justice in Texas?

A) There has been a trend toward focusing on the problem of recidivism.
B) Texas has a high incarceration rate relative to the rest of the world.
C) About one third of state jails fail to meet state standards.
D) Texans strongly support continued use of the death penalty.
E) Texas's political culture takes a relaxed approach toward crime.

Question 18

As expressed in the introduction to Chapter 7, all of the following are true about the death penalty EXCEPT that ______.

A) public opinion outside Texas has shifted away from the death penalty
B) most Texas death penalty cases are reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court
C) Texans continue to prefer the death penalty as a method of punishment
D) those outside of Texas see the Lone Star State as having an irrational devotion to the death penalty
E) support for the death penalty in Texas indicates a politician's resolve to be tough on crime

Question 19

Where does the United States rank among all countries in incarceration rate per capita?

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth
E) fifth

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT among the potential problems the authors associate with prison privatization?

A) The operating costs in private prisons are almost always higher than those in public institutions.
B) Financial concerns lead private facilities to train their staff poorly.
C) Violent felons are imported to Texas by some contracts.
D) Conditions in private prisons tend to be harsher than in public ones.
E) Prisoners from out of state in private facilities are more likely to suffer clinical depression.

Question 21

From 2000 to 2010, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of corporate interests on a(n) ______ of cases.

A) minority
B) plurality
C) equal number
D) majority

Question 22

The heat index in Texas prisons has topped ______ degrees.

A) 90
B) 150
C) 100
D) 85

Question 23

When an ex-convict returns to a life of crime, this is known as ______.

A) rehabilitation
B) back-sliding
C) specialization
D) recidivism

Question 24

In general, Texans favor ______.

A) recidivism
B) rehabilitation
C) forgiveness
D) retribution

Question 25

The Texas Constitution states that defendants have the right to a speedy trial.

Question 26

For years, Texas inmates have complained about a lack of ______.

A) entertainment
B) clothing options
C) medical care
D) education programs

Question 27

Because of the death penalty, ______.

A) Texas executes fewer people each year than do other states
B) Texas has less crime than other states
C) Texas has less violent crime than other states
D) Texas leads the nation in executions

Question 28

Texas has executed inmates with intellectual disabilities.

Question 29

Approximately 13,000 Texas inmates are in ______ facilities.

A) half-way house
B) private prison
C) charter prison
D) municipal prison

Question 30

Executions in the state of Texas have been ______ since 2000.

A) increasing
B) outlawed
C) outsourced
D) declining

Question 31

In the last few years, many states have legalized marijuana possession for recreational and medical uses.

Question 32

"It ain't against the law to kill a son of a bitch" is a statement that reflects the belief that for justice to prevail ______.

A) a rational court system must rule
B) the procedures of law must be followed
C) individual action is sometimes necessary
D) murder is okay when it suits your purpose

Question 33

Tort reform failed in the state of Texas.

Question 34

Texans lose with the death penalty by ______.

A) increasing crime in the state
B) reducing violent crime in the state
C) paying the high financial cost of the death penalty
D) spending too much time ensuring the innocent are not killed

Question 35

The requirement that governments provide legal counsel to those charged with serious crimes who cannot afford representation is known as preventive defense.

Question 36

The notion that individuals have the right to use lethal force against individuals who enter their home is an example of the influence of ______.

A) frontier justice
B) process justice
C) individualized justice
D) self-centric justice

Question 37

The accused are not granted a right to legal counsel in the Texas Constitution.

Question 38

Which of the following does Texas law NOT require for indigent defendants?

A) providing appointment of defense counsel
B) meeting minimum standards for defense lawyers
C) ensuring defense attorneys receive comparable compensation to private defense attorneys
D) providing financial resources for experts and investigators
E) creating an indigent defense plan to be used in all appropriate cases

Question 39

Private prison facilities in Texas have a good record for clean, safe, and efficient operation.

Question 40

The war on drugs was a Texas policy that ultimately reduced the prison population.

Question 41

How do prison conditions in Texas compare to those found in other states?

Question 42

How has the castle doctrine in Texas changed from its first passage?

Question 43

What are the arguments for and against the privatization of prisons?

Question 44

What is the loser pay law of Texas?

Question 45

Current castle law states that a homeowner must attempt to escape before using deadly force.

Question 46

In civil cases in Texas, supposedly frivolous lawsuits are a common point of debate. Discuss the perspectives for and against allowing plaintiffs the right to proceed in civil court and what rules regulate such cases.

Question 47

Texas leads the nation in defending consumer rights and small business rights against big corporate interests.

Question 48

What are Texans' attitudes on the death penalty in relation to those in the rest of the country, and why do they differ?