Deck 2: Models of Criminal Justice

Question 1

Walker suggests that most of the time, the system operates in a chaotic and arbitrary manner.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Walker argues that the American CJS is so complex, because

A) it is based on English common law, but we have added our own statutory laws piecemeal over time to fill in the gaps
B) of our capitalist economy and democratic political system
C) it is made up of one federal and 50 state systems with their own substantive and procedural rules
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The defining factor that makes a case celebrated is a celebrity offender.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Neither version of the New Cynicism adequately explains how the justice system handles routine cases on a day-to-day basis.

Question 5

Walker argues that the problem is that our system is

A) too lenient
B) too severe
C) both too lenient and too severe
D) neither too lenient or too severe

Question 6

Select the most accurate statement:

A) old idealists provide a description of the day-to-day handling of routine cases that is closer to reality than the new cynics' description
B) conservative cynics provide a description of the day-to-day handling of routine cases that is closer to reality than the liberal cynics' description
C) new cynics see irrational decision making undermining effective crime control while old idealists believe chaos of the system produces systematic discrimination
D) conservative cynics see irrational decision making undermining effective crime control while liberal cynics believe chaos of the system produces systematic discrimination

Question 7

The day-to-day administration of justice is less complex than the formal machinery of the justice system.

Question 8

Based on lower court research, Walker concludes that lower courts are very different from the upper courts, but there are significant differences between courts in different jurisdictions

Question 9

The wedding cake model highlights significant differences in case processing within each layer and consistent patterns in case processing between layers.

Question 10

The majority of suspects in prior-relationship robbery cases are convicted.

Question 11

Walker uses which of the following terms to describe the routine handling of cases on a day-to-day basis?

A) chaotic and discriminatory
B) chaotic and arbitrary
C) consistent and predictable
D) inconsistent and unpredictable

Question 12

The factor that differentiates second- and third-layer felonies is the frequency with which the courtroom workgroup sees cases in the different layers as similar in other ways.

Question 13

Data on career-criminal prosecution programs show that they are less effective than was hoped because these offenses were already being treated seriously.

Question 14

The majority of cases are celebrated cases that involve the full criminal process including the criminal trial.

Question 15

The Crime Commission's model

A) emphasizes significant differences between types of cases and the consistent disposition of cases within each category
B) emphasizes the interrelationships among agencies and the ways decisions at one point in the system affect decisions at other points
C) is a visual representation of the consistency and predictability of the system
D) is a visual representation of the chaos and unpredictability of the system

Question 16

Celebrated cases distort public perceptions about criminal justice.

Question 17

The Crime Commission's model takes a systems approach to the administration of criminal justice.

Question 18

The ____(1)______ is the civics-book picture of justice while the ____(2)______ portrays a chaotic CJS.

A) (1) old idealism (2) new cynicism
B) (1) liberal idealism (2) conservative idealism
C) (1) new cynicism (2) old idealism
D) (1) liberal cynicism (2) conservative cynicism

Question 19

The various state court systems

A) are uniform in their procedures
B) vary in criminal laws and their punishments
C) clearly follow federal guidelines for criminal punishment
D) maintain uniform criminal laws, but vary in their punishments

Question 20

Walker proposes that most crime control ideas are based on false assumptions about how the CJS works.

Question 21

Compared to suspects in prior-relationship robberies, suspects in stranger robberies

A) were twice as likely to be incarcerated if convicted
B) were more likely to plea bargain
C) were less likely to be convicted of felonies
D) were convicted 50% more of the time

Question 22

What impact do celebrated cases have on public perceptions?

A) educational, because they teach the public about routine case processing by the CJS
B) sentimental, because the public feels badly for the poor and minority offenders thrust in front of television cameras on a regular basis
C) distorted, because people mistakenly assume they are typical of all cases when they are not
D) none, because the public realize that these are atypical cases and that is what makes them newsworthy

Question 23

The liberation hypothesis refers to the liberation of

A) misdemeanor cases from the requirement of attorneys and trials
B) prosecutors and judges from conventional shared understandings of seriousness
C) prosecutors and judges from requirements of procedural law
D) modern courtroom workgroups from age old traditions

Question 24

The factors that criminal justice officials consistently use to classify cases include which of the following?

A) the race and class of the victim and the offender
B) the relationship between victim and offender and the suspect's prior record
C) the number of cases on the docket and the offender's remorse
D) none, criminal justice officials do not handle cases consistently or predictably

Question 25

Judgments made by the courtroom workgroup regarding second-layer cases

A) are based on shared definitions of seriousness that promote consistent processing
B) are more likely than other types of cases to be based on extralegal factors
C) highlight the discretion and lack of predictability among American courtroom workgroups
D) are made uniformly using charging guidelines that limit discretion

Question 26

Parolees being sent back to prison for violations of the terms of their parole supervision is called

A) front-load sentencing
B) back-end sentencing
C) upfront sentencing
D) up-ending

Question 27

Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes the type of cases within each layer of the wedding cake?

A) the largest layer of the cake contains serious felonies because these are the most frequently occurring cases in the CJS
B) the top layer contains celebrated cases, the second layer contains serious felonies, the third layer contains less serious felonies, and the bottom layer contains misdemeanors
C) although celebrated cases make up the top and smallest layer of the cake, they are examples of the typical cases handled routinely by the CJS on a day-to-day basis
D) the top layer contains celebrated cases, the second layer contains less serious felonies, the third layer contains serious felonies, and the bottom layer contains misdemeanors

Question 28

Criminal justice officials use ALL BUT WHICH of the following criteria to determine the seriousness of a crime

A) the nature of the crime
B) the use of a weapon
C) injury to the offender
D) the relationship between victim and suspect

Question 29

The major limitation of the Crime Commission's model that the wedding cake model addresses is

A) the way decisions at one point in the system affect decisions at other points
B) the need to have a clear and concise graphic to communicate the function of the model
C) the systematic mistreatment of racial and ethnic minorities in CJ case processing
D) the consistent pattern in which similar cases are disposed of and the significant differences between types of cases

Question 30

Third-layer cases differ from second-layer cases in that

A) Third-layer cases are more likely to be dismissed or pled down
B) there are more celebrities in second- than third-layer cases
C) there are more second- than third-layer cases
D) there are no differences between third- and second-layer cases

Question 31

One of the unique elements of criminal justice case processing that is more often present in celebrated cases than other cases is

A) a trial
B) a public defender
C) a plea bargain
D) a conviction

Question 32

What characteristics do cases in the top layer of the wedding cake share?

A) they are all serious felonies committed with a weapon and resulting in injury to the victim
B) they are part of the largest volume of cases and are not considered worth much to the courtroom workgroup
C) these are all cases where a prior relationship exists between the victim and the offender
D) they involve a famous person, a gruesome crime, or result in landmark Supreme Court rulings