Deck 16: Section 2: Corrections: Sentencing, Imprisonment, and Alternatives

Question 1

A convicted criminal who may have some difficulty with making good decisions as a result of a mental defect may evoke _____ from judges or juries.

A) ill will
B) sympathy
C) anger
D) disbelief

Answer 1

sympathy

Question 2

James was charged with committing a robbery with a group of his peers. He had never committed any crimes and was caught up in a situation that he could not see any way out of. The attributions that would represent the above scenario include_____ and _____.

A) internal causes; controllability
B) internal causes; stability
C) external causes; controllability
D) external causes; uncontrollability

Answer 2

external causes; uncontrollability

Question 3

Sentencing is not necessarily clear-cut. According to the text, criminal behaviors that can be attributed to stable, controllable causes appear to receive _____ punishment.

A) the lightest
B) light
C) mandatory
D) the harshest

Answer 3

the harshest

Question 4

Some studies have found that judges were susceptible to different sentencing based on the convicted person's _____ and _____.

A) race; gender
B) race; age
C) age; gender
D) gender; socioeconomic status

Question 5

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2005 that sentencing guidelines should be _____ in nature.

A) advisory
B) mandatory
C) required
D) compulsory

Question 6

According to the text, _____ are the single largest group of inmates in federal prisons.

A) murderers
B) extortionists
C) corporate criminals
D) drug offenders

Question 7

Containing criminals to render them unable to harm others outside of the prison is referred to as:

A) specific deterrence.
B) incapacitation.
C) retribution.
D) general deterrence.

Question 8

Three-strikes laws mean that:

A) repeat offenders get a three-judge panel deciding their cases.
B) career criminals receive a triple sentence for their offenses.
C) criminals receive an extended or life sentence when convicted of a third felony.
D) there are only three appeals options available to repeat offenders.

Question 9

The criminal justice system uses two primary methods to hold people. One such placement is _____, where people are held short-term.

A) state prison
B) halfway house
C) jail
D) federal prison

Question 10

According to the text, drug offenders constitute approximately _____ of the population in federal prisons.

A) less than 10%
B) a quarter
C) half
D) three quarters

Question 11

Sam has been in prison before and, after his release, he promised to himself that he would never do anything that can land him in prison again. This illustrates one of the goals of imprisonment called:

A) specific deterrence.
B) incapacitation.
C) retribution.
D) general deterrence.

Question 12

Determinate sentencing means that judges are _____, if a defendant is found guilty of a particular crime.

A) encouraged to hand down a sentence within a prescribed range
B) required to hand down a sentence within a prescribed range
C) required to defer the sentencing decision to the jury
D) encouraged to hand down harsher sentences when it is appropriate

Question 13

Janine was convicted of a felony, as was Troy. Both defendants were convicted of the same crime and under similar situations. Because she is a female, Janine is likely to receive _____ Troy.

A) a harsher sentence than
B) the same sentence as
C) a more lenient sentence than
D) a less lenient sentence than

Question 14

Three-strikes laws have been criticized for all of the following EXCEPT:

A) three-strikes laws increase gender disparity in sentencing for violent crimes.
B) there are much cheaper and equally effective alternatives to imprisonment.
C) three-strikes laws are often imposed for relatively minor, nonviolent offenses.
D) longer prison sentences are handed down to offenders who are "aging out of" crime.

Question 15

The requirement that criminals receive an extended or life sentence when convicted of a third felony is commonly called the:

A) repeat offender guideline.
B) career criminal sentencing rule.
C) three-time loser rule.
D) three-strikes laws.

Question 16

Sentencing decisions are based on the crime and also take into consideration the attributions of the criminal. One question that is sometimes asked during sentencing hearings is whether the personality of the criminal has an influence on his or her behavior. According to the text, what is being assessed is referred to as:

A) internal causes.
B) external causes.
C) controllability.
D) stability.

Question 17

Kelvin was released from prison before his entire sentence was served. However, he has to be supervised by an officer. This situation is commonly referred to as:

A) parole.
B) probation.
C) rehabilitation.
D) treatment.

Question 18

Prisons generally hold criminals:

A) for a long period of time.
B) for a short period of time.
C) until they receive a hearing.
D) while they await trial.

Question 19

In the case of violent crimes, men and women appear to be equally likely to be sent to prison. However, research indicates that men receive _____ sentences.

A) substantially shorter
B) slightly shorter
C) substantially longer
D) slightly longer

Question 20

Sentencing guidelines are put in place to assist judges in making consistent sentencing decisions. Examples of factors that affect sentencing according to the guidelines noted in the text include _____ and _____.

A) prior criminal record; type of crime
B) type of crime; socioeconomic situation
C) circumstances of the current offense; gender
D) socioeconomic situation; prior criminal record

Question 21

The establishment of prisons in Pennsylvania and New York was designed to be rehabilitative in nature. Rehabilitation was supposed to be achieved by _____ and _____.

A) reading the Bible; working in groups
B) maintaining strict routines; spending most of the time alone and silent
C) encouraging family visits; interactions with other inmates
D) prisoners talking to each other; leading group prayers

Question 22

It has been estimated that approximately _____ of prisoners have at least one other family member who is also incarcerated.

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 40%

Question 23

One reason that recent immigrants held in prisons did not have much sympathy from the general population was the common belief that they were _____ and _____ inferior.

A) morally; intellectually
B) morally; financially
C) intellectually; socially
D) socially; financially

Question 24

In the mid-1800s, U.S. prisons were holding a large number of recent immigrants. Among them, there was a disproportionate number of _____ inmates.

A) Italian
B) South American
C) English
D) Irish

Question 25

The _____ theory implies that the repulsive nature of prisons will increase individuals' desire to maintain a law-abiding lifestyle.

A) deterrence
B) incapacitation
C) retribution
D) avoidance

Question 26

The prison population is also highly racially disproportionate to the general population. Black males have a _____ chance of serving at least 1 year in prison or jail during their lifetime, whereas the same chance for White males is _____.

A) 10%; 11%
B) 29%; 5%
C) 59%; 1%
D) 90%; 49%

Question 27

Several U.S. states have very high incarceration rates. Which one is not among them?

A) Mississippi
B) Louisiana
C) New Jersey
D) Texas

Question 28

It was not until the _____ that prisons began to reflect the influence of medicine and social sciences.

A) 1800s
B) 1850s
C) 1900s
D) 2000s

Question 29

After the American Revolution, a movement to change how criminals were punished began in an attempt to move away from laws that had been established in England. Instead of beating and killing, the new country decided to rely on:

A) incarceration.
B) public shaming.
C) rehabilitation.
D) hanging.

Question 30

The assimilation of new inmates into the values system, norms, and language of prison is referred to as:

A) prisonization.
B) deinstitutionalization effect.
C) incarceration manner.
D) integrating into the system.

Question 31

The United States currently incarcerates _____ for a _____ any other industrialized democracy in the world.

A) a larger percentage of individuals; longer period of time than
B) a larger percentage of individuals but; shorter period of time than
C) a smaller percentage of individuals; period approximately similar to that of
D) a smaller percentage of individuals; much shorter period of time than

Question 32

The prison population is also highly disproportionate to the general population in terms of gender distribution. Nearly _____ of prisoners in state and federal prisons are men.

A) 55%
B) 78%
C) 93%
D) 99%

Question 33

Since the 1980s, the United States has incarcerated people at a rate approximately _____ times higher than that of other industrialized societies.

A) two
B) three
C) five
D) ten

Question 34

One of the main problems with the new prisons in the United States was that in addition to being expensive and impractical, the extreme isolation often caused prisoners to become:

A) insane.
B) talkative.
C) violent.
D) workaholics.

Question 35

Whether a prisoner receives treatment for a mental disorder is at the discretion of:

A) prison doctors.
B) the sentencing judge.
C) the jury.
D) prison wardens.

Question 36

In the early 1800s, a move away from attributing a religious cause to criminal behavior, such as individuals being born evil, occurred. The more secular approach recognized that the cause might not only be placed on the individual, but some responsibility could be attributed to:

A) family history.
B) developmental issues.
C) social disorganization.
D) environmental deterioration.

Question 37

Prisons were formed to change criminals into productive members of society. However, this perspective is at odds with the other goals of imprisonment, such as retribution and incapacitation. According to the text, failure to improve criminals' socially acceptable skills, as well as the generally unpleasant nature of prisons, often leaves criminals:

A) ill trained but less violent.
B) more able to exercise self-control.
C) more sedate and thoughtful.
D) ill trained and more aggressive.

Question 38

Early in the history of America, crimes ran the gamut in terms of transgressions. In addition to assault, rape, and murder, to name a few, certain moral transgressions could be punishable by law. The criminalized moral transgressions included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) witchcraft.
B) laziness.
C) adultery.
D) blasphemy.

Question 39

_____ was the chief justice of the Supreme Court when civil liberties were expanded to include society's least powerful groups, including prison inmates, racial minorities, women, and children.

A) Warren Buffet
B) Earl Warren
C) Antonin Scalia
D) Harlan Stone

Question 40

One way that criminals were punished in the American colonies was through _____, which included being placed into stocks.

A) imprisonment
B) work release
C) public shaming
D) probation

Question 41

Studies show that prisons may have a _____ effect. When comparable groups of offenders are tracked, those sentenced to prison are _____ to recidivate than those sentenced to probation.

A) criminogenic; more likely
B) taming; less likely
C) null; no more or less likely
D) uncertain; no more or less likely

Question 42

Individuals who are incarcerated in supermax prisons are likely to belong to the following categories EXCEPT:

A) extremely violent criminals.
B) those who have significant behavior problems.
C) especially serious offenders.
D) those who ran Ponzi schemes.