Deck 11: Prison Life, Inmate Rights, Release, and Recidivism

Question 1

Where was the deadliest prison riot in American history?

A) Pelican Bay Prison in California
B) Attica Correctional Facility in New York
C) The federal prison at Alcatraz in California
D) The federal penitentiary in Marion, Illinois

Answer 1

Attica Correctional Facility in New York

Question 2

How many inmates were killed in state prisons in 2010?

A) 0
B) 50
C) 500
D) 5,000

Answer 2

50

Question 3

According to the first and second National Inmate Surveys of sexual victimization, approximately what percentage of the nation's prison inmates experienced sexual victimization?

A) 4.5%
B) 9%
C) 15.5%
D) 32%

Answer 3

4.5%

Question 4

Which of the following was NOT a finding of the second National Inmate Survey of sexual victimization?

A) An estimated 1% of prison inmates and 0.8% of jail inmates reported having nonconsensual sex with another inmate, including unwilling manual stimulation and oral, anal, or vaginal penetration.
B) About 2.8% of prison inmates and 2% of jail inmates reported having had sex or sexual contact with staff.
C) Male inmates in prison (4.7%) or jail (3.1%) were more than twice as likely as female inmates (1.9% in prisons and 1.3% in jails) to be victimized by other inmates.
D) Sexual activity with staff was reported by 2.9% of male prisoners and 2.1% of male jail inmates, compared to 2.1% of female prisoners and 1.5% of female jail inmates.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is NOT true about inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization rates in prisons and jails, according to the second National Inmate Survey of sexual victimization?

A) Sexual victimization rates were significantly higher among white or multi-racial inmates than black inmates.
B) Sexual victimization rates were significantly higher among inmates who had not completed high school than inmates with a college degree or more.
C) Sexual victimization rates were significantly higher among inmates with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual.
D) Sexual victimization rates were significantly higher among inmates who had been sexually victimized prior to incarceration than inmates who had not.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is NOT true about prison and jail staff sexual misconduct, according to the second National Inmate Survey of sexual victimization?

A) Staff sexual misconduct was lower among black inmates than white inmates.
B) Staff sexual misconduct was lower among inmates ages 25 or older than inmates ages 20-24.
C) Staff sexual misconduct was higher among inmates with a college degree than inmates who had not completed high school.
D) Staff sexual misconduct was higher among inmates who had been sexually victimized prior to incarceration than inmates who had not.

Question 7

Which of the following is one of the newest forms of prison contraband?

A) iPads
B) sushi
C) flat-screen televisions
D) cell phones

Question 8

Living in prison is fundamentally different from living in the free community in several ways. Which of the following is NOT one of those ways?

A) Life is typified by greater insecurity, stress, and unpredictability in prison.
B) There are rarely opportunities for educational achievement in prison.
C) There is less privacy in prison.
D) Deprivation of personal freedom and material goods is more pronounced in prison.

Question 9

In which of the following years did the first female correctional officer begin work at a high-security institution?

A) 1924
B) 1957
C) 1978
D) 1989

Question 10

At the end of 2010, approximately how many people were employed in adult correctional agencies in the United States?

A) 240,000
B) 370,000
C) 520,000
D) 790,000

Question 11

At the end of 2010, approximately what percentage of the people who were employed in adult correctional agencies in the United States was security staff?

A) 30%
B) 50%
C) 70%
D) 90%

Question 12

At the end of 2010, approximately what percentage of the people who were employed in the Federal Bureau of Prisons was security staff?

A) 30%
B) 50%
C) 70%
D) 90%

Question 13

At the end of 2010, approximately what percentage of the security staff in state correctional agencies was male?

A) 25%
B) 50%
C) 75%
D) 90%

Question 14

At the end of 2010, approximately what percentage of the security staff in state correctional agencies was white?

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

Question 15

At the end of 2010, what was the average ratio of correctional officers to inmates in state correctional institutions?

A) 1 officer for every 2.8 inmates
B) 1 officer for 6.7 inmates
C) 1 officer for every 10.1 inmates
D) 1 officer for every 22.4 inmates

Question 16

At the end of 2010, what was the average ratio of correctional officers to inmates in federal prisons?

A) 1 officer for every 2.8 inmates
B) 1 officer for 6.7 inmates
C) 1 officer for every 10.1 inmates
D) 1 officer for every 22.4 inmates

Question 17

In 2011, what was the mean annual wage for state correctional officers?

A) $19,600
B) $27,900
C) $43,300
D) $52,700

Question 18

In 2011, which of the following states paid its correctional officers the highest median annual wage?

A) California
B) New York
C) Alaska
D) New Jersey

Question 19

Researchers have identified four general ways in which correctional officers respond to their jobs. Which of the following is NOT one of the four general ways discussed in your text?

A) Some officers become overly authoritarian and confrontational.
B) Some officers adopt a human-services orientation toward their work.
C) Some officers become alienated, cynical, and withdrawn.
D) Some officers become intrusive and pry into the personal lives of inmates.

Question 20

In how many states were correctional officers represented by unions in 2011?

A) 4
B) 15
C) 27
D) 39

Question 21

Which of the following cases launched the prisoners' rights movement?

A) Cooper v. Pate (1964)
B) Johnson v. Avery (1969)
C) Wolff v. McDonnell (1974)
D) Bounds v. Smith (1977)

Question 22

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court hold that inmates skilled in legal matters must be permitted to assist other inmates in preparing cases unless the government provides a reasonable alternative?

A) Cooper v. Pate (1964)
B) Johnson v. Avery (1969)
C) Wolff v. McDonnell (1974)
D) Bounds v. Smith (1977)

Question 23

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court rule that inmates are entitled to either an adequate law library or adequate legal assistance?

A) Cooper v. Pate (1964)
B) Johnson v. Avery (1969)
C) Wolff v. McDonnell (1974)
D) Bounds v. Smith (1977)

Question 24

In Wolff v. McDonnell (1974), the Supreme Court ruled that inmates facing a loss of good time for a rule infraction are entitled to certain due process protections. To which of the following due process protections are they NOT entitled?

A) a written notice of the charges within 24 hours
B) a written statement of the evidence relied on and the reasons for the disciplinary action
C) an opportunity to call witnesses and present documentary evidence provided that this does not jeopardize institutional security
D) an opportunity to confront and cross-examine people who testify against them

Question 25

Approximately what percentage of inmates released from state prisons were released by parole boards in 2011?

A) 15%
B) 35%
C) 55%
D) 75%

Question 26

According to 2010 data reported by the American Correctional Association, approximately what percentage of male state prisoners recidivated within one to three years?

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 40%
D) 60%

Question 27

According to 2010 data reported by the American Correctional Association, approximately what percentage of female state prisoners recidivated within one to three years?

A) 10%
B) 30%
C) 50%
D) 70%

Question 28

In 2010, males in California had the highest recidivism rate, according to the American Correctional Association. What was California's approximate male recidivism rate in 2010?

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

Question 29

Depending on the jurisdiction, convicted felons lose a variety of civil rights. Which of the following is NOT a civil right commonly forfeited by convicted felons?

A) the right to vote
B) the right to hold public office
C) the right to serve on a grand or petit jury
D) the right to get married

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a value or norm of the convict code?

A) Inmates should mind their own affairs and do their own time.
B) Inmates should not inform the staff about the illicit activities of other prisoners.
C) Inmates should be indifferent to the staff and loyal to other convicts.
D) Inmates should follow the rules and not cause trouble.

Question 31

According to the second National Inmate Survey of sexual victimization, a greater percentage of prison inmates than jail inmates were sexually victimized.

Question 32

In Brown v. Plata (2011), the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the state of California to reduce its prison population to remedy persistent and systemic Eighth Amendment violations of prisoners' rights to the treatment of serious mental and medical conditions that have caused needless suffering and death.

Question 33

In Kansas v. Hendricks (1997), the Supreme Court ruled that sexual predators judged to be dangerous may not be confined indefinitely after they finish serving their sentences.

Question 34

What is the basis of the American Correctional Association's conclusion that recidivism rates may be declining?

Question 35

What has research revealed about the factors that influence recidivism rates?

Question 36

Your textbook identifies 21 prison conditions that federal courts have found to be in violation of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments. List 10 of them.

Question 37

Delores has been incarcerated for two years in a federal prison for assaulting a federal marshal. During this time, she feels that she has been sexually harassed by the male correctional guards, who keep whistling at her. However, her biggest complaints are that her toilet keeps overflowing, and there is a strange odor coming from the cell next to her. She believes a rat or mouse may have gotten caught in some pipes in the wall because she has seen rats on the floor from time to time. She has voiced her concerns to the correctional officers, but she doesn't believe any action is being taken. Whenever she asks to go to the clinic because her stomach is constantly upset from the odors, she is told to learn to live with it. She believes she has some constitutional rights, but the correctional officers keep telling her that she has lost her rights, and she is going to have to learn to put up with this for the remainder of her 8-year sentence. Is there anything she can do, or does she have to just accept her fate?