Deck 14: Crime and Punishment

Question 1

The American jury system is inherited from the ______ legal system.

A) French
B) Scottish
C) English
D) Canadian

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Efforts by states to combat increasing drug use in the 1980s resulted in ______.

A) dramatic increase in the prison population
B) severe decrease in the prison population
C) relatively stable prison population
D) surge in the construction of supermax security prisons

Answer 2

A

Question 3

"Truth-in-sentencing" laws ______.

A) increased judicial discretion over sentencing
B) decreased judicial discretion over sentencing
C) gave parole boards more flexibility
D) led to more forgiving penalties for criminal activity

Answer 3

B

Question 4

After two years of increasing crime, New York City's transit police Chief Bill Bratton and his force saw which of the following results?

A) rate of robberies increased
B) rate of robberies reduced
C) rate of trains being on-time decreased
D) the amount of trash on New York City subway cars decreased

Question 5

______ is a theory advanced by criminologists that harsh penalties will prevent people from committing crimes.

A) Deterrence theory
B) Judicial activist theory
C) Criminalist theory
D) Punitive theory

Question 6

The introduction of crack cocaine into society led to ______.

A) the creation of open-air drug markets
B) a decrease in prostitution and child neglect
C) decreasing robbery and homicide rates
D) an increase in arrests for powder cocaine use

Question 7

James Q. Wilson and George Kelling developed the ______ policing model in the early 1980s.

A) neighborhood
B) broken doors
C) broken windows
D) communicative

Question 8

______is the defining act of citizenship.

A) Paying taxes
B) Going to college
C) Serving on a jury
D) Voting

Question 9

During the 1960s and 1970s, racial tensions and crime rates ______.

A) decreased
B) remained the same as prior decades
C) increased
D) plateaued

Question 10

"Three strikes" laws required a minimum of ______ for individuals convicted of three felonies.

A) twenty-five-year sentences
B) fifty-year sentences
C) the death penalty
D) life sentences

Question 11

Broken-windows policing stresses the importance of which of the following?

A) enacting harsh penalties for criminals
B) giving criminals a chance to reform
C) maintaining public order
D) community service by criminals

Question 12

From which of the following countries did the American criminal justice system evolve?

A) Italy
B) Ancient Greece
C) Germany
D) England

Question 13

A ______ determines whether there is sufficient evidence for the state to prosecute someone for a crime.

A) judge
B) prosecutor
C) district attorney
D) grand jury

Question 14

______ refers to a punishment that permits people to remain in the community under supervision instead of going to prison.

A) Probation
B) Parole
C) Release
D) Permittance

Question 15

The war on drugs ______.

A) had a major effect on drug use
B) resulted in lower rates of imprisonment
C) drove drug prices up
D) cost less than public health tactics

Question 16

Bill Bratton, as chief of New York City's transit police, did the following:

A) was unable to keep crime rates from rising
B) managed to keep crime rates stable
C) reduced crime by 2.5 percent
D) reduced crime by 40 percent

Question 17

The early 1980s saw the introduction of which of the following illegal drugs?

A) crack cocaine
B) marijuana
C) opium
D) heroin

Question 18

______ law is composed of judges' legal opinions that reflect community practices and evolve over time.

A) Civil
B) Common
C) Sovereign
D) Mandatory

Question 19

A pattern of repeating criminal activity is known as ______.

A) repetition
B) recidivism
C) reversal
D) relapse

Question 20

The professional model of policing emphasizes ______.

A) professional relations with citizens
B) police independence
C) rapid response time
D) all of these

Question 21

Crimes such as homicide, assault, and robbery are seen as crimes against ______.

A) an individual victim only
B) a victim and his or her family
C) nature
D) an individual victim and against society

Question 22

In New York, which of the following groups are most likely to be stopped by the police?

A) Latinos
B) African Americans
C) whites
D) the elderly

Question 23

The community justice movement emphasizes traditional sentencing guidelines.

Question 24

A defendant who believes he or she received an unfair trial may file what kind of request?

A) allowance
B) allegation
C) appeal
D) authority

Question 25

In criminal cases, the state initiates punishment against individuals.

Question 26

Social scientists suggested that the turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s was caused, in part, by ______.

A) poverty
B) drugs
C) the Vietnam War
D) hippies

Question 27

Americans are governed by common law.

Question 28

Modern U.S. prisons have high rates of ______.

A) escape
B) rehabilitation
C) mental illness
D) deterrence

Question 29

______ offers nonviolent drug offenders a chance to reduce or dismiss charges in exchange for undergoing treatment or other rehabilitation.

A) Parole boards
B) Drug courts
C) Rehabilitation boards
D) Community councils

Question 30

The professional model of policing promotes walking through neighborhoods and personal interaction.

Question 31

The allegation that police target minorities when enforcing the law is called ______.

A) affirmative action
B) stereotyping
C) racial profiling
D) discrimination

Question 32

______ is the term used to describe the high rate of imprisonment in United States.

A) Megaprisons
B) Supermax
C) Mass incarceration
D) Super incarceration

Question 33

Criminal offenses are viewed as offenses against society itself.

Question 34

The introduction of the 911 emergency response system increased the appeal of the professional model of policing.

Question 35

Crime rates have been increasing during the past twenty-five years in the United States.

Question 36

______ theory advocates that harsh penalties will prevent people from committing crimes.

A) Deference
B) Deployment
C) Deterrence
D) Determination

Question 37

"Truth-in-sentencing" laws decreased judicial discretion over sentencing.

Question 38

What is the police tactic that allows officers to question and search citizens under specific circumstances?

A) stop and frisk
B) search and seizure
C) cut and run
D) stop and search

Question 39

Which of the following prohibits cruel and unusual punishment in the United States?

A) Constitution
B) Declaration of Independence
C) Treaty of Versailles
D) UN Declaration of Universal Human Rights

Question 40

Violent crime has fallen by approximately what amount since the early 1990s?

A) 5 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 80 percent
D) 96 percent

Question 41

Briefly discuss the evolution of crime policy since the mid-twentieth century.

Question 42

What is common law?

Question 43

Briefly discuss why punishment mechanisms vary across states.

Question 44

Why did prison rates increase dramatically in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s?

Question 45

Discuss James Q. Wilson and George Kelling's law enforcement strategy.

Question 46

Texas does not operate within the common law tradition.

Question 47

The public defender is the oldest law enforcement office within the common law system.

Question 48

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the professional policing model.

Question 49

Describe the current state of living conditions within U.S. prisons.

Question 50

What is alternative punishment?