Deck 14: The Criminal Justice System

Question 1

The term "criminal justice system" became prominent around 1967, when the _____ launched a nationwide study of the nation's crime problem.

A)Wickersham Commission
B)Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
C)President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice
D)Safe Streets and Crime Control Act

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The public relies on the criminal justice system to provide solutions to crime and to shape the direction of crime policy. Which of the following is not a specific function of the criminal justice system?

A)legislating criminal law
B)protecting the public
C)enforcing the law
D)treating criminal behavior

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The federal court system has three tiers. Which courts are the trial courts of the federal system?

A)U.S. district courts
B)Intermediate federal courts of appeals
C)The U.S. Supreme Court
D)All courts in the federal system are trial courts.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Plea bargains end the trial process in approximately ______ of all cases, including serious felonies.

A)10%
B)30%
C)50%
D)90%

Question 5

District attorneys, state attorneys general and the United States Attorney General are all:

A)prosecutors
B)superior court judges
C)appellate court judges
D)defense attorneys

Question 6

Which of the following orderings most accurately depicts the criminal justice process?

A)arrest arraignment charging adjudication
B)initial contact arrest arraignment charging
C)arrest investigation adjudication disposition
D)initial contact arrest adjudication disposition

Question 7

Which legal disposition is the most common correctional treatment given to offenders?

A)probation
B)jail
C)prison
D)parole

Question 8

An arrest is legal when an officer believes there is _____ that a crime is or has been committed and that the suspect committed the crime, the officer deprives the suspect of freedom, and the suspect believes she or he is in the custody of the police officer and cannot voluntarily leave.

A)reasonable suspicion
B)probable cause
C)certainty
D)proof beyond a reasonable doubt

Question 9

Relatively few contacts between police and the public involve police use of physical force, but:

A)federal law enforcement agents use force more so than local police officers.
B)the statistics may be inaccurate.
C)there are racial and ethnic differences in the rate at which force is applied.
D)there are age and gender differences in the rate at which force is applied.

Question 10

Who are the most visible agents of the criminal justice process?

A)police
B)prosecutors and defense attorneys
C)judges
D)corrections officers

Question 11

When the U.S. Supreme Court hands down a/an __________ the ruling influences the everyday operating procedures of police agencies, trial courts, and corrections institutions.

A)key decision
B)exclusionary rule
C)landmark decision
D)milestone rule

Question 12

Providing counsel to indigent offenders is prompted by the __________ Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which provides the accused with the right to have the assistance of defense counsel.

A)First
B)Fourth
C)Fifth
D)Sixth

Question 13

Within the structure of the court system, the prosecutor and the defense attorney are opponents in what is known as the __________ system.

A)opposition
B)conflict
C)prosecutorial
D)adversary

Question 14

What does research indicate about the effectiveness of parole?

A)Most parolees fail due to committing minor crimes such as petty theft.
B)If a parolee is rearrested it is most likely to happen after two or more years on parole.
C)More than 60% of parolees return to prison within three years of their release.
D)More than 60% of parolees maintained employment over the three years after their release.

Question 15

The American criminal justice system is monumental in size, costing federal, state, and local governments approximately ____ per year to administer civil and criminal justice.

A)$15 billion
B)$21 billion
C)$215 billion
D)$512 billion

Question 16

Criminologist Joan Petersilia warns that increases in child abuse, family violence, homelessness, and community disorganization are unfortunate consequences of:

A)the laying off of 500,000 police officers.
B)the 500,000 inmates being released back into society.
C)the building of 5,000 additional prisons.
D)the failure of D.A.R.E.® to keep kids off of drugs.

Question 17

In the federal system and about half the states, the decision to bring a suspect to trial is made by a group of citizens in a closed hearing called a/an:

A)preliminary hearing
B)federal jury
C)indictment hearing
D)grand jury

Question 18

The __________ is an attorney employed by the government to provide free legal counsel to indigent offenders.

A)district attorney
B)public defender
C)pro bono officer
D)attorney general

Question 19

Most states employ a multi-tiered court structure. Which courts try felony offenses?

A)lower courts
B)superior trial courts
C)appellate courts
D)U.S. district courts

Question 20

Community policing is a philosophy of policing that requires police officers to become agents of change by working with neighborhood residents to prevent crime. What is known about community policing?

A)Community policing has lowered neighborhood crime rates.
B)Community policing has changed the traditional values and attitudes of veteran officers.
C)Community policing has lowered crime rates across the board.
D)Community policing is a reactive philosophy of policing.

Question 21

While various philosophies of justice compete for dominance, which models currently capture the support of legislators and the general public?

A)the rehabilitation and nonintervention models
B)the crime control and equal justice models
C)the due process and rehabilitation models
D)the restorative justice and nonintervention models

Question 22

Prior to the 1960s, U.S. courts exercised little control over the operations of criminal justice agencies. This practice was referred to as the _____ doctrine.

A)pro-autonomy
B)leave-alone
C)hands-off
D)self-rule

Question 23

_______ reflects the principle that all offenders who commit the same crime should receive the same sentence.

A)The Miranda rule
B)The exclusionary rule
C)Determinant sentencing
D)Judicial review

Question 24

Crime control advocates lobby for the abolition of _________, which requires that illegally seized evidence be barred from criminal proceedings.

A)the exclusionary rule
B)the Miranda rule
C)the search and seizure
D)the admissibility rule

Question 25

The __________ model embraces the notion that given the proper care and treatment, criminals can be changed into productive, law-abiding citizens.

A)rehabilitation
B)equal justice
C)nonintervention
D)restorative justice

Question 26

A case is said to have convictability when the accused is obviously innocent or when the evidence is negligible.

Question 27

The justice system treats all felony cases alike, via formal adjudication with a trial proceeding.

Question 28

Both the jail and prison populations have been steadily increasing despite a reduction in the crime rate.

Question 29

The pattern of cooperation, between prosecution and defense, that leads to a quick and efficient flow of cases through the court system is referred to as

A)the adjudication work group.
B)the trial work group.
C)the courtroom work group.
D)the due process work group.

Question 30

Because decision making and _____ mark each stage of the system, the criminal justice process serves as a _____ through which a great majority of cases are screened out before trial.

A)diplomacy; sieve
B)law; filter
C)discretion; funnel.
D)caution; maze

Question 31

When the Supreme Court decides to hear a case it usually grants a writ of certiorari, requesting a transcript of the case.

Question 32

Advocates of the _____ model feel police, courts, and correctional agencies should concentrate their efforts on diverting law violators out of the formal justice system, thereby helping violators to avoid the stigma of formal crime labels.

A)crime control
B)equal justice
C)due process
D)nonintervention

Question 33

At the preliminary hearing, formal charges are read, defendants are informed of their constitutional rights, bail is considered, and a trial date is established.

Question 34

_________ model states that the overriding purpose of the justice system is to protect the public and deter crime.

A)The crime control model
B)The rehabilitation model
C)The equal justice model
D)The restorative justice model

Question 35

One reason the criminal justice system is so costly to operate is because it employs over two million people.

Question 36

Community policing and problem-oriented policing are reactive models of law enforcement.

Question 37

When a trial jury fails to reach a decision, it is referred to as a nolle prosequi and the case is open for possible retrial.

Question 38

There are almost 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States.

Question 39

According to a national survey, approximately 25% of people stopped by the police had force used or threatened against them.

Question 40

__________ advocates see themselves as protectors of civil rights.

A)Crime control
B)Equal justice
C)Due process
D)Nonintervention

Question 41

Noninterventionists advocate deinstitutionalization of non-serious offenders, diversion from formal court processes into treatment programs, and decriminalization of non-serious offenses.

Question 42

The crime control model calls for determinate sentencing, in which all offenders in a particular crime category receive the same sentence.

Question 43

The constitutional guarantees afforded by the Bill of Rights initially applied only at the federal level.

Question 44

Identify and discuss the functions of law enforcement. Distinguish in your discussion between informal social control and formal social control mechanisms.

Question 45

Define and discuss the differences between jails and prisons.

Question 46

Identify and describe the various perspectives on justice. Which perspective/s of justice is/are believed to prevail today?

Question 47

The rehabilitation model embraces the notion that, given the proper care and treatment, criminals can be changed into productive, law-abiding citizens.

Question 48

Explain Herbert Packer's description of the criminal justice system as "an assembly line conveyor belt." What did Packer mean?

Question 49

The United States criminal justice system is monumental in size. Explain how and why this is the case.

Question 50

If the Supreme Court has not ruled on a procedural issue, the lower courts are free to interpret the constitution as they see fit.

Question 51

Describe the stages of the formal criminal justice process from initial contact to post-release.

Question 52

Discuss how the law of criminal procedure emerged and why proponents of the crime control model view certain procedural aspects as impediments to the justice process.

Question 53

The criminal courts are considered by many to be the core element in the administration of criminal justice. Discuss the court structure in the United States.

Question 54

What is discretion and why is discretion a necessary component of the criminal justice system? Include in your discussion how discretion leads to "bargain justice."

Question 55

The agencies of criminal justice have existed for approximately 150 years. What is the criminal justice system and what are its functions?