Question 1

The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause can be found in which Constitutional Amendment?

Accepted Answer

A)  First 
B)  Fourth 
C)  Eighth 
D)  Fourteenth

Question 2

What has the Court said about an inmates' freedom of religion? What rationales for denying religious requests do you think should be acceptable?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What has the Court said about an...

Question 3

Which Amendment provides a right to counsel for persons facing criminal prosecution that ends at the point of sentencing?

Accepted Answer

A)  First 
B)  Fourth 
C)  Sixth 
D)  Fourteenth

Question 4

There are approximately how many inmates held in solitary confinement?

Accepted Answer

A)  50,000 
B)  60,000 
C)  70,000 
D)  80,000

Question 5

The Court has long held that the government may prevent the expression of political views, artistic expression, or religious beliefs without justification.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Most prisons regularly place inmates in solitary confinement or isolation (known among inmates as _________).

Accepted Answer

A)  "the pit" 
B)  "the abyss" 
C)  "the darkness" 
D)  "the hole"

Question 7

Even a relatively mild injury (e.g., minor bruising from a slap to the face) might offend standards of decency if imposed in a manner that is _________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  "malicious or sadistic" 
B)  "fierce and mean" 
C)  "unnecessary and wanton" 
D)  "excessive and harsh"

Question 8

Ethics Focus: "It's a Matter of Paperwork"
An inmate named Billy was sexually assaulted over a month ago. He is having difficulty filling out the grievance paperwork claiming that the guard on duty that night ignored his calls for help. The prisoner only has a tenth-grade education. He has asked you for some help in filling out the forms. Your supervisor has told you in the past not to help inmates with their paperwork. According to the Department of Corrections rules, if inmates do not meet the filing deadlines, then the matter will be dropped. The courts are very technical about such deadlines and will not hear any appeals after a deadline has been missed.
Your feel sorry for the inmate. He is not that strong and has a difficult time defending himself. You know the guard in question, and he does not always do everything he should. The guard claims that he did what he could and followed institutional guidelines. You were not present that night, though, so you do not know exactly what happened.
-Should you help the inmate with the grievance paperwork? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ethics Focus: "It's a Matter of Paperwork"
An...

Question 9

A frequent criticism of prisoner lawsuits is that they are frivolous. Cite examples from this chapter that either support or dispute this claim.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A frequent criticism of prisoner lawsuits is...

Question 10

Describe the hands-off, hands-on, and due deference approaches to corrections. Which do you think is the most appropriate philosophy?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the hands-off, hands-on, and due deference...

Question 11

What are some of the issues surrounding the overcrowding of prisons? What are some solutions to overcrowding?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are some of the issues surrounding...

Question 12

Prisoner access to the courts is not specifically mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, yet the Supreme Court and other courts have affirmed that it is a fundamental right implied in the due process clause of which Amendment?

Accepted Answer

A)  First 
B)  Fourth 
C)  Eighth 
D)  Fourteenth

Question 13

Which Supreme Court case ruled that a consideration of broad "overall conditions" is not sufficient to ascertain if cruel and unusual punishment exists; greater specificity about particular conditions is required?

Accepted Answer

A)  Holt v. Sarver 
B)  Ruiz v. Estelle 
C)  Wilson v. Seiter 
D)  Rhodes v. Chapman

Question 14

While the law allowed for state prisoners to use the federal courts to litigate claims since the Civil War era, the federal system did not display much interest in correctional issues until the 1960s.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

In which case did the Supreme Court give the concept of cruel and unusual punishment a flexible definition in reference to "evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Cooper v. Pate 
B)  Ex parte Hull 
C)  Trop v. Dulles 
D)  Pugh v. Locke

Question 16

In which case did the Supreme Court rule that "state prisoners must give the state courts one full opportunity to resolve any constitutional issues by invoking one complete round of the State's established appellate review process"?

Accepted Answer

A)  O'Sullivan v. Boerckel 
B)  Miller v. Norris 
C)  Preiser v. Rodriguez 
D)  Coffin v. Reichard

Question 17

Since the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling on this matter in _______________, inmates have generally had to use habeas corpus petitions to challenge the legality and duration of their confinement and Section 1983 suits to challenge the constitutionality of conditions under which they are held.

Accepted Answer

A)  Cooper v. Lanham 
B)  Preiser v. Rodriguez 
C)  Kahane v. Carlson 
D)  Johnson v. Avery

Question 18

Procunier v Martinez (1974) was the first major Supreme Court ruling on __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  freedom of speech 
B)  freedom of religion 
C)  freedom of assembly 
D)  freedom of press

Exam 3: Corrections and the Courts