Deck 1: The Philosophical and Ideological Underpinnings of Corrections

Question 1

The three major subsystems of the criminal justice system in the United States are police, courts, and ______.

A) penology
B) deterrence
C) corrections
D) treatment

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Corrections serves which primary function for accused and convicted individuals?

A) investigation
B) defense
C) adjudication
D) management

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which statement describes the size of the American prison population from 1963 until 2018?

A) It decreased slightly.
B) It decreased considerably.
C) It increased slightly.
D) It increased considerably.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following contributed most to the increase in U.S. incarceration rates in recent decades?

A) the war on drugs
B) an increase in violent offending
C) an increase in property crimes
D) cybercrime

Question 5

A crime theorist who views human nature as socially constructed would most likely agree with which statement?

A) "People must learn to respect the rights and property of others."
B) "Human nature is not necessarily 'bad,' just essentially selfish."
C) "The traits that lead to criminal behavior are an evolutionary advantage."
D) "People learn to commit criminal offenses from influences around them."

Question 6

A crime theorist who views human nature as evolutionarily driven by the need to survive and reproduce would most likely agree with which statement?

A) "Human nature is not necessarily 'bad,' just essentially selfish."
B) "People learn to commit criminal offenses from influences around them."
C) "At birth, the human mind is basically a 'blank slate'."
D) "Essentially, people are good and learn to be antisocial through their experiences."

Question 7

A follower of the Classical School would most likely agree with which statement?

A) "Sentences for crimes must be based on an offender's 'peculiarities'."
B) "Punishments for crimes must be codified and judicial discretion limited."
C) "Criminal behavior takes place due to specific, observable causes."
D) "Human action is evoked by circumstances beyond human control."

Question 8

Beccaria argued that a system of punishment should include punishment that is certain, swift, and ______.

A) severe
B) utilitarian
C) empirically sound
D) restitutive

Question 9

Beccaria thought that punishment would be most effective if it occurred soon after the crime was committed. This concept is known as ______.

A) utility
B) severity
C) swiftness
D) certainty

Question 10

A person is convicted of serial murder more than twenty years after the murders were committed. The offender states that he carried out the murders on the assumption that he would not be caught and would not be punished. He is sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. Which of the three components of effective punishment does this scenario demonstrate?

A) swiftness
B) severity
C) certainty
D) rationality

Question 11

Which punishment would an advocate of the Classical School suggest for someone convicted of armed assault for the third time?

A) a fine
B) community service
C) probation
D) incarceration

Question 12

Bentham argued that people's behavior should be judged according to its effects on the happiness of the rest of the community, a concept called ______.

A) retributive justice
B) restitutive justice
C) the principle of utility
D) the hedonistic calculus

Question 13

The Enlightenment concept of human nature saw individuals as ______.

A) possessing free will
B) "blank slates"
C) essentially good
D) ruled by evolution

Question 14

Positivists rejected much of the philosophical basis of classical thinkers' arguments and, instead, relied on ______ to determine appropriate punishment.

A) empirical science
B) the hedonistic calculus
C) the principle of utility
D) retributive justice

Question 15

A positivist would most likely agree with which statement?

A) "Crime occurs due to specific, observable causes."
B) "Human nature is hedonistic, rational, and endowed with free will."
C) "Actions should be judged according to the principle of utility."
D) "Punishments should be certain, swift, and severe."

Question 16

The doctrine of ______ argued that people should only concern themselves with things that can be observed and measured.

A) classicalism
B) positivism
C) retributive justice
D) restitutive justice

Question 17

According to sociologist Émile Durkheim, the primary societal function of the rituals of punishment was to ______.

A) reaffirm social norms
B) punish offenders
C) protect potential victims
D) exact revenge

Question 18

Which concept provides a philosophical justification for punishment because it acknowledges that people purposely weigh options before deciding on a course of action?

A) human agency
B) positivism
C) the principle of utility
D) determinism

Question 19

Which justification for punishment taps most directly into humankind's primitive desire for revenge?

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

Question 20

Incarcerating an offender for 10 years because he or she "deserves" to be punished would be considered which justification for punishment?

A) retribution
B) reintegration
C) rehabilitation
D) deterrence

Question 21

An individual is hesitant to speed on the highway because she knows there are speed traps. This is an example of which justification for punishment?

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

Question 22

What is specific deterrence?

A) the preventive effect of threat of punishment on the general population of potential offenders
B) the discouragement of future criminal behavior in the person who received punishment
C) the inability of criminals to victimize people outside prison walls while they are locked up
D) the punishment strategy that reserves prison for violent repeat offenders

Question 23

Which scenario provides an example of specific deterrence?

A) A person chooses not to smoke pot in his dorm because he has heard other students got expelled for it.
B) A person chooses not to drive after drinking because her friend was previously arrested for this act.
C) A person chooses not to shoplift because she knows it is illegal and she could get caught.
D) A person chooses not to pick a person's pocket because he was previously arrested for this act.

Question 24

Nationwide rates of ______ suggest approximately 33% of former prisoners reoffend within six months.

A) incapacitation
B) deterrence
C) recidivism
D) rehabilitation

Question 25

Which scenario best demonstrates the contrast effect?

A) A potential offender compares the possibility of spending a year in jail with her expected life experience.
B) A potential offender weighs the expected benefits of committing a crime with the anticipated consequences.
C) A potential offender makes a decision based on the pursuit of pleasure and minimization of pain.
D) A potential offender decides to commit a crime based on the logical pursuit of self-interest.

Question 26

The primary goal of general deterrence is to ______.

A) prevent convicted offenders from reoffending
B) discourage criminal behavior in the public as a whole
C) reintegrate criminals back into the community
D) protect the community at large through incarceration

Question 27

Which scenario provides an example of general deterrence?

A) A person chooses not to smoke pot in his dorm because he was previously written up for this act.
B) A person chooses not to drive after drinking because her friend was previously arrested for this act.
C) A person chooses not to shoplift because she was previously convicted of this act.
D) A person chooses not to pick a person's pocket because he was previously arrested for this act.

Question 28

An advocate for incapacitation as the main justification for punishment would most likely agree with which statement?

A) "Criminals are simply people suffering from faulty thinking and are in need of treatment."
B) "The punishment itself is the purpose of corrections; criminals deserve to be punished."
C) "Punishment should discourage both existing and potential offenders from offending."
D) "The primary goal of punishment should be to defend society from criminal predation."

Question 29

According to the concept of selective incapacitation, an offender convicted of ______ is most deserving of incarceration.

A) rape for the third time
B) motor vehicle theft for the first time
C) driving under the influence for the second time
D) simple assault for the first time

Question 30

The cohort studies by Wolfgang, Figlio, and Sellin (1972) that found that only 6.3% of the population studied committed over 70% of the murders, rapes, and robberies attributed to that group provide justification for ______.

A) retribution
B) specific deterrence
C) selective incapacitation
D) rehabilitation

Question 31

The ______ justification for punishment, which views criminals as people in need of treatment, finds its roots in the medical model.

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

Question 32

An advocate of rehabilitation as a justification for punishment would most likely agree with which statement?

A) "The primary goal of punishment should be to defend society from criminal predation."
B) "The punishment itself is the purpose of corrections; criminals deserve to be punished."
C) "Punishment should discourage both existing and potential offenders from offending."
D) "Criminals are simply people suffering from faulty thinking and are in need of treatment."

Question 33

______ argues that the goal of corrections should be to equip criminals with the necessary skills to reenter society.

A) Rehabilitation
B) Retribution
C) Incapacitation
D) Reintegration

Question 34

The crime control model and the due process model are ______ models meant to exaggerate differences between correctional systems.

A) contrast effect
B) utilitarian
C) ideal-type
D) positivistic

Question 35

The major tension between the crime control model and the due process model lies in their emphasis on ______.

A) the Classical School or positivism
B) retributive justice or restitutive justice
C) deterrence or incapacitation as justifications
D) justice for the offender or for the community

Question 36

A political candidate who argues for the implementation of a crime control model would most likely make which statement?

A) "It is better for a guilty person to go free than for an innocent person to be locked up."
B) "Even criminal offenders deserve to have their rights protected."
C) "Criminal activity must be suppressed with ruthless efficiency."
D) "Police must follow all legal guidelines when investigating crimes."

Question 37

A political candidate who argues for the implementation of a due process model would most likely make which statement?

A) "The criminal justice system should act as an 'assembly line'."
B) "Even criminal offenders deserve to have their rights protected."
C) "Criminal activity must be suppressed with ruthless efficiency."
D) "The endless process of appeals must be curtailed to ensure justice."

Question 38

Overall, the United States is closer to a pure ______ model than a pure crime control model.

A) restitutive justice
B) retributive justice
C) utilitarian
D) due process

Question 39

The more a country respects the ideals of democracy, the more likely that country follows a ______ model.

A) restitutive justice
B) retributive justice
C) due process
D) crime control

Question 40

Penology is the study of the criminal justice system as a whole.

Question 41

The practice of brutal punishment and arbitrary legal codes began to wane during the 19th century.

Question 42

Cesare Beccaria founded the positivist school.

Question 43

Enlightenment ideas form the basis of positivism.

Question 44

Durkheim pioneered the idea of the hedonistic calculus.

Question 45

The goal of retributive justice is simple deterrence.

Question 46

Restitutive justice is characterized by making amends.

Question 47

Rehabilitation reflects the "just deserts" model of punishment.

Question 48

Criminals regularly consider punitive probabilities when deciding whether to continue committing crimes.

Question 49

The goal of incapacitation is to prepare offenders to reenter society.

Question 50

Selective incapacitation argues for incarcerating only a small number of violent repeat offenders.

Question 51

The modern rehabilitation model views criminal behavior as a moral sickness.

Question 52

Reintegration is a less pragmatic version of rehabilitation.

Question 53

The crime control model can be considered an obstacle course in the carrying out of justice.

Question 54

The crime control and due process models are more about police and courts than corrections.

Question 55

The United States is closer to a pure crime control model than to a pure due process model.

Question 56

Raffaele Garofalo argued for individualizing sentencing based on the danger offenders opposed to society. Which school of thought does this represent? What were the three types of criminals he identified?

Question 57

Jeremy Bentham once wrote, "Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure." Explain how this relates to the hedonistic calculus.

Question 58

Explain deterrence as a justification for punishment.

Question 59

Briefly explain the difference between the crime control model and the due process model.

Question 60

Evaluate Beccaria's views on crime and punishment. Do you believe his three components of effective punishment are adequate?

Question 61

Discuss Durkheim's views on the purpose of punishment in society and explain what he meant by retributive justice and restitutive justice. Which type of justice is the criminal justice system in the United States built on?

Question 62

Identify and discuss the four major justifications for punishment. Which do you agree with most?

Question 63

Imagine you are a candidate for political office. You are asked to give a short speech on crime. Choose either the crime control model or the due process model and write a short speech as though you are advocating for the implementation of this model.