Question 1

The presence of a parent during questioning by law enforcement can be detrimental to a juvenile because parents will often ______.

Accepted Answer

Parents may pressure their youth to confess, either because they believe it's in their child's best interest to be honest or because they are influenced by the authority of law enforcement.

Question 2

When the temporary detention of a juvenile is required while contacting parents or a guardian or arranging transportation to a juvenile detention facility, police are limited by Federal regulations to detaining the youth in a secure environment for no more than ______ hr.

Accepted Answer

Federal regulations limit the temporary detention of a juvenile in a secure environment to no more than 6 hours while arrangements are being made, such as contacting parents or organizing transportation to a juvenile detention facility.

Question 3

Instead of a sentence, juveniles receive a(n) ______.

Accepted Answer

Juveniles receive a "disposition" after court proceedings, which outlines the consequences or actions they must take as a result of their case. The other options are not commonly used in the context of juvenile justice.

Question 4

The Miranda warning requires a ______ grade level of comprehension.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Miranda warning requires a ______ grade...

Question 5

______ occurs when a case is handled informally, outside of juvenile courts.

Accepted Answer

Diversion refers to a process where a juvenile case is handled outside of the formal court system, typically through programs or interventions aimed at addressing the underlying issues that led to delinquent behavior. This approach is often used in cases where the offense is minor, the juvenile is a first-time offender, or the court believes that the juvenile can benefit from rehabilitative services without being formally adjudicated.

Question 6

Before questioning an individual in a criminal case, law enforcement officers are required to give a ______ warning to inform the individual in custody of his/her rights.

Accepted Answer

The warning is commonly known as the Miranda warning, named after the landmark Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona, which established the requirement for the warning in 1966. The other options (Miller, Maynard, Madison) do not have any legal association with a required warning before questioning a suspect.

Question 7

For youthful offenders, the first contact with the juvenile justice system most likely occurs when they are confronted by a ______.

Accepted Answer

The first contact with the juvenile justice system is most likely to occur when a young person is confronted by a law enforcement officer, such as a police officer, for committing an offense or engaging in delinquent behavior. This can lead to their arrest and involvement in the juvenile justice system.

Question 8

Enacted in 1974, the ______ was the first comprehensive federal law for the prevention of delinquency.

Accepted Answer

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act was the first comprehensive federal law for the prevention of delinquency, enacted in 1974. The other answer choices do not accurately reflect the name or purpose of the law.

Question 9

Which of the following is the doctrine of "parent of the nation?"

Accepted Answer

Parens patriae is the doctrine that refers to the state as having the role of a parent to protect and promote the welfare of those who cannot protect themselves, such as children or mentally incapacitated individuals. It literally means "parent of the nation" in Latin.

Question 10

An individual is considered "in custody" if he or she ______.

Accepted Answer

An individual is considered "in custody" if he or she does not feel free to leave.

Question 11

A leading cause of wrongful convictions among youthful offenders is ______.

Accepted Answer

False confessions are a major contributing factor to wrongful convictions among youth. Juveniles are more vulnerable to giving false confessions due to their developmental immaturity, lack of legal knowledge, and greater susceptibility to pressure from authority figures.

Question 12

Approximately ______ of all cases referred to juvenile court result in a formal intervention by the court.

Accepted Answer

Approximately 50% of all cases referred to juvenile court result in a formal intervention by the court. This reflects the court's role in both addressing criminal behavior and providing services to rehabilitate young offenders.

Question 13

Which of the following is a "fail-safe" mechanism against statutory waivers?

Accepted Answer

Reverse waivers allow a case to be transferred from adult court back to juvenile court, acting as a fail-safe against statutory waivers that automatically transfer juveniles to adult court.

Question 14

In most states, a juvenile is defined as a person who is younger than age ______.

Accepted Answer

In most states, the age that defines a juvenile is 18. However, some states have set it at 17 or 16. 21 is not a commonly used age for defining juveniles.

Question 15

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is part of the ______.

Accepted Answer

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice. It was established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to provide federal leadership in preventing and responding to juvenile delinquency and improving the juvenile justice system.

Question 16

Two U.S. Supreme Court cases in the 1970s--Oklahoma Publishing Company v. District Court in and for Oklahoma City and Smith v. Daily Mail--resulted in ______.

Accepted Answer

These Supreme Court cases resulted in the modification of state confidentiality provisions, making juvenile justice proceedings more open to the public. This means that the press and public could have greater access to information regarding juvenile justice cases, including the names of juvenile offenders. Option A is incorrect because there were no limitations placed on the age at which youthful offenders can be fingerprinted. Option B is also incorrect because while there may have been some limitations on the press attending juvenile family court proceedings, these cases did not result in such laws being passed. Option D is also incorrect because these cases did not require the press to omit the names of juvenile offenders from news reports.

Question 17

Possession of alcohol is legal for adults, but for juveniles it is a ______.

Accepted Answer

Possession of alcohol by a juvenile is considered a status offense, which means an act that is only considered an offense because of the offender's age, such as truancy or curfew violations. It is not a crime or delinquency, which are both offenses that apply to all ages. It is also not a collateral offense, which is an offense that is related to another offense but is not the main charge.

Question 18

A(n) ______ is a petition filed by the prosecutor requesting an adjudicatory hearing.

Accepted Answer

A delinquency petition is filed by the prosecutor requesting an adjudicatory hearing in a juvenile delinquency case. In this petition, the prosecutor alleges that the juvenile committed a delinquent act, which is an act that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult. The purpose of the adjudicatory hearing is to determine whether the allegations in the petition are true and, if so, to enter a finding of delinquency. The other options are not relevant in this context - consent petition is a type of plea agreement, diversion petition is a request to divert from traditional court processing, and intervention petition is a request for court-ordered services for a child in need of supervision.

Question 19

A ______ is defined as an act committed by a juvenile that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult.

Accepted Answer

Delinquency is the term used to describe an act committed by a juvenile that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult. A crime (option A) is a wrongful act that is considered punishable by law, and status offenses (option C) are acts considered illegal only if committed by minors (such as truancy or underage drinking). Collateral offenses (option D) is not a commonly used term in the criminal justice system.

Question 20

Which of the following refers to the juvenile court acting "in the place of a parent?"

Accepted Answer

"In loco parentis" directly translates to "in the place of a parent," which describes the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent. This term is often used in the context of schools or juvenile courts, where an institution may need to make decisions that are typically within the purview of a parent.

Quiz 1: The Functioning of the Juvenile Justice System