TX Govt 2306 Final Exam Chaps 9, 10, 13

If you were wrongfully convicted and exonerated, the Timothy Cole Act requires that the state pays you __________________ per year you wrongfully spent in prison.

$80,000

The most prison-prone group in society is between the ages of

20 and 29.

What is the main difference between a home-rule city and a general-law city?

A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons.

What is the main difference between a special purpose district and a county?

A special purpose district provides only one specific service within a geographic region.

In the Texas criminal justice system, crimes are classified as felonies or misdemeanors.

True

Police departments are now required to report officer-involved shootings to the state.

True

After you are arrested and taken to jail, you must appear before a judge and be told what charges you are being accused of and reminded of your right to an attorney and right to remain silent. What is this process called?

arraignment

In criminal cases, the prosecutor must prove that the defendant is guilty

beyond a reasonable doubt.

In Texas, the legal standard of proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" is used in which type(s) of cases?

both felony and misdemeanor cases

Civil defense lawyers often align themselves with

business and professional groups

The most serious felony is ________, for which the penalty can be death or life imprisonment without parole.

capital murder

What types of cases does the Texas Supreme Court hear?

civil appeals

What are plea bargains used to do?

clear a crowded district court docket by negotiating guilty pleas in criminal cases

Who is responsible for setting the county's budget and tax rate?

commissioners' court

The job of serving civil court papers at the county level goes to the

constable.

A ________ form of government is one in which public policies are developed by the city council and executive and administrative functions are assigned to a professional city manager.

council manager

Who is responsible for issuing marriage licenses as well as birth and death certificates?

county clerk

In Texas, what is the name of the officer who presides over the county commissioners' court?

county judge

It is often quite difficult for people to readjust to life after prison because

family members may have moved, died, or cut off communications, thereby removing a support network.

In order to be eligible to serve on either the Texas Supreme Court or the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, you must

have been either a judge or practicing lawyer for at least 10 years.

One of the most important social services provided by counties is

health care for poverty-stricken (i.e. indigent) individuals.

________ is a punishment where, instead of a jail or prison sentence, an offender remains in the community with the understanding that the offender will meet certain requirements that are imposed by the court.

Probation

When thinking about the total number of people in state prisons across the United States, which of the following is true?

Texas has more people incarcerated in its state prisons than any other state.

In Texas, ________ create(s) special purpose districts.

Texas voters in the areas that will be covered

Before 1978, partisanship was not a factor in Texas judicial elections because

Texas was effectively a one-party state.

Texas officially uses which method to select state judges?

partisan election

In civil cases, the burden is on the plaintiff, and the standard that must be met is known as

preponderance of the evidence.

What are the main sources of revenue for special purpose districts in Texas?

property taxes and user fees

A merit selection plan would

provide for an appointment process, and then when the term has been served, the judge would seek retention in an election with no opponents listed.

Which of the following has been given as a reason for reforming the way judges are selected in Texas?

the importance of a judicial candidate's name in the current system

In the commissioner form of government,

the legislative and executive functions are performed by the elected commissioners.

At the same time that the Texas Supreme Court become more conservative,

the legislature was also passing laws that favored businesses, creating a situation where it is becoming more difficult for individuals to successfully sue businesses in civil lawsuits.

A major criticism of the grand jury is that it

usually hears only what the prosecutor chooses to let it hear.

Municipal courts have jurisdiction over

violations of city ordinances.

For which type of offenses are Texas prison inmates most likely to be imprisoned?

violent

Constitutional carry

would not require gun training classes or any licensing process before someone could legally carry a weapon in public.

Texas has more verified ______________ than any other state.

wrongful convictions

If you are convicted of a misdemeanor in Texas,

you retain your right to vote and possess a weapon.

As the number of urban areas grew in the state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the management of local affairs became such a growing burden on the state legislature that it passed the

home-rule charter.

Commissioner forms of government were at the height of their popularity

in 1918, during the Progressive era.

In the state of Texas, which race/ethnicity is most likely to be on death row today?

African American

In Texas, the county judge presides over the county commissioner's court.

True

By the early 1980s, judicial candidates in Texas made a mass change in their campaign strategies. What was that change?

Candidates began making a switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.

What is the level of popularity of the commissioner system of city government in Texas today?

No city in Texas today has a pure commissioner system, but a handful claim a variation of the system.

What happens in a bench trial?

The defendant gives up his or her constitutional right to a trial by jury. Instead, the trial is conducted with only the judge.

The licensing of police officers in Texas is regulated by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. How are the nine members of this commission selected?

They are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

All death penalty cases are automatically appealed to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

True

Even if you are not sentenced to jail time, how is your freedom of movement restricted if you are convicted of a drug-related offense?

Your driver's license is suspended for six months. You have the option to go to court to get an occupational driver's license, but then you have to get an expensive high-risk SR-22 car insurance policy.

What is the composition of the county commissioner's court?

a county judge and four county commissioners

Today, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the prison system. Who runs this agency?

a nine-member board that is appointed by the governor

What is an at-large election?

an election in which voters elect officials from the entire geographical area rather than from a smaller district within the area

Money that is provided by the defendant to ensure his or her appearance in court is referred to as

bail.

In what type of court would a justice of the peace handle minor criminal cases, less serious civil suits, and traffic/parking violations?

court of limited jurisdiction

The debate over preemption between local self-governance and control by the state government echoes which of the following:

debates between the state governments and the federal government about which level of government should make governing decisions

Civil law focuses on __________________, while criminal law focuses on ____________

disputes about relationships, obligations, and responsibilities; violations of codes of right and wrong as determined by criminal statutes

The major trial courts in Texas are

district courts.

A serious criminal offense that subjects a person to state prison punishment is a(n)

felony.

Flood control is managed through special purpose districts because

flooding is seldom contained to a single city or county.

In spite of judicial campaigns, voters often know little about judicial candidates. As a result, they vote

for the party label.

If sentenced by a judge to probation, you would most likely have to do which of the following?

have a steady job, report to your probation officer on a regular basis, abstain from drug and alcohol use, and pay any fines or restitution

A city controller

is a city's chief financial officer.

The State Bar of Texas is a unique organization because

it is a professional organization, but it also performs functions on behalf of the government, such as licensing and disciplining members.

The Texas Judicial Campaign Fairness Act

limits the amount of campaign contributions a judicial candidate can receive from an individual donor.

If you live outside city limits, water, sewer, sanitation, and electricity services are offered by

municipal utility districts (MUDs).

Community college districts and fire-prevention districts are examples of

non-school special purpose districts.

The Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals have appellate jurisdiction, which means they have the authority to do what?

review the decisions of lower courts to determine whether legal principles and court procedures were followed correctly

The chief law-enforcement officer in county governments is the

sheriff.

Justice of the peace courts handle which kind of disputes?

small claims

Which of the following is the most common form of local government in Texas?

special purpose districts

If you want to know how many people serve on a city's governing body, which document do you need to consult?

the city's home-rule charter

Which court in Texas has automatic jurisdiction over all death penalty cases?

the court of criminal appeals

In most Texas cities that use the council-manager form of government today,

there is a professional city manager, a mayor that is elected at large, and a city council that is elected by single-member districts.

Civil rights organizations representing Latinos and African Americans have argued that for minorities to get elected into office

there must be small judicial districts where minority voters make up the majority.

How are people selected to serve on grand juries in Texas?

through a random selection process