PSU Criminology 100 - Final Exam - Martha Sherman

Incarceration

confining criminals to prison to prison for predetermined sentence, now the standard punishment for serious defenders in western societies.

Foucault

"less violent punishment is not necessarily better"

Execution

the killing of an offender by the state

Exile

Punishing offenders by kicking them out of society.

Corporal Punishment

using physical pain to punish ex: flogging

Disfigurement

Permanently marking criminals so that their criminal past is recognizable to those around them has been a form of punishment in most societies.

Enslavement

sentenced to slavery

Humiliation

forcing the offender to behave in mortifying ways in public has been a popular approach to punishing prisoners in a variety of civilizations.

Deterrence

Preventing others from committing crimes by showing it's not worth the punishment.

Incapacitation

Preventing the offender from committing future crimes.

Rehabilitation

Changing the offender's behaviors.

Retributivism

Because the offender deserves it.

Separate and Silent System

a model in which prisoners were not allowed to have contact with each other

Penitentiary System

a model of prison that focuses on spiritual and personal rehabilitation.

Auburn System

A prison system in New York which enforced rigid rules of discipline, while also providing moral instruction and work programs, military.

Indeterminate Sentencing

Prison sentences that do not have a definite end date or can be ended early for good behavior

Parole

The practice of releasing incarcerated offenders early.

Probation

Allowing a convicted offender to avoid imprisonment and remain free under close supervision.

Prison Industrial Complex

The historical collusion between politicians and private businesses to boost the prison population for financial and political gain

Private Prisons

Prisons not run by the government but by private corporations

Humonetarianism

Limiting the number of people imprisoned because it's too expensive for the government, not because it is morally right

Total Institutions

institutions like prisons, mental hospitals, and the military where virtually every aspect of an individual's life is controlled

Presentence Investigation Report

an analysis of a convicted offender provided to the court by a probation officer that examines the background of the offender

Victim Impact Statement

Testimony from a victim provided at sentencing where she explains the effect that the crime had on her.

Reception Center

A location where newly incarcerated offenders are processed.

Classification Team

A group of experts who evaluate newly incarcerated prisoners.

Supermax

The highest security level of incarceration

Protective Custody Unit (PCU)

A section of a prison where offenders who need to be separated from other inmates are held.

Stanford Prison Experiment

A psychological study conducted on college students that examined how the prison structure of guards and inmates affects human behavior.

Inmate Code

The informal social rules governing prisoner conduct.

Institutionalization

The effect of long-term incarceration that leaves inmates unable to function outside of the prison's structure.

Conjugal Visits

Unsupervised visits between prisoners and their spouses

General Population

the main part of the prison where most offenders are kept

Slaves of the State

The legal status of prisoners until the 1960s.

Hands-off Doctrine

The (now abandoned) legal doctrine that believed that courts should let prison officials run prisons in whatever way these officials deemed appropriate.

Administrative Segregation

Separating offenders from the general population of the prison. Often in solitary confinement.

Community Corrections

forms of criminal punishment that seek to keep the offender in society rather than locking her away

Collateral Consequences

the effects of imprisonment that go beyond the imprisonment itself on the families of the incarcerated offender

Diversion

Programs that attempt to keep offenders out of prison by providing services and guidance.

Drug Court

Courts that are set up to deal with nonviolent offenders with drug problems, offering counseling and monitoring instead of punishment

Mental Health Courts

Problem-solving courts that are experts in handling offenders with mental problems.

Truth-in sentencing laws

Laws that require offenders to serve their entire sentence rather than being released early.

Megan's Law

a federal law that requires sex offenders to register with a federal database

Civil Commitment

holding a person who has not been convicted of a crime (or who has already served her sentence) because experts believe that she is a danger to herself or to the public

Restorative Justice

An approach to justice that seeks to heal the victim rather than punish the offender by bringing the offender and her victim together.

Victim-offender Mediation

the process of bringing a victim together with the person who harmed her in a supervised environment so that they can discuss the crime and its impact

Guillotine

A device created in France to ensure a quick beheading.

Long Drop

a method for hanging convicted criminals that ensures a quick death by breaking the neck of the condemned

Eight Amendment

The constitutional amendment that bans "cruel and unusual" punishment

Furman v. Georgia

A 1972 Supreme Court ruling that argued that the death penalty (as it was then practiced) was too arbitrary to be constitutional.

Gregg v. Georgia

A 1976 Supreme Court ruling that reinstated the death penalty in the United States.

Bifurcated Trials

Trials that are split between a guilt phase (when the defendant is either convicted or acquitted) and a penalty phase when the jury decides whether or not to recommend the death penalty.

Mitigating Evidence

evidence presented to a jury that attempts to limit the perceived severity of the crime

Aggravating Evidence

Evidence presented to a jury that makes a crime seem more severe. Juries can use this evidence to determine whether to recommend execution

Death-qualified jury

A jury that could impose the death penalty if they found it appropriate

Limiting Cases

Supreme Court cases that restrict the types of cases where the death penalty can be applied

Innocence Projects

groups that research criminal convictions that they believe are wrong and should be overturned

American Individualism

The common belief that people are responsible for their own conduct, independent of external circumstances.

community service

Which of the following illustrates a sanction that is intended for an offender to repay the community as a whole

FALSE

Those who are civilly committed are afforded the same protections as those given to accused criminals.

They focus on the harm done to both victim and offender

How do restorative justice programs differ from traditional correctional models?

Multiple Choice Question

They are subject to residency restrictions and limitations.

Why are many offenders who have been convicted of s3x offenses chronically homeless?

civil commitment facility

McNeil Island is an example of what

department of justice (DOJ)

Which federal department is the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking under?

TRUE

In order to encourage people to be productive and engaged members of society, it is best to keep them out of prison.

It involves locking up individuals for something they might do if released.

Why is civil commitment of sex offenders a controversial practice

s3x offenders

Which of the following types of offenders does society consider particularly unreformable?

FALSE

Research shows that victims are often dissatisfied with the outcomes of restorative justice processes.

Many employers require felons to disclose their criminal past and will not hire them

Why do those convicted of felonies have a hard time finding employment?