Criminal Justice Exam 1 (Ch. 1-4)
Choose the group that is least likely to be responsible for writing substantive criminal laws. a. Victim advocacy groups. b. Elected members of Congress. c. State legislatures. d. City councils.
a
According to the lifestyle-exposure model, who would be more likely to be a victim of a violent crime in a high crime, urban area?
A young black male
Theories emphasizing that the causes of criminal behavior are not found in the individual but in the social process that labels certain acts as deviant or criminal are known as:
Labeling theories
Civil law is defined as
Law regulating the relationships between or among individuals, usually involving property, contract, or business disputes.
The Due Process Revolution, which began to gain momentum after Earl Warren was appointed Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1953, refers to an era in which
Legal protections were afforded to those accused of harming society.
Acts or behaviors deemed as criminal and prohibited by the government, although there is nothing inherently wrong about the behaviors, are called ________________.
Mala prohibita
Sociological theories of crime are based upon the assumption
That contact with the social world, as well as factors such as race, age, gender, and income, mold the offender's personality and actions.
Which agency was created after the infamous September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and brought most of the federal law enforcement agencies under its umbrella?
The department of homeland security
____________ is the victimization of an individual more than once over a long period of time, such as repeat incidents of domestic violence spread out over several years.
revictimization
True or false? Most whites believe they are most likely to be victimized by black strangers
true
All households do not experience the same risks of victimization. Most households are not victimized at all during a given year. In 2005, what percentage of American households reported experiencing criminal victimization?
14%
What proportion of violent crimes committed against women were by acquaintances or relatives?
2/3.
Researchers point out that enforcement of drug laws focuses "almost exclusively on low-level drug dealers in minority neighborhoods." Yet federal health statistics define the typical drug user as:
A white males in his 20's
Which one of the following theories has influenced the way that sex offenders are treated, even after they have completed their full criminal sentences? a. Psychological explanations. b. Social structure explanations. c. Learning explanations. d. Labeling explanations.
A. psychological explanations
The process of determining if a defendant is guilty or not guilty is known as _____________.
Adjudication
Physiological and neurological factors that may predispose a person to commit crimes:
Biological explanation
The type of law that regulates the relationships between or among individuals, usually involving property, contracts, or business disputes, is known as ___________.
Civil law
In 1764, "Essays on Crime and Punishments" was published. This work attempted to explain criminal behavior in a secular fashion and prompted reformers to try to make law and procedures more rational and consistent. It is considered the basis of _______________.
Classical criminology
The theory that criminal behavior is rational, is a choice one makes, despite the punishment that most people fear, is referred to as:
Classical criminology
Which of the following policy interventions might be implemented under a social structure theory of crime causation?
Community development to improve housing, education and healthcare
____________ believe that solutions to crime problems will come from stricter enforcement of the law through the expansion of police forces and the enactment of laws that require swift and certain punishment of criminals.
Conservatives
What is the Justice for All Act of 2004
Create rights for crime victims in federal criminal cases
This model assumes that every effort must be made to repress crime; emphasizing efficiency system's capacity to catch, try, convict and punish a high proportion of offenders:
Crime control model
When compared to the UCR, the National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS) provide a more complete picture of the nature and extent of crime because:
Crime is viewed through the eyes of the victim
Social conflict theories are based on the assumption that:
Criminal law and the criminal justice system are primarily a means of controlling the haves and have nots.
The American criminal justice system is highly ______________.
Decentralized
Jeffrey Reiman argued for all of the following policies with the exception of:
Decriminalizing the acts of white-collar offenses
The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) present crime date in three ways. Which of the following is not one of those ways?
Detailed report of each offense
The most common way to prevent crime according to the text is through:
Deterrence
____________ occurs when a group in society is treated differentially based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status, instead of on their behavior or qualifications.
Discrimination
Victimless crimes usually involve willing parties who engage in private transactions of an illegal nature, and typically involve the exchange of goods or services. Which of the following is NOT a victimless crime?
Domestic violence
The ____________ amendment contends with issues relating to bail, fines, and punishment of defendants in the criminal justice system.
Eighth
Excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment are all protected under the:
Eighth amendment
The report of the U.S. President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice in 1967:
Emphasized the need for greater federal involvement in local crime control.
What type of relationship involves the mutual transfer of resources among individual actors, each of whom has goals that he or she cannot accomplish alone? In addition, each needs to gain the cooperation and assistance of other actors by helping those actors achieve their own goals.
Exchange
True or false: organizations, as well as individuals, influence criminal justice policymaking
False
One of the most common results of surveys about crime is that:
Fear of crime is usually higher than the actual risk of being victimized
The American government, including the criminal justice system, is based on the concept of ______________ whereby power is divided between a national government and state governments.
Federalism
__________ is a system of government in which power is divided between a central (national) government and regional (state) governments.
Federalism
A grand jury is a body of citizens drawn from the community to hear evidence from the prosecutor in order to determine whether there is a sufficient basis to move forward with a criminal prosecution in the federal court system. Which amendment protects the right to have a grand jury?
Fifth amendment
The process by which criminal justice officials screen out some cases while advancing others to the next level of decision-making. At each stage, some defendants are sent on to the next stage, while others are either released or processed under changed conditions.
Filtering
Which amendment protects U.S. citizens' rights to due process under the law, which specifically states that no statement shall ... deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law?
Fourteenth amendment
The theft of social security numbers, credit card numbers, and other information in order to secure loans, withdraw bank funds, and purchase merchandise while posing as someone else is referred to as _____________.
Identity theft
_______________ offenses refer to those crimes in which intent to harm is clear; however, the act may not have been carried through and the harm not caused, such as conspiracy to commit murder.
Inchoate
The process of __________is the extension of the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to make binding on state governments the rights guaranteed in the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution (the Bill of Rights).
Incorporation
This particular defense to negate responsibility is generally used as a last resort, and only in rare cases. What is this defense?
Insanity
The correct order of the first five steps in the decision-making process of the criminal justice system is:
Investigation, arrest, booking, charging, and initial appearance
Which of the following is true regarding the direction justice agencies have been taking in the last 20 years?
Justice agencies have become more sensitive to interests of crime victims
"Guilty mind" is a principle of Western law, derived from the Latin term___________.
Mens rea
___________ crimes are committed through opportunities created in a legal business or profession.
Occupational
A common form of an exchange relationship between participants in the criminal justice system is _____________.
Plea bargaining
__________ is a defendant's plea of guilty to a criminal charge with the reasonable expectation of receiving some consideration from the state for doing so, usually a reduction of the charge.
Plea bargaining
What are crimes usually done for ideological purposes that constitute a threat against the state (such as treason, sedition, or espionage) or a criminal act by a state?
Political crimes
This school of criminology views behavior as stemming from social, biological, and psychological factors. It argues that punishment should be tailored to the individual needs of the offender.
Positivist criminology
This type of law relates to how criminal justice personnel should carry out their job duties.
Procedural
Most Americans believe that criminal justice policies should be designed to:
Provide a balance between enforcing the law and protecting individual rights
Priorities and actions developed by government to use public resources as a means to deal with issues affecting society are referred to as ________________.
Public policy
The use of race and ethnicity as clues to criminality, such as minority drivers being pulled over by the police in disproportionate numbers, is referred to as:
Racial profiling
Actors in the criminal justice system must cultivate and maintain good relationships with politicians, legislators, and others because of which characteristic of the criminal justice system?
Resource dependence
____________ is a variation of the lifestyle approach that sees crime arise in times and places where there is a convergence of specific elements: motivated offenders, suitable victims, and a lack of capable guardians to prevent or deter criminal acts.
Routine activities theory
The act of exposing oneself to prosecution by being forced to respond to questions whose answers may reveal that one has committed a crime.
Self-incrimination
Social disorganization, often found in the lower social classes, is a predictive factor of high crime rates according to which theory?
Social structure theory
Law that defines behaviors that may be penalized by the government and defines the punishments for such offenses is called ___________.
Substantive law
Regarding crime trends in the United States since 1993, which of the following statements is true?
The incidence of crime has steadily increased in the US
The Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution includes the right to counsel, the right to a speedy trial, and ______________________.
The right to an impartial jury of one's peers
The term dark figure of crime refers to crimes that are not counted in official crime statistics because
They are not reported to the police
A popular source for crime statistics compiled by the FBI, based on voluntary reporting by thousands of law enforcement agencies across the United States, which outlines eight index crimes and definitions of 29 types of crimes is the ______________.
Uniform crime reports
This field, which emerged in the 1950s, focused attention on the role the victim played in a criminal case.
Victimology
_____________ are acts that the public regards as criminal. Such acts are often referred to as street crime, and range from shoplifting to homicide. Most law enforcement resources are accustomed to dealing with them.
Visible crimes
Choose the statement below that best describes the goals of the criminal justice system. a. The goals of the criminal justice system conflict with one another. b. The goals of the criminal justice system are easily attainable. c. The goals of the criminal justice system are relatively easy to implement. d. The tasks of the criminal justice system necessary to achieve the goals of the criminal justice system are clearly defined.
a
Choose the statement below that best reflects the status of blacks and the criminal justice system. a. Per capita, blacks are incarcerated at a rate of seven times higher than that of whites. b. About 50% of all black males in their twenties are under criminal justice supervision. c. Blacks account for three quarters of all arrests in the United States. d. The robbery victimization rate for blacks is 300% of that for whites.
a
Excuse defenses focus on the actor and whether he or she possessed the knowledge or intent needed for a criminal conviction. Which of the following is not an example of an excuse defense? a. Necessity. b. Duress. c. Entrapment. d. Infancy.
a
In trying to predict changes in the future composition of the U.S. Supreme Court, which of the following factors is LEAST likely to matter? a. Whether the crime rate increases or decreases. b. The age of the justices. c. The general health of the justices. d. The identity of the next President of the United States.
a
Principles of Western law are the basis for defining acts as criminal and the conditions required for successful prosecution. Which of the following is NOT a principle of criminal law? a. Divergence. b. Actus reus. c. Causation. d. Concurrence.
a
The Constitution of the United States: a. Does not specifically include criminal justice among the federal government's powers. b. Includes specific provisions for federal criminal justice agencies. c. Allows for the creation of a national police force with broad powers. d. Mandates that the federal government prevent and control crime.
a
The main source of criminal law is statutory law. Which of the following is the best definition of statutory law? a. Law made by an elected legislative body. b. Law made by a court as part of a decision on a case. c. Law embodied in the principles set forth in the U.S. Constitution. d. The Anglo-American system of uncodified law.
a
There are seven principles of criminal law. Which of the following is not one of those principles? a. Mens rea. A blameworthy state of mind. b. Legality. There must be a law that defines the specific action as a crime. c. Actus Reus. A person must commit an act. d. Causation. There must be a causal relationship between an act and harm suffered.
a
Which is NOT one of the principles of "doing justice?" a. Offenders will be required to pay for the monetary losses their crime has caused the victim. b. Offenders will be held fully accountable for their actions. c. The rights of persons who have contact with the system will be protected. d. Like offenses will be treated alike and officials will take into account relevant differences among offenders and offenses.
a
Which of the following allows a judge to decide whether there is probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and that the accused person committed it? a. Preliminary hearing. b. Grand jury. c. Initial appearance. d. Booking.
a
Which of the following amendments to the U.S. Constitution protects offenders from self-incrimination? a. Fifth. b. Fourth. c. First. d. Sixth.
a
Which of the following is NOT an example of "visible crime"? a. Occupational. b. Violent crime. c. Property crime. d. Public order crime.
a
Which of the following is TRUE regarding female offenders? a. Women are more likely to be arrested for theft than for any other offense. b. Women are more likely to be arrested for theft than men. c. The causes of female criminality has been studied by sociologists nearly as extensively as male criminality. d. Women commit slightly more violent crime than men.
a
Which of the following models emphasizes the importance of individual freedoms, even if it means some guilty defendants will go free? a. Due process model. b. Crime control model. c. Social justice model. d. Libertarian model.
a
Which of the following statements about media coverage of crime is INCORRECT? a. The proportion of media resources devoted to crime reporting is an accurate reflection of how much crime is occurring in society. b. Reporting on crime is often used as a way to sell newspapers and build viewership. c. Most people do not experience crime themselves, but instead learn about it from the media. d. People who regularly view television crime programs tend to be more fearful of being victims of crime.f
a
Which of the following statements is TRUE? a. The exact definition of the crime of rape may be different in New York than it is in Louisiana. b. Crimes are defined the same way under federal and state law. c. The crime of murder is committed whenever one person causes the death of another person. d. The crime of robbery is committed when a person breaks into an unoccupied home or business and steals something.
a
Which of the following statements is considered most accurate today? a. The causes of criminality are complex and may include biological factors that may predispose some people to crime. b. People are essentially "made" into criminals in all cases because of family, environment and external factors. c. People are essentially "born bad," and cannot escape their genetic make up to live a life of crime. d. People of a certain IQ are predisposed to crime.
a
Which of the following statements is true? a. According to the Uniform Crime Report, criminal homicide is considered a Part 1, index offense. b. According to the Uniform Crime Report, embezzlement is considered a Part 1, index offense. c. According to the National Incident-Based Reporting System, vandalism is considered a Part 1, index offense. d. According to the National Incident-Based Reporting System, gambling is considered a Part 1, index offense.
a
Which of the following statements is true? a. The criminal justice system often is insensitive to the needs of victims. b. The focus of the criminal justice system is on the victim. c. The criminal justice system does not allow harsh treatment of victims. d. The criminal justice system routinely provides compensation for victims' medical expenses and lost wages.
a
Which of the following statements regarding the United States' dual court system is INCORRECT? a. Criminal laws in all 50 states must be identical, although state law may be different from federal law. b. The term "dual court system" refers to the fact that in the United States there is a separate judicial system in each state in addition to a national (federal) system. c. State legislatures and courts have the power to create and interpret their own criminal law for application within their states. d. The U.S. Supreme Court does not have absolute authority to invalidate state laws.
a
Which of the following statements regarding the death penalty is TRUE? a. The death penalty may not be imposed on a mentally retarded convict. b. The death penalty may not be imposed on a convict who committed his crime before the age of 21 years. c. Death by lethal injection has been found to be unconstitutionally cruel and unusual by the U.S. Supreme Court. d. The death penalty itself has been found to be unconstitutionally cruel and unusual by the U.S. Supreme Court.
a
Which of the following best defines what is considered a crime in our society? a. A crime is any action that harms another person. b. A crime is whatever the legislature says it is. c. A crime is any immoral action. d. A crime is whatever the majority of Americans says it is.
b
Which of the following police functions accounts for only a small proportion of police time and resources, even though it is the task the public most associates with police work? a. Keeping the peace. b. Apprehending violators and combating crime. c. Preventing crime. d. Providing social services.
b
Which of the following statements are true? a. The reason why the sale and possession of marijuana is criminal, while alcohol is not, is because marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol. b. The reason why the sale and possession of marijuana is criminal, while alcohol is not, is because legislatures have enacted criminal laws, not because of any consistent or logical comparison with alcohol. c. The reason why the sale and possession of marijuana is criminal, while alcohol is not, is because alcohol provides more revenue. d. The reason why the sale and possession of marijuana is criminal, while alcohol is not, is because alcohol has been proven to have health benefits.
b
Who is more likely to be raped, robbed, or assaulted?
blacks
Which of the following is not a layer of the wedding cake model? a. Layer 1: Celebrated cases. b. Layer 2: Serious felonies. c. Layer 3: Civil infractions. d. Layer 4: Misdemeanors.
c
Which of the following is not a principle of classical criminology? a. Criminal behavior is rational, and most people have the potential to engage in such behavior. b. People may choose to commit a crime after weighing the costs and benefits of their actions. c. Swiftness of punishment is not important. d. The punishment should fit the crime, not the person who committed it.
c
Crimes committed that involve the use of computers and the Internet to commit acts against people, property, public order, or morality are called _____________. Some use computers to steal information, resources, or funds.
cybercrimes
Most of the fundamental principles concerning Fourth Amendment searches and seizures, Fifth Amendment self-incrimination, and Sixth Amendment right to counsel have ___________since the 1960s. a. Changed significantly. b. Evolved moderately with the changing Supreme Court Justices. c. Been altered slightly. d. Remained remarkably stable.
d
Which of the following is INCORRECT regarding The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) developed by the FBI? a. It requires all crimes committed during an incident to be reported, not just the most serious one. b. It does not distinguish between attempted and completed crimes. c. It involves interviews conducted with a national probability sample of 5,000 law enforcement agencies. d. It has done little to improve the compilation of crime statistics.
d
A document charging an individual with a specific crime, prepared by a prosecuting attorney and presented to a court at a preliminary hearing, is called a(n) ___________.
information
