Deck 7: Juveniles in Adult Court

Question 1

The United States Supreme Court decided against the juvenile death penalty in which of the following cases?

A) Kent v. United States
B) Gregg v. Georgia
C) Atkins v. Virginia
D) Roper v. Simmons

Answer 1

Roper v. Simmons

Question 2

Which of the following people believes that juveniles in their mid-to-late teens should be held responsible in the same way young adults are?

A) Richard E. Redding
B) Steven Morse
C) Thomas Grisso
D) Elizabeth Scott

Answer 2

Steven Morse

Question 3

Which of the following would support the argument for diminished responsibility?

A) Juveniles feel guilt or remorse over their actions.
B) Juveniles know right from wrong.
C) Juveniles are immature.
D) Juveniles do not have any disease that reduces their ability to get along in society.

Answer 3

Juveniles are immature.

Question 4

When the law specifies that juveniles of a specific age are to be tried by adult court, it is an example of ________.

A) statutorial exclusion
B) legislative waiver
C) judicial waiver
D) prosecutorial discretion

Question 5

In states with concurrent jurisdiction, who of the following has the authority to decide which court will try the juvenile?

A) prosecutor
B) arresting police officer
C) intake officer
D) court referee

Question 6

More states waive juveniles to the adult court at the age of ________ than any other age.

A) eighteen
B) fifteen
C) fourteen
D) ten

Question 7

Which of the following appears to be True concerning waivers?

A) Most studies show that waiver generally results in more severe penalties in adult than in juvenile court.
B) Waivers clearly reduce juvenile recidivism rates.
C) Juveniles are now adequately protected from victimization when sentenced to adult institutions.
D) Little consensus exists today on which criteria should be used in making the waiver decision.

Question 8

A reverse waiver means that ________.

A) the juvenile's case is sent on to adult court
B) the prosecutors and defense attorneys cannot agree on the appropriate court in which to try a juvenile
C) a sentence imposed by a juvenile court blends a juvenile disposition and an adult sentence
D) the juvenile's case is sent back to the juvenile court from the adult court

Question 9

In a probable-cause hearing, ________.

A) everything said should be under oath
B) the attorneys present their summarization of the cases at the beginning of the hearing
C) no cross examination takes place
D) the case against the juvenile is presented by the probation officer

Question 10

By the year 2000, five states and the District of Columbia held no juveniles in adult prisons ________.

A) under the age of seventeen
B) against their will
C) In the general population
D) for less than a murder charge

Question 11

Which of the following is emphasized in a youthful offender program?

A) writing skills
B) work experience
C) driving experience
D) communication skills

Question 12

The term "extended jurisdiction juvenile" was a relabeling of what category set forth by the Minnesota Juvenile Justice Task Force?

A) Child Felony Division
B) Violent Youth Criminal
C) Serious Youthful Offender
D) Heinous Juvenile Section

Question 13

In the Eddings v. Oklahoma case, the Supreme Court held that ________.

A) the death penalty did not violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment
B) the age of a minor is a relevant mitigating factor in considering the death penalty
C) juries had only to consider the nature of the crime when deciding upon the death penalty
D) youths under 18 could not be executed

Question 14

Survey findings on juvenile lifers suggest which of the following?

A) Juvenile lifers, particularly boys, suffered high rates of abuse.
B) Most juvenile lifers do not engage in constructive change during their incarceration when they are permitted the opportunity to do so.
C) Juvenile lifers experienced low levels of exposure to violence in their homes and communities.
D) Juvenile lifers generally experience significant social and economic disadvantage in their homes and communities.

Question 15

In Atkins v. Virginia, the Court stated that ________ is a mitigating factor.

A) chronological age of a minor
B) mental illness
C) level of education
D) mental retardation

Question 16

The constitutionality of the death penalty was decided in ________ in 1976.

A) Haley v. Ohio
B) Gregg v. Georgia
C) Schall v. Martin
D) McKeiver v. Pennsylvania

Question 17

What did the Roper decision forbid?

A) prosecutorial arbitrariness
B) the practice of hanging
C) the death penalty for juvenile offenders
D) preemptive strikes

Question 18

Which one of the following statistics is inaccurate about life without parole sentences in the U.S.?

A) There are seventy-three juveniles who have committed crimes when they were thirteen or fourteen and were given life sentences.
B) Nationally, 59 percent of the juveniles serving life without parole sentences had no prior criminal convictions before being placed in prison for life.
C) Forty-two states currently allow life without parole for minors.
D) There are currently more than fifteen thousand people who are serving life sentences for crimes committed while minors.

Question 19

Who said states must provide juveniles who receive lengthy sentences a "meaningful" chance at some point to show that they should be released?

A) Anthony M. Kennedy
B) Robert Barnes
C) Lynn Johnson
D) Richard Graham

Question 20

Proponents of the juvenile court argue the court should have jurisdiction over youths until their deficiencies are corrected.

Question 21

Morse holds that a "robust"
theory of responsibility would result in most youths not being held responsible for their actions.

Question 22

Concurrent jurisdiction statutes give prosecutors the authority to try juveniles in either juvenile or adult court.

Question 23

When legislatures exclude certain offenses from being tried in juvenile court, the mechanism is called Statutorial Exclusion.

Question 24

The majority of juveniles waived to adult court are seventeen or older.

Question 25

Once a waiver decision is made, the juvenile's case is transferred to the adult court defense attorney.

Question 26

The option for a blended sentence may be given to juveniles who have received a direct file, mandatory or a prosecutorial waiver, to the adult court.

Question 27

"Intermediate"and "Third Systems"are youthful offender programs.

Question 28

Programs in a youthful offender system would emphasize work readiness, job training, and work experience.

Question 29

Prisons present juveniles with many age-appropriate rehabilitative options.

Question 30

Table 7-4 in the text reveals that more than half of inmates younger than age eighteen held in state prisons come from states with a younger age of criminal responsibility.

Question 31

States today must prohibit "mitigating circumstances"from influencing the decisions of jurors in death penalty trials.

Question 32

In Gregg v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendments prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Question 33

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juveniles may not be sentenced to life in prison without parole for any crime short of homicide.

Question 34

Reports suggest that about a third of juvenile lifers experienced a high level of exposure to violence in their homes and communities.

Question 35

The get-tough policy increases the chances that juveniles will be ________ with the same degree of severity as adults.

Question 36

The United States Supreme Court held that to execute Christopher Simmons would violate the ________ Amendment to the Constitution.

Question 37

The most widely used transfer mechanism is ________ waiver.

Question 38

________ jurisdiction is where both juvenile and adult courts have jurisdiction over juveniles.

Question 39

A ________ sentence is imposed by a juvenile court that combines a juvenile disposition and an adult sentence for certain serious youthful offenders.

Question 40

A common way for the adult criminal court to levy juvenile sanctions is through the creation of ________ offender programs.

Question 41

For a juvenile, life in an adult prison is generally austere, crowded, and ________.

Question 42

Between 1997 and 2004, the proportion of ________ in adult prisons fell.

Question 43

In June 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sixteen- and seventeen-year-old juveniles could be ________ for their crimes.

Question 44

States that have handed down the death penalty without considering mitigating circumstances have had their cases ________.

Question 45

The DOC must provide an ________ program to an offender under the age of eighteen who is incarcerated at a DOC facility.

Question 46

The ________ dynamics of victims and offenders may play a key role in determining which offenders are sentenced to juvenile life without parole.

Question 47

Match each term with its description.

-Judicial waiver

A) The most widely used transfer mechanism
B) Certain offenses automatically handled in adult court
C) Combines juvenile and adult sentences
D) When an older youth is sent back to juvenile court

Question 48

Match each term with its description.

-Statutorial exclusion

A) The most widely used transfer mechanism
B) Certain offenses automatically handled in adult court
C) Combines juvenile and adult sentences
D) When an older youth is sent back to juvenile court

Question 49

Match each term with its description.

-Reverse waiver

A) The most widely used transfer mechanism
B) Certain offenses automatically handled in adult court
C) Combines juvenile and adult sentences
D) When an older youth is sent back to juvenile court

Question 50

Match each term with its description.

-Blended sentence

A) The most widely used transfer mechanism
B) Certain offenses automatically handled in adult court
C) Combines juvenile and adult sentences
D) When an older youth is sent back to juvenile court

Question 51

Match each term with its description.

-2009

A) The number of inmates under 18 fell significantly
B) Washington enacted bill 3,900
C) State prisons held more than 2,700 juveniles
D) 3,000 juveniles committed to federal prison

Question 52

Match each term with its description.

-Between 1997 and 2004

A) The number of inmates under 18 fell significantly
B) Washington enacted bill 3,901
C) State prisons held more than 2,700 juveniles
D) 3,000 juveniles committed to federal prison

Question 53

Match each term with its description.

-From 1994 to 2001

A) The number of inmates under 18 fell significantly
B) Washington enacted bill 3,902
C) State prisons held more than 2,700 juveniles
D) 3,000 juveniles committed to federal prison

Question 54

Match each term with its description.

-1997

A) The number of inmates under 18 fell significantly
B) Washington enacted bill 3,903
C) State prisons held more than 2,700 juveniles
D) 3,000 juveniles committed to federal prison

Question 55

Match each term with its description.

-Arizona

A) Had 0 youths under age 15 in prison in 2009
B) Had 157 youths under age 15 in prison in 2009
C) Had 7 youths under age 15 in prison in 2009
D) Had 17 youths under age 15 in prison in 2009

Question 56

Match each term with its description.

-Alaska

A) Had 0 youths under age 15 in prison in 2010
B) Had 157 youths under age 15 in prison in 2010
C) Had 7 youths under age 15 in prison in 2010
D) Had 17 youths under age 15 in prison in 2010

Question 57

Match each term with its description.

-California

A) Had 0 youths under age 15 in prison in 2011
B) Had 157 youths under age 15 in prison in 2011
C) Had 7 youths under age 15 in prison in 2011
D) Had 17 youths under age 15 in prison in 2011

Question 58

Match each term with its description.

-Arkansas

A) Had 0 youths under age 15 in prison in 2012
B) Had 157 youths under age 15 in prison in 2012
C) Had 7 youths under age 15 in prison in 2012
D) Had 17 youths under age 15 in prison in 2012

Question 59

As per the Supreme Court decision in Kent, what criteria must juvenile courts that are responsible for making the waiver decision use?

Question 60

Describe the youthful offender system.

Question 61

Explain the purpose and procedure of blended sentencing.

Question 62

Scenario: You are a juvenile judge listening to arguments from the defense and the prosecution in a sentence hearing of a 15-year-old violent sex offender. The prosecutor is requesting prison time in an adult facility. The defense wants his client sentenced to a juvenile specific program. In hopes of obtaining a lighter sentence, the defense attorney explains that his client received low grades in school before dropping out and was diagnosed with ADHD in fourth grade. The defense attorney adds that his client didn't hurt either victim on his two prior rapes and didn't intend to hurt the victim on this rape case. The defense attorney further adds that his client was acting under a dare from his gang peers.
Question: Which of these factors brought up by the defense attorney, if any, would be possible mitigating factors?

Question 63

Scenario: A 16-year-old juvenile drives under the influence of drugs, in a stolen vehicle, without a driver's license, and while driving 60 MPH through a red light, kills a family of four that were driving to church. Based on the criteria under the Kent decision, would this defendant be waived to adult court?