Question 1

To be eligible for federal funding, states under truth-in-sentencing laws must require those convicted of violent crimes to serve at least % of their court imposed sentence.

Accepted Answer

Truth-in-sentencing laws require that those convicted of violent crimes serve at least 85% of their court-imposed sentence to be eligible for federal funding.

Question 2

Between 1993 and 2000, convictions for sex offenses increased by %.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Between 1993 and 2000, convictions for sex...

Question 3

When given the choice of the death sentence or life imprisonment without parole (LWOP), a majority of those polled between 1985 and 1999 preferred the death sentence, but by 2011, the position had reversed with % supporting the death penalty and % supporting LWOP.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When given the choice of the death...

Question 4

While a majority of Americans supported "get tough" sentencing policies in the 1990s, support for this policy declined from 85% in 1994 to % by 2012.

Accepted Answer

According to the given information, support for "get tough" sentencing policies declined from 85% in 1994 to an unknown percentage by 2012. Therefore, we need to identify the percentage that is less than 85%. Choice B, 62%, is the only option that satisfies this condition. Choices A, C and D are higher than 85%.

Question 5

In theory, three-strikes legislation is meant to target and dangerous offenders for selective incapacitation.

Accepted Answer

Three-strikes legislation is designed to target violent offenders by imposing harsher sentences on those convicted of three or more serious criminal offenses.

Question 6

Who initially declared the War on Drugs/Crime?

Accepted Answer

President Nixon is widely considered the president who declared the War on Drugs/Crime in the 1970s. He made it a top priority and created many policies and initiatives to combat drug use and crime in the United States.

Question 7

In the latest federal iteration of sex registration laws _____classifies sex offenders into three Tiers - Tier 1 and II offenders must keep their registration up to date for 15 and 30 years respectively, and Tier III offenders must register for their lifetime.

Accepted Answer

The Adam Walsh Child Protection Act classifies sex offenders into three tiers with different registration durations.

Question 8

The development what type of policies fixing minimum terms of imprisonment for certain offenses or types of offenders exemplify the expansion of punitive policies in the criminal justice system?

Accepted Answer

Mandatory minimum policies set fixed minimum sentences for specific crimes, reflecting a trend towards more punitive measures in the criminal justice system.

Question 9

As well as increasing the size of the inmate population generally, the war against drugs has had the effect of disproportionately incarcerating men and women.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that African Americans are disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and make up a higher percentage of the prison population for drug offenses compared to their proportion of the general population.

Question 10

The PROTECT Bill passed in 2003 by Congress is known as:

Accepted Answer

The PROTECT Act of 2003 is also known as the Amber Alert law, which established a nationwide system for the recovery of abducted children.

Question 11

Which court case held that the imposition of the death penalty for cases of child rape was unconstitutional?

Accepted Answer

In Kennedy v. Louisiana, the United States Supreme Court held that the imposition of the death penalty for cases of child rape was unconstitutional as it violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.

Question 12

Of the 89,000 women serving sentences in state prisons in 2013, % were serving sentences imposed for drug offenses.

Accepted Answer

In 2013, 24.6% of women serving sentences in state prisons were there for drug offenses.

Question 13

Truth in sentencing laws have:

Accepted Answer

Truth in sentencing laws often require offenders to serve a substantial portion of their sentence, typically 85%, which can result in longer sentences being served compared to previous practices where parole could significantly reduce time served.

Question 14

Public opinion on the "new" penal sanctions, like "three-strikes" sentencing laws, indicates that:

Accepted Answer

Public opinion often supports the idea of strict sentencing laws like "three-strikes," but there is also a belief that they should not be applied indiscriminately and should consider the specifics of each case.

Question 15

The War on Drugs is an example of morality policy making based on a moral panic which has led to:

Accepted Answer

The War on Drugs has been criticized for leading to unethical and discriminatory practices, such as racial profiling and mass incarceration, without effectively reducing drug consumption or supply.

Question 16

Mandatory minimum sentences are arguably unethical because they:

Accepted Answer

Mandatory minimum sentences can lead to disproportionately severe sentences because they do not allow judges to consider the individual circumstances of a case, potentially leading to unfairly harsh punishments.

Question 17

The ebb and flow of the social response to this category of crime continued until the 1980s, when the feminism movement brought increased attention to it, and greater legal restrictions resulted upon those found to have committed this type of crime:

Accepted Answer

The feminism movement in the 1980s brought increased attention to sex offenses, leading to greater legal restrictions and societal awareness of these crimes.

Question 18

Ironically, in a departure from an era of policies of rehabilitation, the get-tough, sanctions of both the Nixon and Reagan Wars on Drugs resulted in such an increase in the national prison population (where there was a disproportionately high number of blacks, Hispanics, and women), that some states turned to:

Accepted Answer

Some states turned to treatment programs to reduce jail and prison populations as a response to the increase in the national prison population due to the get-tough sanctions.

Question 19

Which of the following is not one of the alternative positions provided by Roberts (2014) in summary of the arguments for public involvement in sentencing?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is not one...

Question 20

A Time/CNN poll conducted in 1994 reported that % of adults favored mandatory life imprisonment for persons convicted of a third serious crime.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A Time/CNN poll conducted in 1994 reported...

Quiz 9: The Ethics of Criminal Justice Policy Making the Ethics of Policy Making