corrections chp. 2

Which of the following is NOT listed as a key actor in the sentencing process?

a. defense attorneys

b. judges

c. prosecutors

d. probation staff

a. defense attorneys

What trend has given prosecutors greater leverage to extract guilty pleas from defendants?

a. increased use of plea bargains

b. decreased use of plea bargains

c. harsher sentences

d. lighter sentences

c. harsher sentences

Which of the following is NOT an erroneous assumption the public holds about judges?

a. Judges are always neutral arbitrators.

b. Judges are not swayed by personal opinions.

c. Judges are just one of many players in the criminal justice system.

d. Judges are immune to social and political pressures.

c. Judges are just one of many players in the criminal justice system

What is the purpose of the presentence investigation?

a. to serve as the basis for sentencing

b. to enhance the prosecutor's role at trial

c. to enter inadmissible evidence into court

d. to set the terms and conditions of bail

a. to serve as the basis for sentencing

What is the purpose of bail?

a. to pressure defendants into accepting plea bargains

b. to raise money for the judicial system

c. to make sure a defendant will return for trial

d. to impose punishment in advance of sentencing

c. to make sure a defendant will return for trial

What prompted the bail reform movement of the 1960s?

a. the findings that bail did not keep the community safe from dangerous predators

b. research showing that bail was applied in a racially discriminatory manner

c. research showing bail had failed in its promise to reduce recidivism

d. the findings that bail was not raising sufficient funds from defendants

b. research showing that bail was applied in a racially discriminatory manner

Which pilot program prompted an increase in the use of release on own recognizance (ROR)?

a. the Vera Institute of Justice Initiative

b. the Bail Reform Act of 1984

c. the Manhattan Bail Project

d. the Bail Reform Act of 1966

c. the Manhattan Bail Project

If preventive detention is constitutional, why is it so rarely used?

a. The Supreme Court only recently gave the practice its stamp of approval.

b. Judges are still unfamiliar with the practice and therefore reluctant to use it.

c. Judges can accomplish the same goal through the more familiar method of setting a high bail.

d. Judges believe it unfair to keep individuals who are presumed innocent behind bars before trial.

c. Judges can accomplish the same goal through the more familiar method of setting a high bail.

What is the difference between consecutive and concurrent sentences?

a. Consecutive sentences run one after another, while concurrent run at the same time.

b. Consecutive sentences are punitive, while concurrent are rehabilitative.

c. Concurrent sentences are punitive, while consecutive are rehabilitative.

d. Concurrent sentences run one after another, while consecutive run at the same time.

a. Consecutive sentences run one after another, while concurrent run at the same time.

Which of the following is NOT a form of sentencing sanction?

a. bail

b. diversionary programs

c. fines

d. probation

a. bail

The push for indeterminate sentencing was based on what assumption about criminals?

a. Judges needed more interactions with criminals to better sentence them.

b. They were sick, not bad, and therefore could be treated.

c. They were bad, not sick, and therefore could not be treated.

d. Criminals were essentially con artists.

b. They were sick, not bad, and therefore could be treated.

What entity has NO role in determinate sentencing?

a. parole board

b. legislature

c. jury

d. judge

a. parole board

What decade's rising crime rate led to a push for determinate sentencing?

a. 1960s

b. 1980s

c. 1990s

d. 1970s

d. 1970s

Under determinate sentencing, how can inmates still be released early?

a. prison overcrowding or good time credits

b. parole or judicial discretion

c. prison overcrowding or judicial discretion

d. good time credits or parole

a. prison overcrowding or good time credits

Under presumptive sentencing, who sets the penalties for criminal acts?

a. judges

b. legislatures

c. prosecutors

d. juries

b. legislatures

What disparity in minimum sentences led to the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010?

a. between sentences for murder and manslaughter

b. between sentences for manslaughter and drunk driving

c. between sentences for marijuana and cocaine

d. between sentences for crack and powdered cocaine

d. between sentences for crack and powdered cocaine

In which case did the Supreme Court declare that the federal sentencing guidelines were no longer mandatory?

a. Tapia v. United States

b. United States v. Booker

c. Blakely v. Washington

d. United States v. Salerno

b. United States v. Booker

How many states have adopted at least some fixed-term mandatory sentences?

a. a handful

b. all but 1

c. more than 35

d. fewer than 20

c. more than 35

Under what constitutional rationale did the Supreme Court limit a three-strikes law?

a. cruel and unusual punishment

b. violation of equal protection

c. violation of due process

d. inhibiting free speech

c. violation of due process

What is the impact of mandatory minimums on "women of circumstance"?

a. They receive increased sentences due to racial prejudice.

b. They are able to use plea bargains to their advantage.

c. They are released early due to tangential connections to crime.

d. They are subject to harsh sentences despite minimal criminal involvement.

d. They are subject to harsh sentences despite minimal criminal involvement

Prisoners released in 1996 served, on average, what percentage of their sentences?

a. 95

b. 44

c. 69

d. 10

b. 44

What was the impact of the federal Truth-in-Sentencing Incentive Grant Program?

a. It revolutionized state sentencing policy.

b. It reduced state prison populations and cost millions.

c. It had only a minimal impact.

d. It helped expand the inmate population but had only a modest effect on state sentencing policy.

d. It helped expand the inmate population but had only a modest effect on state sentencing policy.

What does the evidence suggest about racial bias in sentencing?

a. It exists and is based on the judge's race.

b. It exists and is based on the criminal's race.

c. It does not exist.

d. It exists and is based on the victim's race.

d. It exists and is based on the victim's race.

What percentage of all released criminals is arrested for a new crime within 5 years?

a. 77 percent

b. 68 percent

c. 72 percent

d. 82 percent

a. 77 percent

Which of the following is NOT a nonlegal factor in sentencing?

a. gender

b. social class

c. age

d. money as motive

d. money as motive