Test Bank and Answer Key
TRUE/FALSE
1. Incarceration strategies seek to limit the discretion of judges who are viewed by
conservatives as lenient bleeding hearts.
2. Prosecutors refuse to set bail higher than the minimum amount required in bail
guidelines.
3. Statistics show that the majority of felony defendants released prior to trial return for
their court date.
4. Pretrial drug testing did not help to predict rearrests for those persons on bail.
5. Selective incapacitation proved to be a better crime control measure than gross
incapacitation.
6. One of the major issues with Zedlewski’s study was not taking into consideration the
replacement factor
7. Accurate estimates of crime reduction due to gross incapacitation should take into
consideration the law of diminishing returns as well as the replacement effect.
8. Overall, the Nation’s Toughest Drug law had no significant effect on crime and drug use.
9. Mandatory sentencing, such as three strikes and sentencing guidelines, is not an effective
means of reducing serious crime.
10. Current sex offender and registration laws focus on the most dangerous sex offenders
who engage in the rape and kidnapping of children.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Getting criminals off the street by locking them up is what type of strategy?
a.
liberal
b.
the standard U.S. strategy
c.
traditionally liberal, but now conservative
d.
traditionally conservative, but now liberal
2. In the 1970s, public opinion about preventive detention began to change, leading to the following:
a.
courtroom work groups decided that preventive detention for juveniles was
unconstitutional
b.
the majority of offenders arrested were not charged
c.
courtroom work groups began locking up allegedly dangerous offenders
d.
judges started releasing most offenders on bail
3. One of the factors that contributed to the first bail reform movement was
a.
the get tough mood
b.
the great rise in serious crime
c.
an innovative way to release defendants on their own recognizance (ROR)
d.
research findings that defendants not released on bail were more likely to be convicted and
imprisoned
4. The first bail reform movement resulted in
a.
a decrease in the percentage of people held in jail awaiting trial
b.
an increase in the percentage of people held in jail awaiting trial
c.
the removal of employment status as a criterion for bail
d.
the addition of employment status as a criterion for bail
5. By the 1980s public support for preventive detention
a.
Was justified by a string of serial killers on the loose
b.
had declined
c.
Was widespread
d.
the public has never supported preventive detention
6. The 1970 District of Columbia preventive detention law was
a.
the kick off for America’s imprisonment boom
b.
used by judges to hold all felony defendants for 120 days
c.
implemented in all states by 1976
d.
nullified by prosecutors by setting bail at a level beyond a defendant’s financial means
7. For what reason was the 1970 District of Columbia preventive detention law rarely used?
a.
it was found to be unconstitutional within the first year that it was implemented
b.
federal prosecutors chose not to use it and continued setting high bail for defendants they
wanted to detain
c.
bleeding heart judges continued to release defendants without prosecuting and punishing
them
d.
it was actually used extensively and resulted in a major increase in our nation’s prison
population
8. As a result of the 1984 Bail Reform Act
a.
the method of detention shifted
b.
the overall detention rate increased
c.
pretrial crime declined dramatically
d.
all of the above
e.
none of the above
9. Select the most accurate statement regarding crime committed by felony defendants in large
urban counties who are released prior to trial.
a.
10% were rearrested for a misdemeanor
b.
11% were rearrested for a felony
c.
60% were rearrested for a felony
d.
45% were rearrested for a misdemeanor
10. Regarding pretrial drug testing as a method for predicting crime on bail
a.
except for marijuana use it did not help predict arrests
b.
except for cocaine use it did not help predict arrests
c.
except for heroin use it did not help predict arrests
d.
it has been found unconstitutional
11. A natural experiment in predicting the dangerousness of juveniles revealed that
a.
some prediction instruments are can effectively identify only high risk offenders
b.
there were five true positives for every false positive
c.
judges were remarkably inaccurate in identifying which juveniles were high risk and
which were low risk
d.
judges were reasonably accurate in identifying high risk juveniles at the expense of a high
rate of false positives
12. Walker proposes that preventive detention __________ reduce __________ crime.
a.
(1) will (2) minor
b.
(1) will not (2) serious
c.
(1) will (2) serious
d.
(1) will not (2) minor
13. Regarding speedy trials, Walker points out that
a.
speedy trials can reduce failure to appear
b.
speedy trials can reduce crime
c.
the courtroom workgroup evades speedy trial laws
d.
all of the above
e.
none of the above
14. The crime policy of incapacitation
a.
seeks to reduce crime by imprisoning offenders
b.
seeks to reduce crime by imprisoning offenders and rehabilitating them
c.
seeks to reduce crime by imprisoning offenders and seeks to specifically deter them
d.
All of the above
e.
none of the above
15. A policy designed to lock up only the few high-rate offenders or career criminals is known as
a.
pretrial detention
b.
preventive detention
c.
selective incapacitation
d.
gross incapacitation
16. Locking up large numbers of offenders regardless of their criminal histories is
a.
deterrence
b.
mandatory sentencing
c.
selective incapacitation
d.
mass incarceration
17. The political reality is that we have completely ignored ____(1)______ in favor of
____(2)______.
a.
(1) mass incarceratoin (2) rehabilitation
b.
(1) deterrence (2) incapacitation
c.
(1) gross incapacitation (2) mandatory sentences
d.
(1) selective incapacitation (2) mass incarceration
18. One of the criticisms leveled against Zedlewski’s conclusions was that
a.
He suggested that a reduction in crime produces a direct reduction in CJS costs
b.
He only analyzed data on gross, but not selective incapacitation strategies
c.
He was working for a liberal organization at the time of his research
d.
He deliberately used incorrect statistical analyses to draw his conclusions
19. Zedlewski calculated that
a.
it takes 20 years of being on an imprisonment binge before crime will be reduced
b.
Each dollar spent imprisoning a criminal saves $17 in total social costs
c.
if fully implemented, three-strikes sentencing in California would reduce crime by 15%
d.
The financial investment in incarceration is unwise because incarceration does not reduce
the crime rate
20. A cross-state comparison of changes in incarceration rates and crime rates in 17 states showed
that
a.
As incarceration rates increased crime rates decreased
b.
states that spent more money on corrections had lower crime rates
c.
increases in incarceration rates reduced crime in the South, but not in the West
d.
No clear patterned relationship between incarceration rates and crime rates existed
21. One problem with Durlauf and Nagin’s proposal to apply the savings from a reduced prison
population to innovative police programs is that
a.
the police are uncooperative in
implementing innovative programs
c.
Criminologists are unlikely to develop the
tools to determine who would benefit from
selective incapacitation
b.
the new incarceration policy bears signs
of racial and ethnic disparity
d.
the plan would require a significant
increase in social services costs
22. A strategy for preventing crime that requires a prison sentence or specifies the least amount of
time that must be served is known as what?
a.
mandatory sentencing
c.
preventive detention
b.
specific incapacitation
d.
truth in sentencing
23. An evaluation of the Rockefeller Drug law found that
a.
Heroin dealers were deterred by the nation’s toughest drug law
b.
due to the mandatory sentencing provisions truth in sentencing was achieved
c.
slippage resulted in a decline of arrests leading to indictments and convictions
d.
a diffusion of benefits reduced trafficking of cocaine and marijuana as well
24. The Nation’s Toughest Drug Law provides an example of
a.
bleeding heart liberal judges who are too lenient with convicted offenders
b.
How mandatory sentencing laws lead to early dismissals and increases in sentencing
delays
c.
a cost-effective way to achieve incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation
d.
racial discrimination that can occur in any part of the criminal justice system
25. The most current reforms to the Rockefeller drug law impacted penalties in various ways,
including ALL BUT WHICH of the following?
a.
eliminated mandatory sentencing for certain classes of first time drug-related felonies
b.
allowed for resentencing of certain offenders incarcerated for drug-related offenses
c.
allowed judges to sentence those convicted to probation or alternative treatment programs
d.
mandated the incarceration of all persons convicted of felony drug offenses
26. Federal Sentencing Guidelines are an example of
a.
preventive detention
c.
mandatory sentences
b.
selective incapacitation
d.
arbitrary sentencing
27. The 2011 U.S. Sentencing Commission report found that
a.
the number of offenses carrying a
mandatory minimum sentence had
halved between 1991 and 2010
c.
There are disparities in applying the
mandatory minimums
b.
One third of the convictions with a
mandatory sentence involved drug
trafficking
d.
a minority of federal judges thought
mandatory sentences were “too high”
28. Which of the following statements about life without parole is accurate?
a.
By 2012, one in nine U.S. prisoners
was serving a life term
d.
LWOP sentences achieve a significant
amount of crime reduction
b.
Two states account for more than half
(58 percent) of all the LWOP prisoners
c.
Courtroom work groups have
wholeheartedly accepted the LWOP laws
29. The basic concept behind __________ is a mandatory life prison sentence for anyone convicted
of a third felony.
a.
preventive detention
c.
chronic offenders guidelines
b.
selective incapacitation
d.
three strikes laws
30. Three strikes laws are criticized for
a.
violating the principle of selective
incapacitation
c.
being crude instruments in the fight
against crime reduction
b.
not focusing on the most serious offenders
d.
all of the above
31. An evaluation of California’s three strikes law found that it
a.
Sent few people to prison for long terms, but more than expected
b.
selectively incapacitated only the most violent repeat offenders
c.
did not produce the intended reduction in crime
d.
reduced sentencing disparities through its mandatory provisions
32. The three strikes law in California
a.
Cost $6.5 billion to implement
b.
disproportionately affected people convicted of non-violent offenses
c.
reduced Index crimes below levels expected given the downward trend
d.
all of the above
33. Walker argues that three strikes laws
a.
are a classic example of overreaction to celebrated cases
b.
are arbitrary because they are not consistently implemented
c.
do not reduce crime
d.
all of the above
34. Advocates of sex offender registration and notification laws believe
a.
the laws will help police arrest and keep
an eye on the sex offenders
c.
sex offenders reoffend at a high rate
b.
surveillance will deter sex offenders
d.
all of the above
35. Registration and notification laws do not protect society from potential sex offenders because
a.
the majority of victims know the person who abused them
b.
the majority of sex offenders do not reoffend
c.
the majority of sex offenders do not register
d.
both a and b
36. Sex offender registration and notification laws pose a number of consequences, among them are
a.
the inclusion of persons who commit public order crimes, such as exposure and
prostitution
b.
limiting the areas where registered sex offenders can live and impact the availability of
treatment
c.
the failure to protect society from sex offenders given how they meet victims
d.
all of the above
SHORT ANSWER
1. Explain the role that the prediction problem plays in preventive detention by discussing
pretrial detention and the natural experiment.
2. Compare and contrast the impact of the Washington D.C. preventive detention law with
the Federal Bail Reform Act.
3. Explain how mandatory sentencing laws are affected by courtroom work groups.
4. Discuss the detrimental effects, if any, of the three-strikes law.
5. Discuss why the sex offender registration and notification laws do not protect society
from serious, potential sex offenders.