Question 1

There are some important ways in which involuntary civil commitment is different from criminal confinement, as both currently exist. Which of the following is NOT one of these differences?

Accepted Answer

In both involuntary civil commitment and criminal confinement, the decision-making authority is typically a court, although psychiatrists may play a significant role in the assessment process for civil commitment.

Question 2

Most studies show that sex offenders have lower reoffense rates than other types of criminals. All of the following could be valid reasons for this finding EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The statement "sex offenders only commit sex offenses when they recidivate" is a blanket and unsupported statement. It is not necessarily true that all sex offenders only commit sex offenses when they recidivate, as there may be a variety of other factors that contribute to the initial sexual offense. A more accurate statement would be that sex offenders have a lower reoffense rate for sexual offenses than for other types of crimes. Choices A, B, and D are all valid reasons for the finding that sex offenders have lower reoffense rates than other types of criminals.

Question 3

What three states have been responsible for over half the total executions in the United States since 1976?

Accepted Answer

Texas alone is responsible for over 37% of total executions in the US since 1976, while Oklahoma and Virginia together account for another 13%, making the total for these three states over 50%. Therefore, the best choice is D.

Question 4

Although _____ produce(s) more accurate predictions, most research on jurors' reactions to risk assessment evidence finds that _____ impact on juror's ratings of dangerousness.

Accepted Answer

Actuarial methods are generally more accurate in predicting outcomes, but research indicates that jurors are more influenced by clinical testimony when assessing dangerousness.

Question 5

The amicus curiae brief submitted by the American Psychiatric Association in Barefoot v. Estelle summarized five studies that indicated expert predictions of future dangerousness were:

Accepted Answer

The American Psychiatric Association's brief in Barefoot v. Estelle highlighted that expert predictions of future dangerousness were incorrect approximately two-thirds of the time, indicating a significant level of inaccuracy in such predictions.

Question 6

The rate at which an event occurs in a given population is called the _____ rate.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The rate at which an event occurs...

Question 7

Many states and the federal government have passed sexually violent predator civil commitment laws. The basis of these laws is to protect vulnerable citizens, or exercise the _____ power, and to restrain violent individuals, or exercise the state's _____ power.

Accepted Answer

The parens patriae power refers to the state's authority to act as a parent in protecting vulnerable citizens, while police power refers to the state's authority to restrain violent individuals and protect public safety. Therefore, choice A is the correct answer.

Question 8

The movement to release mentally ill patients from hospitals is called:

Accepted Answer

Deinstitutionalization refers to the movement to release mentally ill patients from hospitals and move towards community-based care. Option A and D are too broad and do not specifically refer to this movement. Option B may be a term that is sometimes used interchangeably with deinstitutionalization, but it is not as commonly used in the context of mental health care.

Question 9

Regarding risk assessment, which of the following is an example of a false negative?

Accepted Answer

A false negative in risk assessment occurs when a prediction incorrectly indicates that a negative event (such as becoming violent) will not happen, but in reality, the event does occur. This is accurately described in option C, where a person was predicted not to become violent but ends up being violent.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT an example of a historical, or "static", marker?

Accepted Answer

Major mental disorder, personality disorder, and age at first offense are all examples of historical markers because they are fixed characteristics that do not change over time. Impulsivity, however, is a dynamic marker because it can change over time and may be influenced by a variety of factors.

Question 11

In which of the following cases did the Court extend the Tarasoff requirement by deciding that information provided by a family member of an adult client and not by the client could trigger the "duty to protect" requirement?

Accepted Answer

In Ewing v. Goldstein, the court extended the Tarasoff duty to protect by ruling that information from a family member, not just the client, could trigger the duty to warn or protect.

Question 12

Beliefs that other people or forces are controlling one's thoughts or implanting thoughts in one's mind are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Beliefs that other people or forces are controlling one's thoughts or implanting thoughts in one's mind are referred to as threat/control-override symptoms.

Question 13

In Kansas v Crane (2002), the Supreme Court has clarified the Hendricks conditions for involuntary civil commitment of sexually violent predators. In addition to the mental illness and future danger requirements, the following condition was added:

Accepted Answer

In Kansas v Crane (2002), the Supreme Court added the condition of "serious difficulty controlling his or her urges" to the Hendricks conditions for involuntary civil commitment of sexually violent predators. This pertains to the individual's inability to control their sexual urges, indicating a high likelihood of future sexual offenses. The other options are not included in the Hendricks conditions.

Question 14

Actuarial instruments _____ clinical judgement in predicting violence, though scientists raised some concerns about _____.

Accepted Answer

Actuarial instruments are statistical tools that often outperform clinical judgment in predicting violence, but scientists have concerns about their generalizability to different populations or settings.

Question 15

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court rule that sexually violent predator civil commitment laws did NOT violate double jeopardy?

Accepted Answer

In Kansas v. Hendricks (1997), the Supreme Court ruled that sexually violent predator civil commitment laws did not violate double jeopardy. The court upheld Kansas' Sexually Violent Predator Act, which authorized the civil commitment of individuals deemed to be sexually violent predators after they served their criminal sentences. The court found that civil commitment was not punishment, and therefore did not violate the double jeopardy clause.

Quiz 14: Section 3: Workplace Law: Harassment, Discrimination, and Fairness