Question 1

In 1977, it was declared that both __________ and __________ had failed and a crisis in American criminal justice policy prevailed.

Accepted Answer

In 1977, it was widely recognized that both punishment and treatment strategies in the criminal justice system had failed, leading to a crisis in American criminal justice policy. This acknowledgment marked a significant shift in thinking about how to address crime, moving away from these traditional approaches.

Question 2

The effectiveness of America's criminal justice policies were called into question starting in the 1960s, mainly because of ___________?

Accepted Answer

The soaring crime rate in the 1960s led to widespread questioning of the effectiveness of America's criminal justice policies, as crime became a significant public concern.

Question 3

An inmate insurrection at __________ sparked the public's consciousness and became a powerful symbol that our nation's prisons were both inhumane and ineffective.

Accepted Answer

The Attica Correctional Facility in 1971 experienced a notorious inmate uprising that led to a clash with law enforcement and resulted in the deaths of 39 people, 29 of which were inmates. The massacre led to nationwide protests and sparked conversations regarding the treatment of inmates and prison reform. It is an event that remains a powerful symbol of the failures of the U.S. justice system.

Question 4

Inmates often believed that they must __________ in order to have someone pay attention to their needs and bring about change.

Accepted Answer

Inmates often resort to rioting as a means to draw attention to their needs and to force changes within the correctional system. This is because they may feel that their grievances are ignored unless they take drastic actions.

Question 5

Americans in the first half of the 1970s were faced with the prospect of an intractable crime rate and confronted with the reality that their prisons were both inhumane and grossly ineffective-what guiding correctional philosophy at the time would take the blame for this troubling state of affairs?

Accepted Answer

The philosophy of rehabilitation, which advocated for the treatment and reform of prisoners through education and training programs, was blamed for the ineffectiveness of prisons in the 1970s. Many believed that these programs were failing to produce significant reductions in recidivism rates and that they were too lenient on criminals. As a result, there was a shift towards more punitive approaches such as retribution and incapacitation.

Question 6

Attica and other prison uprisings made clear to the public that prisons were disproportionally filled with __________ and __________.

Accepted Answer

Attica and other prison uprisings brought attention to the fact that prisons were predominantly filled with racial minorities and those who were economically disadvantaged. This highlighted the systemic inequalities and injustices within the criminal justice system.

Question 7

In practice, the ascendancy of rehabilitation meant that the components of the criminal justice system were now organized to __________ offenders. However, close observers of our correctional system would recognize that this was more myth than reality.

Accepted Answer

The sentence states that the ascendancy of rehabilitation meant that the components of the criminal justice system were organized to reform offenders. This implies that rehabilitation was the main goal, and therefore, choice A, "reform," is the best choice. Choices B, "incapacitate," and C, "punish," are not mentioned in the sentence as the main goal. Choice D, "spiritually transform," is not supported by the sentence.

Question 8

Historian David Rothman noted that a look to our past clearly reveals that "__________" far more often than "__________" has/have controlled the daily workings of our correctional process.

Accepted Answer

Historian David Rothman noted that convenience rather than conscience has controlled the daily workings of our correctional process.

Question 9

For __________, rehabilitation undermined law and order by "coddling" the criminal.

Accepted Answer

Conservatives often hold the belief that rehabilitation programs for criminals are too permissive and lenient, treating criminals with kindness instead of punishing them for their offenses. They may argue that this approach encourages criminal behavior and undermines law and order.

Question 10

For __________, rehabilitation was seen not to allow for the betterment of society's captives but rather to be a major source of the coercive, discriminatory treatment suffered by prison inmates.

Accepted Answer

Liberals have historically been critical of the concept of rehabilitation, arguing that it has been used as a tool for social control and oppression rather than genuinely seeking to better the lives of prison inmates. This perspective is often informed by a broader critique of the prison industrial complex and the use of the criminal justice system as a means of perpetuating social inequality.

Question 11

Several alternative proposals vied to replace rehabilitation as the dominant correctional paradigm in the field. What correctional paradigm "won" in the 1970s?

Accepted Answer

In the 1970s, the dominant correctional paradigm shifted from rehabilitation to determinate sentencing, which was rooted in the philosophy of punishment. This approach emphasized the use of fixed and predetermined sentences as a means of deterring future criminal behavior and ensuring just punishment for past offenses. The idea of rehabilitation was seen as idealistic and ineffective, leading to a shift towards a more punitive and retributive approach to corrections.

Question 12

Defendant Daniel is tried and found guilty of robbery in a court of law. The judge then sentences Daniel to three years in the Ohio State Penitentiary. This is an example of what type of sentence?

Accepted Answer

This is a determinate sentence because the judge has specified a fixed term of three years for the defendant's incarceration.

Question 13

If a judge presiding over a criminal case is left free to select any sentence up to but not exceeding a legislatively fixed sentence, this is an example of what type of sentence?

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a maximum sentence, where the judge can select any sentence up to the legislatively fixed maximum.

Question 14

Defendant Jennifer is tried and found guilty of arson in a court of law. The judge then sentences Jennifer for a term that could span 2 to 6 years in Dayton Correctional Institution. This is an example of what type of sentence?

Accepted Answer

An indeterminate sentence is a sentence where the offender is sentenced to a range of time (in this case, 2-6 years) and is eligible for parole after serving a minimum portion of the sentence. The actual length of the sentence is determined by a parole board.

Question 15

In determinate sentencing, the __________ formulates a code that, based on the seriousness of each offense, prescribes precisely how much each act should be punished.

Accepted Answer

In determinate sentencing, the legislature creates a sentencing code that specifies the exact punishment for each offense based on its severity. The judge then applies this code when sentencing the offender. The president and warden do not typically play a role in creating or applying sentencing codes.

Question 16

In the late 1800s into the early 1900s, __________ urged that the state's response to a criminal should not depend on the nature or seriousness of the crime committed but on the nature of the criminal's condition and on how quickly this can be cured.

Accepted Answer

This philosophy is known as "the medical model" and was embraced by Progressives who believed that criminals were not inherently bad people but were the product of social and environmental factors that could be remedied through rehabilitation and treatment programs. This approach was in contrast to the traditional punitive approach of conservatives and judges. Quakers, while advocates for social reform and prison reform, did not specifically advocate for the medical model of criminal justice.

Question 17

Indeterminate sentencing was related to the emergence of new ideas on how to achieve an offender's reformation. Within this sentencing philosophy was the idea that treatment of criminals should be based on __________.

Accepted Answer

Indeterminate sentencing was based on the idea that each offender had unique factors that led them to commit crimes, and therefore each offender required unique treatment and rehabilitation efforts. This philosophy rejected the idea of a one-size-fits-all approach to punishment and instead focused on individualized treatment plans.

Question 18

By the middle part of the 1970s, conservatives believed that rehabilitation had resulted in the victimization of the __________, while liberals asserted the opposite: rehabilitation had eventuated in the victimization of the __________. Regardless, both embraced proposals for determinate sentencing.

Accepted Answer

Conservatives thought rehabilitation led to society being victimized because it was perceived as too lenient on criminals, failing to deter crime effectively. Liberals, on the other hand, believed rehabilitation resulted in the victimization of the criminal, arguing that the system was still too harsh and did not focus enough on rehabilitating offenders. Both sides, however, agreed on the need for determinate sentencing, which would establish fixed sentences for specific crimes.

Question 19

In a __________ model of corrections, all sentences are flat or determinate.

Accepted Answer

In a justice model of corrections, sentences are flat or determinate, meaning the length of the sentence is fixed and not subject to significant reduction or alteration. This contrasts with indeterminate sentencing, where the duration can vary based on factors like behavior or parole board decisions.

Question 20

While both conservatives and liberals embraced proposals for determinate sentencing, they disagreed in one fundamental respect. What was this inconsistency?

Accepted Answer

Conservatives generally supported harsher and longer prison sentences, while liberals advocated for more leniency and alternatives to incarceration. They both agreed on the concept of determinate sentencing, which mandated fixed prison terms for specific crimes, but had differing opinions on the severity and length of those terms. Juvenile sentencing, gender, and inmates' free time were not central issues in the debate over determinate sentencing.

Quiz 1: Crisis in Criminal Justice Policy

In 1977, it was declared that both and had failed and a crisis in American criminal justice policy prevailed.