Deck 13: Reentry Into the Community

Question 1

Parole boards' hearings are typically open to the public.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Expiration release and mandatory release are very similar, except that expiration release does not involve parole.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

All halfway houses are operated by state administrative agencies.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Discretionary release is sometimes criticized for following judicial recommendations too closely.

Question 5

Alexander Maconochie was one of the original founders of parole.

Question 6

Most parole officers have little difficulty in monitoring the behavior of parolees.

Question 7

Discretionary release affects other aspects of the system, including sentencing, plea bargaining, and the size of prison populations.

Question 8

Although it has been used in the United States for more than a century, parole remains controversial.

Question 9

The most commonly used type of release from incarceration is mandatory release.

Question 10

A very small percentage of inmates are allowed to participate in work or educational release.

Question 11

The percentage of U.S.prisoners incarcerated for drug offenses has increased significantly in the past 20 years.

Question 12

Politicians, the media, and victims' rights groups generally restrain from sensationalizing parolees who commit crimes.

Question 13

Discretionary release shifts discretion from a judge to an administrative board.

Question 14

When offenders are finally released on parole, many have a difficult time adjusting to the outside world.

Question 15

Furloughs allow inmates to leave prison temporarily to visit family.

Question 16

Due to discretionary release, few inmates serve the full sentence handed down by the judge at sentencing.

Question 17

Parole is the release of an offender from the legal custody of the state.

Question 18

A parolee can be prevented from working as a bartender by a parole officer.

Question 19

While parole officers must sometimes act in the role of a law enforcement officer, they do not have the power to enforce conditions of release.

Question 20

The concept of "grace" refers to the agreement between the government and the prisoner to abide by certain conditions of release.

Question 21

Economic conditions tend not to affect the amount of funding available for needed programs, including corrections.

Question 22

Many parolees "max out" on time and cannot be held any longer, regardless of how the parole board feels about the inmate.

Question 23

Parole is the unconditional release of an offender from incarceration but not from the legal custody of the state.

Question 24

Reentry has been described as a "transient state between liberty and recommitment."

Question 25

Which of the following statements best exemplifies the concept of "contract" in terms of parole?

A) The government could keep the inmate incarcerated, but instead extends the privilege of release.
B) Even though the offender is released from prison, he or she is still in the custody of the state.
C) The parolee agrees to abide by certain conditions in exchange for release.
D) The offender is still the responsibility of the government even though he or she is released.
E) The parole officer agrees to care for the parolee in exchange for a salary.

Question 26

More than a third of prisoners released to parole are incarcerated for:

A) robbery.
B) rape.
C) drugs.
D) arson.
E) murder.

Question 27

Morrissey v.Brewer (1972) ruled that a two-part revocation hearing is required.

Question 28

In the early parole system in the United States, prisoners were released on parole when:

A) their sentence expired.
B) the prisons became full.
C) the victims consented to their release.
D) they made financial restitution through labor.
E) their conduct showed they were ready to return.

Question 29

Increasing restrictions on parolees also affects their families and communities.

Question 30

The concept of "grace" applies even when the prisoner is incarcerated because the government may extend the privilege of release.

Question 31

If a parole officer finds that a parolee has committed a technical violation, he or she can revoke parole without a hearing.

Question 32

Parole rests on three concepts, one of which is:

A) grace.
B) stamina.
C) responsibility.
D) fortitude.
E) none of these.

Question 33

The earliest form of parole employed:

A) day passes.
B) pardons of leave.
C) tickets of leave.
D) responsibility vouchers.
E) supervised probation.

Question 34

Prerelease and rehabilitation programs have been increased in many states.

Question 35

In some states, individuals whose names appear on the sex offender registry have committed very-low-level offenses.

Question 36

Which person (or group) typically determines the discretionary release of state prisoners?

A) state prison release commissioner
B) parole board
C) state supreme court
D) prison warden
E) state trial judge

Question 37

Successful prison reentry requires that parole and postrelease services focus on linking offenders with community institutions, including which of the following?

A) churches
B) families
C) self-help groups
D) nonprofit programs
E) all of these

Question 38

Which of the following has NOT been a factor contributing to the current reentry problem in the United States?

A) a decrease in the power of parole boards to affect release decisions
B) longer prison sentences served by those being released
C) a reduction in programs designed to assist former prisoners
D) an increase in the number of drug offenders being released
E) an increase in the number of violent offenders being released

Question 39

Parolees in some states are restricted from voting in presidential elections.

Question 40

The conditional release of an inmate from incarceration, under supervision, after part of the prison sentence has been served is referred to as:

A) probation.
B) parole.
C) incarceration.
D) reentry.
E) intensive supervision probation.

Question 41

States that do not use parole boards use which of the following methods of release?

A) discretionary release
B) other conditional release
C) mandatory release
D) expiration release
E) all of these

Question 42

When offenders leave prison, which is NOT something they would receive from the prison?

A) clothes
B) money
C) list of rules of conditional release
D) name and address of parole officer
E) a job opportunity

Question 43

The release of an inmate from prison to conditional supervision at the discretion of the parole board is referred to as:

A) probation.
B) discretionary release.
C) intensive supervision probation.
D) parole.
E) litigation release.

Question 44

An expiration release means that:

A) the inmate has died.
B) the inmate cannot be placed on parole.
C) the inmate has received permission to have a furlough.
D) the inmate is required to attend school or training before release.
E) the inmate has used up all his or her "good time."

Question 45

Which of the following is a term used in some states to avoid the rigidity of mandatory release?

A) discretionary release
B) other conditional release
C) mandatory release
D) expiration release
E) all of these

Question 46

The rules that must be followed by parolees are called:

A) amenities.
B) parole etiquette.
C) constitutional restrictions.
D) conditions of release.
E) clemency.

Question 47

The use of the phrase "other conditional release" avoids which politically sensitive label?

A) mandatory parole
B) mandatory release
C) discretionary release
D) discretionary parole
E) selective release

Question 48

What is the most commonly used method of release into the community?

A) discretionary release
B) other conditional release
C) mandatory release
D) expiration release
E) probation release

Question 49

Upon release, most inmates are unemployed and have difficulty finding jobs.What group is most likely to be unemployed in the United States, regardless of whether they've served time in prison?

A) male Caucasians under the age of 30
B) male Hispanics under the age of 30
C) male African Americans under the age of 30
D) male African Americans aged 30 or over
E) male Hispanics aged 30 or over

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT an impact of discretionary release mechanisms?

A) worsened overcrowding in prisons
B) changing of sentences handed down by judges
C) mitigation of the penal code's harshness
D) individualized punishments to fit the offender
E) a decrease in the impact of legal procedure on criminal justice decisions

Question 51

Probable conditions of release to assist in readjustment to society may include which of the following?

A) abstain from alcohol
B) keep away from undesirable associates
C) maintain good work habits
D) not leave the state without permission
E) all of these

Question 52

When inmates are released from correctional institutions during the day so that they can work or attend school, it is known as:

A) day leave.
B) discretionary release.
C) development release.
D) furlough.
E) work and educational release.

Question 53

One criticism of discretionary release is that the responsibility for releasing an inmate is shifted from a judge to the:

A) police.
B) prosecutor.
C) parole board.
D) warden.
E) offender.

Question 54

Which type of release involves the decisions of a parole board?

A) mandatory release
B) discretionary release
C) unconditional release
D) community release
E) correctional release

Question 55

The temporary release of an inmate from a correctional institution for a brief period, usually one to three days, for a visit home is called:

A) day leave.
B) discretionary release.
C) development release.
D) furlough.
E) work and education release.

Question 56

On a national basis, felony inmates serve an average of what time period before they are released?

A) 2 1/2 years
B) 3 1/2 years
C) 4 1/2 years
D) 5 1/2 years
E) 6 1/2 years

Question 57

Prisoners who receive expiration release:

A) die in prison.
B) have their decisions made by a parole board.
C) are transferred to a halfway house or other community-based facility.
D) have "maxed out" on their time.
E) report directly to their parole officers upon release.

Question 58

Inmates who have completed their entire sentence minus good time are free from community supervision because they have ______ their sentence.

A) finished
B) maxed out
C) filled out
D) served
E) depleted

Question 59

State parole boards are typically composed of citizens who are appointed for fixed terms in office by the:

A) secretary of corrections.
B) prison warden.
C) governor.
D) parole advisory committee.
E) none of these.

Question 60

When an inmate is released after he or she has served time equal to the total sentence minus good time, it is known as:

A) mandatory release.
B) discretionary release.
C) unconditional release.
D) community release.
E) correctional release.

Question 61

Which of the following statements best exemplifies the concept of "grace" in terms of parole?

A) The government could keep the inmate incarcerated, but instead extends the privilege of release.
B) Even though the offender is released from prison, he or she is still in the custody of the state.
C) The parolee agrees to abide by certain conditions in exchange for release.
D) The offender is still the responsibility of the government even though he or she is released.
E) The parole officer agrees to care for the parolee in exchange for a salary.

Question 62

States have recently sought to decrease their prison populations because of:

A) lessened tax revenue coming into government due to economic recession.
B) high costs of maintaining prisoners.
C) burgeoning costs associated with the expansion of the prison population in the 1980s.
D) all of the above.

Question 63

When a parole officer finds a parolee has committed a technical violation, which of the following occurs first?

A) shock incarceration of the parolee
B) a revocation hearing
C) revocation of parole
D) the parolee is placed on probation
E) the parolee must admit to the charges

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT a benefit which would be denied from someone on parole?

A) welfare benefits
B) student loans
C) voting rights
D) food stamps
E) election to a political office

Question 65

The likelihood of rules violations by released offenders is affected not only by the kinds of crimes for which they are convicted, but also by the duration and intensity of their:

A) criminal activity.
B) family unit.
C) supervision.
D) sentence length.
E) parole officer.

Question 66

Which of the following explains why large numbers of offenders are gaining release from prison each year?

A) expansion of prison population
B) juveniles being tried as adults
C) longer prison sentences for women
D) budget surplus
E) none of these

Question 67

The most common reason for revocation of parole is:

A) possession of a gun.
B) failure to report for counseling.
C) positive test for drug use.
D) commission of a new crime.
E) leaving the jurisdiction without permission.

Question 68

Research indicates that the prisoners most likely to succeed in the job market are those that had all of the following EXCEPT

A) had work experience prior to prison.
B) was connected to employers prior to release.
C) had conventional family relationships.
D) had used drugs before being incarcerated.

Question 69

What are the two roles played by parole officers?

A) cop and minister
B) warden and cop
C) cop and social worker
D) landlord and friend
E) friend and minister

Question 70

Which of the following statements regarding the future of reentry is FALSE?

A) More prisoners going in means more prisoners coming out.
B) A poor recidivism rate (70 percent) demonstrates a failure of the criminal justice system to deal with the reentry problems of ex-felons.
C) The percentage of releasees who have maxed out their sentences has increased.
D) There are fewer numbers of offenders returning to the community.
E) Prerelease and rehabilitation programs have been eliminated in many states.

Question 71

Successful prisoner reentry requires that parole and postrelease services focus on linking offenders with community institutions.Which is NOT one of those institutions?

A) nonprofit programs
B) self-help groups
C) churches
D) gangs
E) families

Question 72

Which of the following statements regarding halfway houses is FALSE?

A) Offenders work during the day but stay in the facility at night and during days off.
B) They are sometimes secured (that is, locked down).
C) Drug treatment is sometimes offered.
D) Residents are not required to work or attend school.
E) The number of halfway houses in the United States has dropped since the 1970s.

Question 73

Government officials began to rethink sentencing policies that caused prison populations to skyrocket since the 1980s.In particular, they gave consideration to greater utilization of probation and community corrections for:

A) violent offenders.
B) drug offenders.
C) gang members.
D) single fathers.

Question 74

Morrissey v.Brewer (1972) found that if a parole officer alleges a technical violation, a two-step revocation is:

A) not necessary.
B) helpful, but not required.
C) required.
D) time consuming.
E) up to the officer's discretion.

Question 75

Which is NOT one of the concepts parole rests on?

A) grace
B) contract
C) custody
D) generosity

Question 76

Parolees who are behaving according to their conditions of release may become eligible for:

A) jail time
B) house arrest
C) home confinement
D) shock probation
E) reduced surveillance

Question 77

Which of the following sentiments is commonly voiced by community members who are wary about having halfway houses in their neighborhood?

A) "no offenders in my neighborhood" (NOIMN)
B) "take inmates out of communities" (TIOOC)
C) "keep them locked up tight" (KTLUT)
D) "not in my backyard" (NIMBY)
E) "don't put criminals here" (DPCRH)

Question 78

Which of the following statements best exemplifies the concept of "custody" in terms of parole?

A) The government could keep the inmate incarcerated, but instead extends the privilege of release.
B) Even though the offender is released from prison, he or she is still in the custody of the state.
C) The parolee agrees to abide by certain conditions in exchange for release.
D) The offender is still the responsibility of the government even though he or she is released.
E) The parole officer agrees to care for the parolee in exchange for a salary.

Question 79

Which of the following is a frequent criticism of sex offender registration laws?

A) The wrong people can sometimes end up on the registry.
B) The list is difficult for the public to find.
C) The laws are too lenient on offenders.
D) Some offenders refuse to be listed.
E) The laws discourage vigilantism.

Question 80

Which of the following has been a factor contributing to the current reentry problem in the United States?

A) an increase in the power of parole boards to affect release decisions
B) shorter prison sentences served by those being released
C) an increased reduction in programs designed to assist former prisoners
D) an increase in the number of drug offenders being released
E) a decrease in the number of violent offenders being released