Deck 13: Juvenile Corrections

Question 1

Which of the following statements most accurately reflects the age-crime curve?

A) Juvenile crime rises in preadolescence, peaks at around 13, and drops thereafter.
B) Juvenile crime rises in early adolescence, peaks at around 15, and drops thereafter.
C) Juvenile crime rises through adolescence, peaks at around 18, and drops thereafter.
D) Juvenile crime rises in late adolescence, peaks at around 21, and drops thereafter.

Answer 1

Juvenile crime rises through adolescence, peaks at around 18, and drops thereafter.

Question 2

Which of the following best defines the concept of parens patriae?

A) The state must protect its citizens from misbehaving young people.
B) The state is the ultimate parent of all minors and therefore has final responsibility for its younger citizens.
C) The state must defer to a child's parents when that child misbehaves.
D) The state must hold parents responsible for the misbehavior of their children.

Answer 2

The state is the ultimate parent of all minors and therefore has final responsibility for its younger citizens.

Question 3

When determined to have committed an act that would otherwise be a crime, rather than being found guilty of a crime, juveniles are

A) found to be persons in need of supervision (PINS).
B) guilty of a delinquent act.
C) adjudicated delinquent.
D) petitioned as neglected.

Answer 3

adjudicated delinquent.

Question 4

Misbehavior that is considered wrong because society does not consider the juvenile old enough for such activity is called a

A) status offense.
B) delinquency offense.
C) nonpetitioned offense.
D) CHINS offense.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a reason for a juvenile to be brought to juvenile court?

A) Situations wherein a child or juvenile has been neglected, abused, exploited, or mistreated.
B) Situations wherein a person who is now an adult is believed to have committed a serious delinquent offense when he or she was a juvenile.
C) Situations wherein the juvenile has been involved in activities that adults consider to be inappropriate or undesirable behavior for a juvenile.
D) Situations wherein the juvenile has been involved in activities that would be criminal if done by an adult.

Question 6

When a case is taken to an adjudicatory hearing where a juvenile court judge determines (based on evidence and witnesses) whether the juvenile will be found delinquent, the case is said to be

A) handled formally through a petition.
B) discretionary but without bias.
C) non-petitioned and probationary.
D) handled informally.

Question 7

Initially the juvenile court provided no due process protections for juveniles. Why?

A) Juveniles could not be punished.
B) Due process protections were given to the juvenile's parents.
C) Court proceedings were not adversarial.
D) The Bill of Rights specifically excludes juveniles from due process protections.

Question 8

What did the Supreme Court decide in In re Winship regarding juveniles who are brought up on charges in juvenile court proceedings?

A) The standard of proof in criminal court was applicable to juveniles in juvenile court.
B) The standard of proof in civil court was applicable to juveniles in juvenile court.
C) The standard of proof in juvenile court is a matter of state discretion.
D) The standard of proof in juvenile court is a matter of judicial discretion.

Question 9

The transfer of a juvenile to adult criminal court can occur as the result of

A) juvenile court judge waives jurisdiction in the matter.
B) prosecutor decides to try the juvenile as an adult.
C) in some states the criminal courts actually have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) All of the above are possible, depending on the state.
E) None of the above. Juveniles cannot be transferred to adult criminal court.

Question 10

Handling serious offenses by juveniles in criminal court rather than juvenile court was based on the assumption that punitive adult criminal sanctions will have a deterrent effect on juvenile offenders. Which of the following best describes the research findings regarding this practice?

A) Empirical evidence suggests that juvenile transfer laws have a significant general deterrent effect but no specific deterrent effect.
B) Empirical evidence suggests that juvenile transfer laws have a significant specific deterrent effect but no general deterrent effect.
C) Research finding show higher recidivism rates among juveniles convicted for violent offenses in criminal court when compared with similar offenders tried in juvenile court.
D) Research finding show higher recidivism rates among juveniles convicted for status offenses in criminal court when compared with similar offenders tried in juvenile court.

Question 11

This transfer model, which is also known as prosecutorial discretion or concurrent jurisdiction, gives prosecutors the authority to file certain juvenile cases in either juvenile or adult court.

A) Direct file.
B) Judicial waiver.
C) Prosecutorial abdication.
D) Statutory exclusion.

Question 12

Most correctly, blended sentencing allows the court to

A) impose juvenile sanctions on a minor.
B) impose adult sanctions on a minor.
C) suspend adult sanctions inflicted on a minor.
D) impose either juvenile or adult sanctions, or a combination of these sanctions, on a minor.

Question 13

Research suggests that the most successful treatment programs for juvenile offenders emphasize which of the following issues?

A) Mental health.
B) Peer relationships.
C) Substance abuse.
D) Family interactions.

Question 14

Which treatment type has both a family-based and a community-based aspect?

A) Multisystemic Therapy.
B) Functional Family Therapy.
C) Scared Straight programs.
D) Blended sentencing.

Question 15

A meta-analysis that summarized evidence on psychological interventions and long-term reduction in youth antisocial behavior found that

A) boys benefited most from interventions involving their families.
B) peer interventions appear to be appropriate with younger populations but less useful for intervening with older youths.
C) nonminority youths experienced greater benefits from parent group interventions than did ethnic minority youths.
D) All the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 16

Successful residential treatment programs for juveniles are those that do which of the following?

A) Support mental health issues rather than focusing on punishment.
B) Focus on specific skills such as behavior management or family counseling.
C) Provide aggression replacement training such as anger control.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 17

What name is given to the use of smaller correctional programs housed in small sites (rather than large congregate care facilities) where the emphasis is on rehabilitation in small groups, constant therapeutic intervention, and minimal force?

A) Reformatory Model.
B) Therapeutic Prototype.
C) Missouri Model.
D) Restorative Hospice.

Question 18

Minority youths ages 10-17 account for about one-fourth of the U.S. juvenile population but comprise ________ of the juvenile arrests for violent crimes.

A) 10%
B) one-third
C) half
D) nearly all

Question 19

How does selection bias impact minority youth in the juvenile justice system?

A) Minority youth engage in risky behaviors at an earlier age than do their white counterparts.
B) Actions or histories of minority youth are scrutinized more closely than that of white youth.
C) Minority youth engage in risky behaviors at a later age than do their white counterparts.
D) Actions or histories of minority youth are scrutinized less closely than that of white youth.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT identified as an essential element of programming for adolescent girls?

A) Opportunities to develop relationships of trust and interdependence with other women present in their lives.
B) Frequent opportunities to interact with adolescent boys in order to learn essential social skills.
C) Staying in a physically and emotionally safe space.
D) Education about women's health and female development.

Question 21

Which of the following factors represents the most significant risk factor relating to early onset of delinquency in females?

A) Poor academic performance.
B) Teen pregnancy.
C) Substance abuse.
D) Societal factors.

Question 22

The first juvenile court appeared in 1899 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Question 23

The juvenile court equivalent to being a convicted offender in adult court is being adjudicated delinquent.

Question 24

In addition to hearing cases about juveniles committing an act that would be a crime when committed by an adult, the juvenile court can also hear cases regarding the mistreatment of a juvenile.

Question 25

Because of a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision, the juvenile court no longer has the option to handle a case informally and all youths coming to the attention of juvenile court officials must be formally processed or dismissed.

Question 26

Most cases handled in juvenile courts involve drug offenses as the most serious charge.

Question 27

From 2004 to 2013, the proportion of female juvenile court caseloads increased from 27% to 50%.

Question 28

As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court case McKeiver v. Pennsylvania, juveniles have a constitutional right to a trial by jury in juvenile court.

Question 29

In some states, juveniles have the right to a trial by jury.

Question 30

Research on teen courts is scant and vary widely in their methodology and type, but one consistent and verified finding is that sometimes offenders who go to teen court actually have worse outcomes than comparison groups.

Question 31

Functional Family Therapy is an effective short-term intervention program targeting youths aged 11-18 who are facing problems with delinquency, substance abuse, or violence.

Question 32

Community-based programs that focus on the individual offender have been found to be more successful than family-based treatments.

Question 33

As a result of several recent studies, it has become apparent that females and males have similar pathways to delinquency and there is no need for gender-specific programming.

Question 34

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that studies of incarcerated youths report that boys have higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders than do girls.

Question 35

Because working with girls and young women presents unique challenges, staff members working with that population need specialized training.

Question 36

Gender-specific programming for adolescent girls should include a safe space that is removed from the demands and attention of adolescent males.

Question 37

An adult goes to trial, but a juvenile goes to a(n) ________ hearing.

Question 38

Skipping school and running away from home are examples of a(n) ________ offense.

Question 39

Juveniles handled as a nonpetitioned case could receive ________ probation.

Question 40

The U.S. Supreme Court case In re ________ identified minimum due process requirements for juvenile courts to follow.

Question 41

Through the process of judicial ________, a juvenile court judge can yield jurisdiction over a case and transfer it to criminal court.

Question 42

Juvenile ________ sentences allow the juvenile court judge to impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 43

The McKeiver v. Pennsylvania decision allows an advisory jury to assist the juvenile court judge and as a result ________ courts (also known as youth courts or peer courts) have become popular.

Question 44

In contrast to multisystemic therapy, which has a community component, ________ Family Therapy is a short-term, family-based program that targets youths aged 11-18.

Question 45

Juvenile treatment based on the ________ model emphasizes rehabilitation in small groups, constant therapeutic interventions, and minimal use of force.

Question 46

________ minority contact describes the overrepresentation of people of color in all aspects of the U.S. juvenile justice system.

Question 47

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Parens patriate

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 48

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Status offense

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 49

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Delinquency offense

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 50

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Informal probation

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 51

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Nonpetitioned case

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 52

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Judicial waiver

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 53

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Direct file

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 54

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Statutory exclusion

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 55

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Juvenile blended sentences

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 56

Match the following terms with their meanings.

-Criminal blended sentences

A) Prosecutor decides to try a juvenile as an adult.
B) Juvenile court judge forgoes jurisdiction over a case and transfers it to criminal court.
C) Criminal courts have original jurisdiction for certain crimes committed by juveniles.
D) In cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult, the criminal court judge can impose juvenile sentences that would ordinarily be available only to juvenile court.
E) Juvenile court judge can impose both juvenile and adult sanctions on certain categories of serious juvenile offenders.

Question 57

Since the case of In re Gault, which due process rights remain available to juvenile offenders? Which due process rights continue to be denied to juveniles?

Question 58

What are the advantages and disadvantages of transferring juveniles to adult court?

Question 59

The McKeiver v. Pennsylvania decision made possible the use of an advisory jury in to assist the juvenile court judge. There are now more than 1,000 such panels, known as teen courts, youth courts, or peer courts. What advantages might come from the use of these advisory panels? What are the potential disadvantages?

Question 60

What factors contribute to the overrepresentation of minority youth in residential placement facilities?