Test Bank and Answer Key
TRUE/FALSE
1. Crime control policies have traditionally relied on external authority, such as law enforcement
and punitive sentence, but procedural justice policies seek to cultivate internally based voluntary
obligation
2. Where you have lawfulness you always find legitimacy.
3. The procedural justice perspective says that people are motivated primarily by fear of
punishment.
4. Procedural justice issues appear to contribute to law-abiding behavior in terms of minor offenses
but the effect on serious crimes is not yet known.
5. The most important source of people’s attitudes toward the CJS is the courts.
6. Research evidence shows the injustice of racial bias in drug enforcement to be perceived but not
real.
7. Research has shown that police are more likely to stop African Americans than whites.
8. Respectful policing has a no significant effect on peoples’ assessment of police
legitimacy
9. One limitation of studies on procedural justice is the questions about its application to serious
crime.
10. The most important strategy for improving police-citizen encounters is to reduce police
use of deadly force and use of excessive physical force.
11. Procedural justice reforms to improve legitimacy are not applicable to the prison system.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The ultimate goal of the CJS and other social institutions is to
a.
maintain an orderly society
b.
hold people accountable for their actions
c.
help people adjust to their social environment
d.
maintain the economic and political social order
e.
all of the above
2. The difference between traditional crime control policies and procedural justice policies is
a.
procedural justice policies demand rigorous evidence-based evaluations of their
effectiveness whereas traditional crime control policies did not
b.
liberals and conservatives conflicted over traditional crime control policies but are largely
in agreement when it comes to procedural justice policies
c.
traditional policies rely on external coercion to get people to obey the law whereas
procedural justice policies seek to cultivate voluntary compliance with the law
d.
traditional crime control policies tend to be expensive to implement and subject to evasion
by the courtroom workgroup whereas procedural justice policies are not
3. Tyler argues that a critical factor in people’s complying with the law is
a.
they are aware of the law
c.
they understand the consequences
b.
perceived legitimacy of the law
d.
all of the above
4. What is the difference between lawfulness and legitimacy?
a.
the two terms can be used interchangeably
b.
lawfulness refers to liberal policies while legitimacy refers to conservative policies
c.
lawfulness refers to citizens while legitimacy refers to the justice system
d.
lawfulness refers to behavior while legitimacy refers to perception
5. _____(1)_____ involves case outcomes while _____(2)_____ depends on how people feel they
were treated.
a.
(1) lawfulness (2) legitimacy
b.
(1) distributive justice (2) procedural justice
c.
(1) legitimacy (2) cumulative disadvantage
d.
(1) procedural justice (2) perception
6. One of the key variables in people’s satisfaction with a system is the sense that
a.
they have an opportunity to participate and express their point of view
b.
it does not rely on coercive authority as a mechanism for gaining compliance
c.
the system promotes the greatest good for the greatest number
d.
the system itself displays lawful behavior
7. In studies of procedural justice, it was found that people who perceived they were treated fairly
by criminal justice agents
a.
recidivated at a higher rate
c.
were more likely to accept plea
negotiations without an attorney
b.
Were more likely to obey the law
d.
only committed minor offenses
8. Tyler’s research found that a sense of justice contributes to law-abiding behavior, but a limitation
of the study was that he only asked people about what?
a.
juvenile delinquency
c.
domestic violence
b.
victimless crimes
d.
minor offenses
9. Studies have found that respectful policing practices
a.
are effective in low-crime neighborhoods,
but have the reverse effect in high-crime
neighborhoods
c.
have a positive effect on peoples’
assessment of police legitimacy
b.
have a strong impact on sentencing and
trial proceedings
d.
have no discernible effect on peoples’
assessment of police legitimacy
10. In successful drug courts, the behavior of the judges
a.
contradict the principles of procedural
justice
c.
show marked racial discrimination
b.
align with the principles of procedural
justice
d.
has a trickledown effect to the behavior of
all courtroom workers
11. The most important strategy for improving police-citizen encounters is
a.
to reduce escalation
b.
to reduce the impression of racial disparity
c.
to reduce police use of deadly force and excessive physical force
d.
to improve the police’s treatment of women, particularly in domestic violence incidents
12. There is evidence of significant racial disparity in the enforcement of
a.
murder
c.
gambling
b.
burglary
d.
drugs
13. For years, decriminalizing certain offenses was a major liberal policy recommendation. That
changed because
a.
conservatives embraced the same policies
c.
decriminalization of those offenses
undermined the principles of procedural
justice
b.
most of those offenses have been
decriminalized or deemphasized
d.
those offenses are now recognized as
detrimental to society
14. The amount of time lawyers spent with felony defendants in criminal courts
a.
was not associated with procedural justice
b.
had no impact on their behavior or attitudes toward the CJS
c.
had an effect on their recidivism rates
d.
was associated with their satisfaction with the criminal justice system
15. The evidence shows that the legitimacy of agencies in the criminal justice system
a.
can be changed only through serious
public relations campaigns
c.
can be built and maintained
b.
is impervious to attempts to change
d.
has eroded to the point that it cannot be
redeemed
16. Changing the legitimacy of the police system is important because
a.
it is commonly viewed as overburdened and poorly functioning
b.
the police system has the worst reputation of any part of the CJS
c.
police corruption is widespread
d.
it is the most visible component of the CJS
17. Since the 1970’s, the racial disparity in people shot and killed by the police has
a.
just about doubled
c.
been influence by distributive justice
b.
dropped by about half
d.
not changed, despite efforts to end it
18. The strategy of teaching officers to de-escalate encounters between the police and citizens is
designed to eliminate
a.
the tradition of treating disrespectful actions as “contempt of cop”
b.
problem in due process
c.
the high recidivism rate of repeat offenders
d.
racial disparities in police proceedings
19. The practice of conducting regular beat meetings where officers and citizens discuss
neighborhood problems and monitor progress of initiatives is intended to
a.
deescalate encounters between officers and citizens
b.
engage citizens to improve their sense of satisfaction with the police
c.
address problems of racial discrimination
d.
minimize complaints about criminal behavior
20. When criminal laws become out of step with the views of society, the result is
a.
a society of outlaws
b.
a sense of disconnect between citizens and the police
c.
a loss of legitimacy of the legal system
d.
an overall lack of morality among citizens
21. The Prohibition laws resulted in
a.
changes in procedural justice
b.
arrests for alternative offenses
c.
the evolution of organized crime
d.
increased respect for the law
22. Over the past fifty years, arrests for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and vagrancy
a.
have contributed substantially to crime declines in New York City
b.
have been completely eliminated
c.
have been on the upswing in large urban areas
d.
have been de-emphasized by police
23. The most significant area of conflict between the criminal law and the changing values of U.S.
society is
a.
U.S. drug policy
b.
police treatment of minor offenders
c.
sentencing laws
d.
public disorder crimes
24. A prevalent criticism of U.S. drug policy on marijuana is
a.
that although it is barely used, its use is
still a punishable offense
c.
that it is the main focus of drug policy,
while the policy ignores more harmful
drugs
b.
that it causes increased use of marijuana
d.
that marijuana use is a private matter
25. The evidence of significant racial disparities in drug enforcement
a.
is insignificant
b.
is quite strong
c.
is evident in only a few states
d.
is inconclusive
26. Changing the law of possession of small amounts of marijuana to a misdemeanor would likely
result in
a.
deligitimization of the court system
c.
a sense that the CJS is illegitimate
b.
increased compliance with the law
d.
a sharp reduction in felony convictions
and prison sentences
27. The purpose of an EIS (early intervention system) by the police department is to
a.
reduce use of force incidents by police officers
b.
reduce recidivism of offenders
c.
decriminalize minor crimes
d.
give citizens greater say in police matters
28. Research on citizen complaint procedures have found that
a.
it results in satisfaction on both sides
b.
its effectiveness is mixed
c.
it results in satisfaction on one side only
d.
it improves the legitimacy of the police
29. Research on complaint mediation programs has found that
a.
they do not affect legitimacy of the police system
b.
most citizens are dissatisfied with police behavior
c.
they result in similar levels of satisfaction of traditional complaint investigation
procedures
d.
that they result in much higher levels of satisfaction than traditional complaint
investigation procedures
SHORT ANSWER
1. Discuss the role that legitimacy plays in gaining compliance with the law.
2. Provide evidence that procedural justice makes a difference in the day-to-day world of criminal
justice.
REF: 12-6—12-12
3. Give examples of changes that can be made in the police system to improve its legitimacy.
4. Summarize the rationale for decriminalization and its potential consequences.
5. Describe proposed changes to U.S. drug policy that would improve its legitimacy.