Question 1

Lester Zygmanik was charged with murdering his brother George after George was severely injured in a motorcycle accident. George did not want to live his life as a quadriplegic and asked Lester to kill him; Lester did as his brother asked. If you were a juror in this case and you were making decisions based on black-letter law, you would decide that Lester is

Accepted Answer

Lester Zygmanik's actions, despite being at his brother's request, constitute murder under black-letter law, which defines murder as the unlawful killing of another human being with intent. The law does not typically allow consent to be a defense in cases of murder.

Question 2

When citizens' concept of morality is inconsistent with the actual law, this may lead to

Accepted Answer

When citizens perceive a disconnect between their moral beliefs and the law, it can result in decreased compliance, feelings of alienation from authority, and increased contempt for the legal system, as all these reactions stem from a sense of misalignment between personal ethics and legal mandates.

Question 3

Darley and his colleagues investigated how people's general thoughts about punishment differed from that found in the Model Penal Code. They found that generally

Accepted Answer

Darley and his colleagues' research found that people's views on punishment often diverge from the principles outlined in the Model Penal Code. Specifically, they observed that people generally do not equate the intent to commit a crime with the actual commission of the crime, are less inclined to consider someone guilty if they have only taken preliminary steps towards committing a crime, and believe that punishment should be less severe for those who were close to committing a crime but did not complete it, compared to those who did complete the crime.

Question 4

According to Chapter 2, Thibaut and Walker found

Accepted Answer

Thibaut and Walker's research found that the adversarial system not only led to less biased decisions but also to decisions that were more likely to be perceived as fair by the litigants. This is because the adversarial system allows both parties to present their case and evidence, which contributes to a perception of fairness and impartiality in the decision-making process.

Question 5

How does the Model Penal Code assign punishment for crimes that were only attempted but were not completed?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does the Model Penal Code assign...

Question 6

If individuals view the procedures of dispute resolution as fair, then they will see the outcome as just, regardless of whether the dispute was resolved in their favor or not. This perspective is referred to as

Accepted Answer

This perspective is referred to as procedural justice, which focuses on the fairness of the processes that lead to outcomes, rather than the outcomes themselves. If people perceive the process as fair, they are more likely to accept the outcome as just, even if it is not in their favor.

Question 7

The adversarial model has been criticized for promoting a competitive atmosphere that can distort the truth. What is the argument here?

Accepted Answer

The argument is that the adversarial model, by its nature, encourages competition between the parties involved, which can lead to a distortion of the truth. This is because witnesses may bias their testimony, lawyers can challenge the credibility of witnesses effectively, and defendants may choose not to testify, all of which can contribute to a less accurate understanding of the events in question.

Question 8

Which of the following U.S. states legally allows physician-assisted suicide?

Accepted Answer

Oregon is the only U.S. state that legally allows physician-assisted suicide.

Question 9

In Lester Zygmanik trial, the juror's judgment was based on

Accepted Answer

The jurors in Lester Zygmanik's trial based their judgment on his grief, love, and selflessness toward his brother, considering these emotional and moral aspects over strict legal interpretations.

Question 10

Lester Zygmanik, who admitted to shooting his brother in the head and killing him,

Accepted Answer

Lester Zygmanik was found not guilty of murder after a jury concluded that he acted out of compassion to end his brother's suffering.

Question 11

Euthanasia, or mercy killings and physician-assisted suicide, highlights the conflict between

Accepted Answer

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide involve legal considerations and moral debates, creating a conflict between what is legally permissible and what is considered morally right or wrong.

Question 12

Beth and Joanne are jurors for a case in which the defendant has been charged with robbery. Beth has a tendency to make internal, stable, and global attributions. Joanne has a tendency to make external, unstable, and specific attributions. Given this information, what are Beth and Joanne's likely ideas about defendant responsibility?

Accepted Answer

Beth's tendency to make internal, stable, and global attributions means she is more likely to see the defendant's actions as a result of their character or disposition, leading her to view the offender as more responsible. Joanne's external, unstable, and specific attributions would lead her to consider external factors and circumstances, possibly seeing the defendant as less responsible.

Question 13

Which of the following is a characteristic of the inquisitorial approach to justice?

Accepted Answer

In the inquisitorial system, the judge plays an active role in investigating the case, including questioning witnesses, which is a key characteristic distinguishing it from the adversarial system.

Question 14

Individuals will perceive a decision-making process as fair if they

Accepted Answer

All of these factors contribute to the perception of fairness in a decision-making process. Having a voice in the process, being treated with respect, and believing that authorities are motivated by fairness all enhance the perceived fairness of the process.

Question 15

American legal procedures involve a(n)____________ system of justice.

Accepted Answer

American legal procedures involve an adversarial system of justice, where two parties present their cases to an impartial judge or jury.

Question 16

For almost two weeks, Anju has been negotiating her salary for her new job in market research. While her new manager could not provide as much pay as Anju wants, she made up for it in benefits (e.g., Anju received extra vacation time). Anju is very pleased with the way the salary issues were resolved. One could consider this salary dispute in terms of distributive justice, for it focuses on the

Accepted Answer

Distributive justice refers to the perceived fairness of the outcome or distribution of resources. In this scenario, Anju's satisfaction with the resolution of her salary negotiation, which was compensated with extra benefits, indicates a focus on the fairness of the outcome.

Question 17

In which approach to trials does the research indicate that attorneys apparently try harder (especially when the weight of evidence favors the opponent)?

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that in the adversarial approach, attorneys are more likely to exert greater effort, particularly when the evidence is against their client, as their role is to advocate zealously on behalf of their client's interests.

Question 18

You are witnessing a trial. The judge is doing most of the questioning of witnesses, rather than the lawyers. In fact, the court-not the lawyers-has chosen which witnesses will testify. Where are you?

Accepted Answer

In France, and generally in inquisitorial legal systems, the judge plays a more active role in investigating the case, including questioning witnesses and deciding which witnesses will testify, unlike the adversarial system used in the United States and England.

Question 19

When making inferences about what caused another person to commit a crime, we tend to attribute the cause to

Accepted Answer

This is due to the fundamental attribution error, where people tend to overemphasize internal characteristics (personality) and underestimate external factors when explaining others' behaviors. In the context of crime, this means attributing actions to internal, stable (unchanging), and global (affecting all aspects of the person) factors.

Question 20

Diane has been in a dispute with an insurance company over an accident claim. She has called the insurance company every day and their staff has been very willing to hear her point of view. She has been pleased with how she has been treated during this process. Ultimately, her case went through the court system, and although the decision was not in her favor, Diane saw the decision-making process as a fair one. Which justice perspective would have predicted Diane's attitude about this process?

Accepted Answer

Diane's satisfaction with the process, despite the outcome not being in her favor, aligns with the concept of procedural justice. This perspective focuses on the fairness of the procedures involved in decision making, rather than the outcome itself.

Quiz 2: The Legal System: Issues, Structure, and Players