Deck 14: Specialized Courts

Question 1

Which of the following is not a significant aspect of problem-solving courts?

A) a focus on addressing offenders' underlying problems
B) judicial supervision of offenders
C) a focus on punishing offenders
D) sanctions for noncompliance

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In which decade did the number of problem-solving courts begin to increase?

A) 1930s
B) 1950s
C) 1970s
D) 1990s

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Traditional courts focus on case processing. What do problem-solving courts focus on?

A) case management, including the number of cases handled per day
B) case outcomes, including graduation and recidivism rates
C) the number of convictions and acquittals per year
D) average time from arrest to case disposition

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following pieces of legislation provided a major boost, both in publicity and financially, to problem-solving courts nationwide?

A) the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988
B) the Crime Control Act of 1990
C) the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
D) the Juvenile Crime Control Act of 1997

Question 5

Which of the following is not one of the six principles for problem-solving courts identified by the Center for Court Innovation?

A) community engagement
B) judicial leadership
C) need for enhanced information (specialized knowledge)
D) individualized justice

Question 6

Which of the following is not one of the six principles for problem-solving courts identified by the Center for Court Innovation?

A) parental involvement
B) focus on case outcomes
C) emphasis on accountability
D) collaboration between professionals

Question 7

Restorative justice focuses on which of the following pair of concepts?

A) victim and harm
B) harm and repair
C) offender and punishment
D) offender and restitution

Question 8

Which of the following is not an example of restorative justice in practice?

A) victim-offender mediation
B) sentencing circles
C) family conferencing
D) judicial supervision of probation

Question 9

Research has shown that restorative justice works best in which kind of communities?

A) tight-knit rural communities
B) upper income suburban communities
C) poor, inner-city communities
D) small, exclusive upper-class communities

Question 10

Which of the following principles is embraced by many problem-solving courts?

A) restorative justice
B) deterrence
C) incapacitation
D) crime prevention

Question 11

Which of the following did not lead to the increase in the popularity of drug courts?

A) the increasing number of drug offenders
B) mounting evidence linking drugs and crime
C) evidence regarding the efficacy of drug treatment programs
D) the appearance of a link between drug use and child abuse

Question 12

Which of the following is not a typical component of drug treatment courts?

A) mandatory drug treatment
B) mandatory community service
C) comprehensive rehabilitation programs
D) judicial supervision of offenders

Question 13

Which of the following is true of drug treatment courts?

A) They are less formal than traditional courts.
B) They are nonadversarial.
C) They generally exclude violent offenders.
D) All of these are true of drug treatment courts.

Question 14

Which problem-solving court focuses on enhancing victim safety?

A) domestic violence courts
B) drug treatment courts
C) reentry courts
D) mental health courts

Question 15

Which of the following is the most popular type of problem-solving court in the United States?

A) drug courts
B) domestic violence courts
C) mental health courts
D) community courts

Question 16

Which of the following did not lead to an increase in the number of domestic violence courts?

A) policy changes leading to higher arrest rates for domestic violence
B) proliferation of feminism in the 1990s
C) changes in attitudes toward domestic violence
D) increasing dissatisfaction with the response of the criminal justice system to domestic violence

Question 17

Which of the following pieces of legislation provided a major boost, both in publicity and financially, to domestic violence courts?

A) the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act of 1990
B) the International Violence Against Women Act of 1992
C) the Violence Against Women Act of 1994
D) the Federal Violence Control Act of 1999

Question 18

Domestic violence courts focus almost entirely on ______.

A) rehabilitation of offenders
B) mediation between offenders and victims
C) restitution for victims
D) the safety of the victims

Question 19

As domestic violence courts grew in popularity, the number of arrests for domestic violence ______.

A) increased
B) decreased slightly
C) decreased greatly
D) remained the same

Question 20

Community courts are typically located ______.

A) in business districts
B) in neighbors rather than the downtown core
C) inside local courthouses
D) adjacent to local police stations

Question 21

Which of the following is not a standard sentence for those convicted in homeless courts?

A) life-skills education
B) short prison sentences
C) substance abuse treatment
D) job skills training

Question 22

Which specialized court focuses not on adjudication of new offenses but on helping offenders integrate back into the community upon release?

A) drug courts
B) community courts
C) reentry courts
D) juvenile courts

Question 23

What is the primary goal of juvenile courts?

A) reducing overall crime rates
B) keeping juvenile delinquents off drugs
C) transforming juvenile delinquents into productive citizens
D) processing severe juvenile offenders as adults

Question 24

What criteria is considered by the courts when making a decision to waive a case from juvenile to adult court?

A) the seriousness of the alleged offense
B) the previous criminal history of the juvenile
C) whether the alleged offense was a violent offense
D) all of these criteria are considered

Question 25

Problem-solving courts are designed to address the underlying problems of offenders.

Question 26

The movement to establish problem-solving courts was affected by passage of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

Question 27

Even though the process of restorative justice is different from more traditional punishment, the outcomes are often quite similar.

Question 28

Restorative justice has been found to be effective and surprisingly easy to implement and use.

Question 29

Unlike other problem-solving courts, drug courts tend to take a more adversarial approach.

Question 30

Drug courts are explicitly nonadversarial.

Question 31

Mounting evidence suggests that drug courts reduce offender recidivism and prevent drug relapse.

Question 32

There is relatively little research evaluating domestic violence courts.

Question 33

Domestic violence courts became so popular that they spread to other nations, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

Question 34

The focus of domestic violence courts differs significantly from that of other problem-solving courts.

Question 35

Domestic violence victims whose cases were handled through specialized courts are generally dissatisfied with their experiences.

Question 36

Community courts tend to deal mainly with relatively minor criminal offenses.

Question 37

A common sentence of those convicted in homeless courts is a short prison sentence.

Question 38

Every state allows juveniles to be tried as adults under certain circumstances.

Question 39

Juvenile court proceedings are not open to the public.

Question 40

Explain what led states to experiment with specialized courts beyond drug courts.

Question 41

Define and discuss specialized courts.

Question 42

Compare and contrast utilitarian perspectives of punishment to restorative justice perspectives.

Question 43

Describe eligibility criteria for offenders who can be processed in drug courts.

Question 44

Identify the three primary performance measures for drug courts identified by the National Drug Court Institute's Research Advisory Committee.

Question 45

Identify one of the criticisms against the criminal justice response of domestic violence crimes.

Question 46

Compare and contrast other specialized courts and domestic violence courts.

Question 47

Explain the general feelings of domestic violence victims toward domestic violence courts.

Question 48

Explain one difference between veterans courts and other problem-solving courts.

Question 49

What is a juvenile waiver? What are the criteria used in making a waiver decision?

Question 50

What are problem-solving courts? What led to their creation? How are they different from traditional courts?

Question 51

Explain the primary differences between juvenile and adult courts and the reasons for these differences.

Question 52

Explain and provide an example of the events that led to policy makers to search for alternative solutions to incarceration for drug offenders.

Question 53

Explain the distinguishing unique characteristics of "problem-solving" courts and whether they are adversarial or nonadversarial in their approach.