Deck 1: Crime and Criminal Justice

Question 1

Those who have a due process perspective on the justice system would be the most likely to advocate decriminalization of marijuana.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The contemporary criminal justice system is society's instrument of formal social control.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The issue of ethics is less of an issue than it used to be thanks to an increasing number of checks and balances within the system itself.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The crime control perspective views the proper role of the justice system as a means of caring for and treating people who cannot manage themselves.

Question 5

In a probable cause hearing, the defendant and his or her attorney may appear and dispute the prosecutor's charges.

Question 6

Less-serious felonies are the largest grouping of crimes, making up Level 4 of the criminal justice system wedding cake.

Question 7

Although there has been a substantial decline in the crime rate, more than 11 million individuals are still arrested annually.

Question 8

Of the components in the Criminal Justice System, the correctional component usually comes before the other two components.

Question 9

Police officers can arrest someone for a misdemeanor if a nearby witness claims that the person is guilty of a criminal offense.

Question 10

A courtroom work group helps to streamline the process of justice through the extensive use of deal making and plea bargaining.

Question 11

One ethical issue that has received recent attention is that concerning sexual violence perpetrated by correctional officers against inmates.

Question 12

Use of the term criminal justice system can be traced to work done by the American Bar Foundation that revealed the intricate network of decision-making processes employed by justice professionals.

Question 13

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes the relationship between criminal justice and the media?

A) The media routinely features stories exposing brutal cops and violent prisons.
B) In media representations of court trials, criminal defendants receive lengthy trials and attentive juries.
C) The media leads many individuals to gain false impressions about criminal justice.
D) All of the above

Question 14

Scientific research used to develop evidence-based justice has supported many commonly-held beliefs about the justice system.

Question 15

The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) continues to provide the majority of federal funds to states for criminal justice activities.

Question 16

Noninterventionists support the placement of first-time offenders who commit minor crimes into informal community-based treatment programs.

Question 17

The discretion afforded correctional workers can lead to ethical challenges.

Question 18

Most criminal cases are processed through the entire formal justice system.

Question 19

The police department was created in the United States; the first formed in Philadelphia just before the Civil War.

Question 20

State government spending accounts for most of the funding directed at the criminal justice system.

Question 21

Although there has been a recent decline in the number of cases brought to state courts, how many cases are still being heard each year in state courts?

A) 2 million
B) 20 million
C) 96 million
D) 112 million

Question 22

In the formal criminal justice process, at which stage are formal charges read and an initial plea entered?

A) Arraignment
B) Charging
C) Preliminary hearing
D) Bail hearing

Question 23

Federal funding makes up _______ percent of the contemporary criminal justice system.

A) 10
B) 19
C) 27
D) 31

Question 24

If the prosecution can present sufficient evidence, the grand jury will issue a(n) ____, which specifies the exact charges on which the accused must stand trial.

A) true bill of indictment
B) information
C) charging bill
D) nolle prosequi

Question 25

About what percent of serious crimes go unreported to the police?

A) 15
B) 35
C) 50
D) 75

Question 26

The case of Jared Lee Loughner, who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, is an example of what level of the "wedding cake" model of justice?

A) Level I
B) Level II
C) Level III
D) Level IV

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT a reason for a nolle prosequi -the term used when a prosecutor decides to drop a case after a complaint has been formally made?

A) Race of the defendant
B) Insufficient evidence
C) Reluctance of witnesses to testify
D) Police error

Question 28

The formal criminal justice process is supposed to be fair and unbiased. Critics argue that extralegal factors often influence the process. Which of the following is one of those extralegal factors critics argue influences the system?

A) Offender's race
B) Offender's prior record
C) Seriousness of offense
D) Available evidence

Question 29

Approximately ____ percent of felony cases are settled without a trial.

A) 20
B) 40
C) 60
D) 80

Question 30

Discretion by police officers occurs during the first four stages of the criminal justice process. In order, what are those stages?

A) Initial contact, arrest, charging, custody
B) Initial contact, investigation, arrest, charging
C) Initial contact, investigation, arrest, custody
D) Initial contact, arrest, investigation, charging

Question 31

What commission, appointed by President Herbert Hoover, made a detailed analysis of the US justice system and helped usher in the era of treatment and rehabilitation?

A) Chicago Crime Commission
B) National Commission on Corrections and Enforcement
C) Wickersham Commission
D) President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a condition required for an officer to make an arrest?

A) Probable cause that a crime has been committed
B) Deprivation of the individual's freedom
C) The police officer using the word "arrest"
D) Belief by the suspect that he or she is in police custody

Question 33

The three main components of the contemporary criminal justice system are:

A) law enforcement, the courts, and the legislature.
B) the courts, the correctional system, and the legislature.
C) law enforcement, the courts, and the correctional system.
D) law enforcement, the correctional system, and the legislature.

Question 34

There are about _______ people employed in local, state, and county law enforcement agencies.

A) 500,000
B) 725,000
C) 1.1 million
D) 2 million

Question 35

Which of the following is the purpose of law enforcement agencies in the criminal justice system?

A) To conduct trials and formulate sentences for crimes
B) To monitor, treat, and rehabilitate convicted offenders
C) To investigate crimes and apprehend suspects
D) All of the above

Question 36

Under what circumstances may a defendant be released on their own promise to return to the court without bail??

A) No circumstances allow the defendant to be released without bail..
B) If the defendant has committed a nonviolent crime.
C) If the defendant is a stable member of the community regardless of the crime they committed.
D) If the defendant has enough money to pay bail should the court decide to issue bail after all.

Question 37

One-quarter of states spend _______ or more per year per inmate.

A) $8,000
B) $28,000
C) $40,000
D) $120,000

Question 38

Federal funding accounts for approximately ________ of budget for the criminal justice system in the United States.

A) 19%
B) 31%
C) 48%
D) 62%

Question 39

For every 1000 serious crimes, about _____ adults are sent to prison.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 20
D) 30

Question 40

Which of the following statements is true?

A) During the nineteenth century, the United States experienced a surge in violent behavior.
B) Organized gangs flourished in the rural areas of the United States in the early 1900s.
C) The first criminal gangs formed after the Civil War in urban slums.
D) All of the above

Question 41

Proponents of which justice perspective are concerned about the effect of the stigma that criminal suspects bear when they are given negative labels such as "rapist" or "child molester"?

A) Rehabilitation
B) Nonintervention
C) Equal justice
D) Restorative justice

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT an example of a way that law enforcement agents and prosecutors exercise discretion of criminal cases?

A) Deciding whether to make an arrest
B) Sentencing based on the letter of the law
C) Substituting charges for others
D) Handling a case informally

Question 43

Ethical issues transcend all elements of the justice system. Why are ethical standards so important in criminal justice?

A) Without ethical decision making, it is possible that individual civil rights and liberties will suffer.
B) Agents of the criminal justice system have access to citizens' most personal information, raising concerns of privacy and confidentiality.
C) Justice system personnel may work in an environment where moral ambiguity is widespread.
D) All of the above

Question 44

Which perspective on the criminal justice system sees the proper role of the justice system as one that prevents crime through the judicious use of criminal sanctions?

A) Crime control
B) Rehabilitation
C) Due process
D) Equal justice

Question 45

Which of the following statements about ethics in the criminal justice system is NOT true?

A) Ethical issues transcend all elements of the criminal justice system.
B) It is often difficult to determine what is fair and just and balance; this concerns with the needs of the public.
C) Ethical issues end with the arrest of a suspect.
D) Ethical behavior is important in law enforcement because officers have the authority to deprive individuals of their liberty.

Question 46

Jessica has been in trouble with the law for as long as she can remember. Her first crime was shoplifting a candy bar from the drugstore. Since then she has moved on to more substantial shoplifting and stealing. She is currently on probation and is paying restitution to a victim for a previous theft. Now Jessica has been arrested for home invasion and robbery. As Jessica recalls her past history of stealing and theft, she realizes that her parents weren't around very much and she doesn't remember regularly attending school. Parents and school represent what kind of social control in society?

A) Formal social control
B) Informal social control
C) Legal and immoral control
D) Illegal and moral control

Question 47

According to noninterventionists, the efforts to treat offenders may lead to further stigma beyond the scope of the original offense. This is referred to as ______.

A) deinstitutionalization
B) nolle prosequi
C) victimless crime
D) widening the net of justice

Question 48

Which justice perspective sees the justice system serving as a mechanism of caring for and treating people who cannot manage themselves, and assumes people are at the mercy of social, economic, and interpersonal conditions?

A) Crime control
B) Rehabilitation
C) Due process
D) Equal justice

Question 49

Proponents of which justice perspective believe that the greatest concern of the justice system should be providing fair and equitable treatment to those accused of committing a crime?

A) Crime control
B) Rehabilitation
C) Due process
D) Equal justice

Question 50

The term "widening the net of justice" refers to the idea that ______.

A) efforts to treat offenders may actually further their stigmatization
B) police officers should arrest offenders even of minor crimes
C) there should be more laws that criminalize the actions of citizens
D) justice should be more broadly and fairly administered

Question 51

Which of the following statements about the beliefs of crime control advocates is NOT true?

A) Crime control advocates call for harsh punishment as a deterrent to crime.
B) Crime control advocates do not want legal technicalities to help the guilty go free.
C) Crime control advocates argue that the more efficient the system, the greater its effectiveness.
D) Crime control advocates believe the criminal justice system should treat and rehabilitate offenders.

Question 52

Shoplifting and public drunkenness would be considered _____ of the criminal justice "wedding cake."

A) Level I
B) Level II
C) Level III
D) Level IV

Question 53

Which perspective on the criminal justice system advocates mediation rather than coercive punishment?

A) Rehabilitation
B) Nonintervention
C) Equal justice
D) Restorative justice

Question 54

Which of the following people would be placed in Level II of the criminal justice "wedding cake"?

A) A noted celebrity who is arrested for shooting her bodyguard.
B) A stranger who uses a weapon to commit violent act.
C) An individual who is arrested for public drunkenness.
D) A first-time offender who assaults a friend.

Question 55

If you believe that procedural fairness, civil rights, and the rule of law are inviolate principles, which perspective on the justice system do you favor?

A) Crime control
B) Due process
C) Equal justice
D) Rehabilitation

Question 56

Jessica has been in trouble with the law for as long as she can remember. Her first crime was shoplifting a candy bar from the drugstore. Since then she has moved on to more substantial shoplifting and stealing. She is currently on probation and is paying restitution to a victim for a previous theft. Now Jessica has been arrested for home invasion and robbery. With Jessica's new charge of home invasion and robbery, she will likely be sentenced to prison time. What component of the system will she serve her sentence in?

A) Corrections
B) Institutional supervision
C) Courts
D) Community counseling

Question 57

Those who hold the rehabilitation perspective on justice believe that people who commit crimes ______.

A) are motivated by rational decisions
B) are the victims of social problems like racism and poverty
C) cannot be successfully treated within the confines of the criminal justice system
D) can be deterred by the threat of punishment alone

Question 58

What percent of misdemeanors go to trial?

A) Less than 10 percent
B) About 20 percent
C) 30 percent
D) More than 30 percent

Question 59

Which perspectives of the justice system have tended to dominate during the last few decades?

A) Nonintervention and equal justice
B) Due process and rehabilitation
C) Crime control and due process
D) Due process and crime control

Question 60

A case of domestic violence would be considered _____ of the criminal justice "wedding cake."

A) Level I
B) Level II
C) Level III
D) Level IV

Question 61

Jackson has been arrested for possession of drugs. When he was taken into custody, the officer had just witnessed Jackson taking money from someone and handing them a small bag that looked as if it contained drugs. After witnessing the event that served as probable cause, the officer searched Jackson's backpack where he found approximately 4 ounces of marijuana packaged in smaller bags for resale. He later searched Jackson's home and found an additional 3 ounces of marijuana packaged for resale. As a result, Jackson was charged with possession with intent to distribute.
At arraignment, Jackson accepts a plea deal that will shorten his sentence in return for naming one of his marijuana dealers. About what percentage of cases end like Jackson's every year with a plea bargain instead of a criminal trial?

A) 60 percent
B) 70 percent
C) 80 percent
D) 90 percent

Question 62

A _____ __ _____ is designed to restrict the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings may be initiated.

Question 63

In some jurisdictions,the preliminary hearing is known as a ______________ hearing, and is meant to show cause to bring a case to trial.

Question 64

Henry Huggins is a state's attorney who wants to be mayor of Baltimore. He knows that mayors before him have run and won on the "tough on crime" platform. Henry also believes in being tough but fair and knows that he has the winning record both in the courtroom and in politics. He feels that every person deserves a full array of constitutional rights and preserving democratic ideals is paramount over the need to punish the guilty.  If Henry believes in democratic ideals and that decisions made in the justice system must fall under careful scrutiny, what perspective on justice does Henry take?

A) Noninterventionist
B) Crime control
C) Due process
D) Equal justice

Question 65

The __________________ is comprised of the prosecutor, defense attorney, judge, and other court personnel who function to streamline the process of justice.

Question 66

Millions of misdemeanors, such as disorderly conduct, shoplifting, public drunkenness, and minor assault, comprise ______ of the criminal justice "wedding cake."

Question 67

Henry Huggins is a state's attorney who wants to be mayor of Baltimore. He knows that mayors before him have run and won on the "tough on crime" platform. Henry also believes in being tough but fair and knows that he has the winning record both in the courtroom and in politics. He feels that every person deserves a full array of constitutional rights and preserving democratic ideals is paramount over the need to punish the guilty. What is the name of the group of personnel that Henry works with in the courtroom and that helps to streamline the process of justice by use of deal making and plea bargaining?

A) Safe streets control group
B) Courtroom work group
C) The center work group
D) Cooperative work group

Question 68

The _________ stage follows initial contact and is concerned with gathering evidence.

Question 69

Jessica has been in trouble with the law for as long as she can remember. Her first crime was shoplifting a candy bar from the drugstore. Since then she has moved on to more substantial shoplifting and stealing. While she was on probation and paying restitution to a victim for a previous theft, she was arrested and charged with home invasion and robbery. As a result, Jessica was asked to participate in a rehabilitation program that is designed to provide a more successful readjustment to society after prison. Her participation in this program will occur during what stage of the criminal justice process?

A) Sentencing/disposition
B) Prerelease
C) Correctional treatment
D) Post release

Question 70

______ ______ is what manages an individual's behavior by social and institutional forces in society.

Question 71

Jackson has been arrested for possession of drugs. When he was taken into custody, the officer had just witnessed Jackson taking money from someone and handing them a small bag that looked as if it contained drugs. After witnessing the event that served as probable cause, the officer searched Jackson's backpack where he found approximately 4 ounces of marijuana packaged in smaller bags for resale.
Upon searching Jackson's home, the officer found an additional 3 ounces of marijuana packaged for resale. The prosecutor has decided to charge Jackson with possession with intent to distribute. What is the next stage of the criminal justice process after charging?

A) Custody
B) Preliminary hearing
C) Arraignment
D) Plea bargaining

Question 72

The __________________ is composed of law enforcement, the courts, and the correctional system.

Question 73

Jackson has been arrested for possession of drugs. When he was taken into custody, the officer had just witnessed Jackson taking money from someone and handing them a small bag that looked as if it contained drugs. After witnessing the event that served as probable cause, the officer searched Jackson's backpack where he found approximately 4 ounces of marijuana packaged in smaller bags for resale. After arrest, Jackson will be in what stage of the criminal justice process while the officer searches his home for more evidence?

A) Initial contact
B) Booking
C) Custody
D) Holding

Question 74

The charging document filed by the prosecution that forms the basis of the preliminary hearing is referred to as a(n) ______.

Question 75

The first police agency was developed in 1829 in ______.

Question 76

In order to make an arrest in a misdemeanor, the arresting officer must have personally witnessed the crime being committed. This condition is known as the ____________.

Question 77

When prosecutors decide to take no further action after conducting a preliminary investigation of the legal matters of a case, this action is known as ____________.

Question 78

Patricia, a famous child actor, has been arrested yet again. She has had many brushes with the law but has yet to be sentenced to prison. This time, the arrest was for was stealing, but in the end, the charges are reduced after the star agrees to return the stolen goods. She has a team of attorneys on retainer and is always in the spotlight. When Patricia had her charges reduced in exchange for the return of stolen goods, what agency of crime control did she most likely deal with?

A) Police
B) Prosecution and defense
C) Courts
D) Corrections

Question 79

The justice process can be viewed as a ______ that holds many cases at the beginning and relatively few at the end.

Question 80

Patricia, a famous child actor, has been arrested yet again. She has had many brushes with the law but has yet to be sentenced to prison. This time, the arrest was for was stealing, but in the end, the charges are reduced after the star agrees to return the stolen goods. She has a team of attorneys on retainer and is always in the spotlight. With Patricia's retained counsel, the judge was convinced that she had learned her lesson and that the challenge of the spotlight led her to her most current crime. This type of case would fall on what level of the criminal justice "wedding cake"?

A) Level 1
B) Level 2
C) Level 3
D) Level 4