Foundations of Criminal Justice 181

CRJS181 Exam #1

What are the three components of the CJ system?

Cops, Courts, Corrections

What does Law enforcement do for the CJ system?

Investigate crime, apprehending individuals who have committed crimes

What do the Courts do for the CJ system?

Interpret and apply the law

What does Corrections do for the CJ system?

Protects society from criminals through housing, monitoring, and other community based programs

What person has the highest likelihood of being sentenced to death?

A black defendant killing a non-black victim

How much is the Criminal Justice system cost?

over $305 billion

How much does each person pay to fund the CJ system?

$938 per person

Prison def

A felony, longer than a year +

Jail def

Less than a year, managed by local facilities. Holds convicts and non convicts

Probation def

Sentence that suspends or delays a term of a full-time incarceration (community service)

Parole def

Released from prison, may be placed on parole as part of their sentence

What’s it called when prosecutors decide to drop charges?

Nolle prosequi

What is an arraignment

Charges are read, and the defendant is informed of their rights

Accepting penalty without admitting guilt

nolo contendere

Judicial activism

occurs when decisions are influenced by personal or political underpinnings

USA PATRIOT ACT

Reducing restrictions on intelligence collection in detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorist activities (lacked congressional approval)

USA FREEDOM ACT

Stops NSA from gathering a certain amount of phone data on citizens

Street crimes

Relatively common and serious (rape, homicide, assault, robbery)

Street crimes always have weapons

False, rarely involved

Property crimes

Far more common than violent street crimes (motor vehicle theft, burglary/trespassing, etc…)

Victimless crimes

Illegal behavior that doesn’t “directly affect” another victim (prostitution, drug use, etc…)

White collar crimes

Affect far more people than street or property crimes (bribery, security fraud, etc…)

Cybercrime

illegal activity committed using a computer / network (computer viruses, identity theft, stalking, etc…)

Terrorism

Committed by subnational or extremist groups

Mala in se

Behavior that is immoral and inherently wrong by nature

Mala prohibita

Behavior that is prohibited by law

Duty to retreat

avoiding conflict, but after de-escalation doesn’t work, deadly force can be used

Castle doctrine

“make my day laws” ; no longer required to retreat if threatened by intruders

Adultery

Sex between a married woman and another person other than her spouse

Driving under the influence

BAC levels (0.08%)

Sexual abuse

sexual violence committed against children

Sexual assault

variety of acts that are sexual in nature, including unwanted touching

Crime control

Offenders don’t fear apprehension and continue to commit crimes unless given harsh punishment

Rehabilitation

CJ system is made to care for and treat people who are unable to take care of themselves (victims of social inequality)

Due process

Ensuring all people accused of crimes are treated fairly and equally (5th & 14th amendments)

Restorative justice

Repair the harm caused by criminal behavior (BEST)

Nonintervention

Minimally intrusive

Consensus model

Social contract (John Locke)

Everyone works for justice together

Protect citizens, maximize peace

Conflict model

Power struggle (Karl Marx)

Those with power define what is criminal, exerting control over the powerless

Framing in media

crime stories are made tidy and processed easily. Doesn’t include nuances of crime

Faulty criminal justice system frame

crime is chaos

Blocked opportunities frame

lack of legal opportunities leads to crime

Social breakdown frame

Crime happens because of a person’s upbringing and families breaking down

Racist system frame

Problem is not crime, but system

Violent media frame

Crime is the direct result of violent media (TV/video games)

Infotainment

highly edited / distorted “education” on the system

Narrow-casting

Broad coverage of crime required to appeal to viewership

Criminology

Study of nature, extent and causes of criminal offending and criminal victimization