Deck 6: Police Discretion

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true regarding discretion in the criminal justice system?

A) Only police officers are allowed to use discretion.
B) Only judges and police officers are allowed to use discretion in decision-making.
C) Only prosecutors and police officers are allowed to use discretion in decision-making.
D) Judges, prosecutors, and police officers are allowed to use discretion in decision-making.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is best defined as "effective limits on a public official's power that leave him or her free to make a choice among a number of possible courses of action?"

A) Discretion
B) Control
C) Policy formulation
D) Authority

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following elements influence police officers' decision-making processes?

A) Offender variables
B) Situational variables
C) System variables
D) All of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Reflection of one's values and attitudes that develop through the socialization process is called ___________.

A) Prejudice
B) Discrimination
C) Perspective
D) Perception

Question 5

Which of the following is characteristic of police officers who apply discretion correctly?

A) Curiosity
B) Empathy
C) Decisive
D) All of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is a responsibility of administrators?

A) Planning
B) Organizing
C) Directing
D) All of the above

Question 7

The decisions of an individual police officer to investigate or report a crime or to affect an arrest are each examples of which type of discretion?

A) Administrative
B) Investigative
C) Enforcement
D) Patrol

Question 8

Which of the following is the most common objective or goal of police officers and detectives?

A) Arrest
B) Patrol
C) Promotion
D) All of the above

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a decision element when an officer contemplates arrest?

A) Offender variables
B) Officer variables
C) Situational variables
D) System variables

Question 10

The nuances of the interaction between officers and citizens are known as:

A) Offender variables
B) Officer variables
C) Situational variables
D) System variables

Question 11

__________ discretion is exercised in determining the role orientation of the agency.

A) Administrative
B) Investigative
C) Enforcement
D) Patrol

Question 12

Officers have substantial ____________ discretion in terms of how they enforce the law, provide services, and otherwise maintain order.

A) Administrative
B) Investigative
C) Enforcement
D) Patrol

Question 13

___________ are the idiosyncrasies of the criminal justice system that may influence officers to exercise their discretion for reasons other than those already discussed.

A) Offender variables
B) Officer variables
C) Situational variables
D) System variables

Question 14

Vice activities consist of _________________.

A) illegal selling of goods or services
B) illegal consumption of goods or services
C) illegal performance
D) All of the above

Question 15

____________ control is perhaps the most visible form of external control over police discretion as courts have the authority to govern procedural aspects of the law and to limit the manner in
Which it is enforced by the police.

A) Court
B) Legislative
C) Social
D) Medical

Question 16

__________ control over the exercise of discretion can occur in three ways: (1) enactment of laws, (2) allocation of funds, and (3) legislative oversight.

A) Court
B) Legislative
C) Social
D) Medical

Question 17

____________ is a person's or group's class position in a society based on income, occupation, and social position as compared to other people in the society.

A) Socioeconomic status
B) Domestic violence
C) Mental illness
D) Vice crime

Question 18

___________ is crime that results in physical harm or threats of harm by one intimate partner against another.

A) Socioeconomic status
B) Domestic violence
C) Mental illness
D) Vice crime

Question 19

___________ is any disease or disorder of the mind that causes behavior or emotional problems that impairs a person's ability to function in society.

A) Socioeconomic status
B) Domestic violence
C) Mental illness
D) Vice crime

Question 20

___________ refers to criminal activity that is against the public order or public morality, but they are also enacted to curtail the economic benefits of these activities.

A) Socioeconomic status
B) Domestic violence
C) Mental illness
D) Vice crime

Question 21

The most effective way for the police to deal with people with mental illness is the ___________ model.

A) community engagement
B) crisis intervention team (CIT)
C) public health
D) disenfranchisement

Question 22

The legislative control over the exercise of discretion can occur via:

A) enactment of laws
B) allocation of funds
C) legislative oversight
D) All of the above

Question 23

Some officers view minorities as ___________ because their actions or dress may be non-conforming, or they may fit officers' perceptions of what criminals look like.

A) mentally ill
B) disenfranchised people
C) symbolic assailants
D) civilian review boards

Question 24

External control of policing is usually associated with ___________ which were created as a result of community outrage over police misconduct in the 1960s.

A) mentally ill
B) disenfranchised people
C) symbolic assailants
D) civilian review boards

Question 25

___________ allows officers to make decisions as to what course of action will produce the most desirable outcome in a given situation.

A) Discrimination
B) Imprudence
C) Discretion
D) Prejudice

Question 26

Enforcement discretion refers to the operational decisions of street enforcement officers.

Question 27

Police officers are considered to be the gatekeepers of the criminal justice system.

Question 28

Community expectations and standards influence police officers' interpretation and application of the law.

Question 29

When an officer decides to arrest an individual, the most significant factor affecting his/her decision is the offender's attitude.

Question 30

Historically, police have viewed domestic violence as problematic and have been willing to become quickly involved in these types of cases.

Question 31

Research suggests that younger suspects are more likely to be arrested, whereas elderly offenders are more likely to be treated with leniency.

Question 32

Most studies have found that people of color are likely to be treated more harshly by police than whites.

Question 33

Research shows that minorities are stopped, questioned, and searched more frequently than their white counterparts.

Question 34

Socioeconomic status has not been shown to affect the manner in which police respond to requests for service

Question 35

Informal norms are taught in the police academy and reinforced through supervision and policies.