Wrongful convictions have resulted from which of the following?
a. hair microscopy
b. serology
c. fingerprinting
d. All of these have contributed to wrongful convictions
The primary justification for providing constitutional safeguards in the criminal justice
process is to ensure that:
a. innocent persons are not harassed or wrongly convicted
b. the guilty are punished
c. society administers justice to the accused
d. convictions are not overturned on appeal
Approximately how many delinquency cases are heard in juvenile court each year?
a. 100,000
b. 385,000
c. 2 million
d. 2.2 million
The second layer of the criminal justice wedding cake consists of
a. a few celebrated cases.
b. serious felonies.
c. less serious felonies.
d. misdemeanors.
Which of the following gave the U.S. Supreme Court the authority to invalidate an act
of Congress as unconstitutional?
a. Marbury v. Madison (1803)
b. Article III of the U.S. Constitution
c. The Judiciary Act of 1789
d. The Judiciary Act of 1801
Protection from a second prosecution of the same person for the same crime by the
same sovereign after the first trial is known as protection from
a. double jeopardy
b. overzealous prosecutors
c. legal maneuvering
d. ineffective assistance of counsel
There are ________ U.S. District Courts, with each state having at least one.
a. 59
b. 78
c. 94
d. 111
How many agencies are involved in prosecution in state courts?
a. one.
b. three.
c. two.
d. four.
CASE 15.3
Executions in the South clearly show major racial differences. Racial imbalances in
outcomes do not necessarily prove discrimination. Interestingly, many studies found
that the most obvious factorrace of the defendantwas not as important as the race of the
offender in combination with the race of the victim. This is the offender-victim dyad.
Which offender-victim dyad has research show is most likely to result in execution?
a. black offender, white victim c. white offender, white victim
b. black offender, black victim d. white offender, black victim
CASE 14.3
In Trop v. Dulles (1958), the Supreme Court explained that the scope of the Cruel and
Unusual Punishments Clause of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is not
static, but rather should be interpreted on the basis of “evolving standards of decency in
a maturing society” (p. 101). Since that time, the Court has been repeatedly called upon
to determine if particular capital punishment laws or their application in particular cases
are consistent with the Eighth Amendment as viewed from the perspective evolving
standards of decency in a maturing society.
In what landmark decision did the Court apply this standard and invalidate all 37
then-existing state death penalty statutes?
a. Furman v. Georgia (1972) c. Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
b. Coker v. Georgia (1977) d. McClesky v. Kemp (1987)
Why do prosecutors engage in plea bargaining?
a. to move cases.
b. to gain leniency for the defendants.
c. to gain convictions.
d. None of these answers is correct.
More studies have been done of racial discrimination at what decision point than any
other in the criminal justice system?
a. arrest.
b. sentencing.
c. booking.
d. release.
The _____________ is responsible for transporting detained defendants from the jail to
the courthouse.
a. bailiff
b. bail bondsman
c. sheriff’s deputy
d. clerk of court
The two primary duties of the grand jury have been summarized in the phrase
a. “duck and run”.
b. “cover and conceal”.
c. ‘shield and sword”.
d. “pen and sword”.
CASE 6.3
Prosecutors spend most of their time working directly with other members of the
courtroom work group. Even when interviewing witnesses or conducting legal research,
the prosecutor is anticipating the reactions of judges and defense attorneys. Thus, the
activities of prosecutors can be understood only within the setting of the courtroom
work group (Worden 1990).
Prosecutors control the flow of information about
a. cases.
b. defendants.
c. defense attorneys.
d. appeals.
Why do defense attorneys engage in plea bargaining?
a. to move cases.
b. to gain leniency for the defendants.
c. to gain convictions.
d. None of these answers is correct.
CASE 5.2
Court jurisdiction structure are intangible concepts but courthouses are concrete. From
the outside, courthouses appear to be imposing government buildings, but on the inside
they are beehives of activity. Courthouses are places where you find lawyers arguing
before juries, talking to their clients, and conversing with one another. But courthouses
also employ numerous nonlawyers who perform vital roles; without clerks and
probation officers, bail agents and bailiffs, courthouses could not function.
In the modern era, what drives courthouse design, renovation, and function?
a. court aesthetic concerns
b. court security concerns
c. court convenience concerns
d. judges desires
A key component of court unification includes which of the following?
a. a complex court structure
b. decentralized administration
c. local financing
d. none of the above
Which Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and
seizures?
a. First Amendment
b. Fourth Amendment
c. Fifth Amendment
d. Eighth Amendment
Which of the following is not an element of a crime?
a. Mens rea
b. Actus reus
c. Attendant circumstances
d. Guilty conscience
The adversary system incorporates a series of checks and balances aimed at curbing
political misuse of the criminal courts through:
a. incorporation of rights
b. diffusion of powers
c. prosecutorial discretion
d. judicial activism
When they first begin working as prosecutors, rookie assistant attorneys learn important
unwritten rules, legal practices, and appropriate penalties
a. primarily through personal experience with informal awards and sanctions.
b. at law school.
c. under direct, close supervision of the district attorney.
d. by asking questions of experienced prosecutors, court clerks, and police officers.
Truancy and curfew violations are examples of
a. delinquent acts.
b. status offenses.
c. minor infractions.
d. violations.
A judge who accepts a guilty plea agreement reached by the defense attorney and the
prosecutor provides an example of
a. discretion.
b. mutual interdependence.
c. routine administration of justice.
d. assembly-line justice.
Which of the following was not one of the compromises reached between the
Federalists and Anti-Federalists in the Judiciary Act of 1789?
a. Federal district judges would be approved by voters in their district.
b. Boundaries of district courts were drawn along state lines.
c. Ensured that federal district judges would be residents of their districts.
d. The Act gave lower federal courts only limited jurisdiction.
Proponents of the Due Process Model make which of the following arguments against
the death penalty?
a. Proponents of the Due Process model do not make any of these arguments.
b. Although the death penalty may be justified on moral grounds, it is unfairly
administered because members of racial minorities are more likely than whites to be
executed.
c. While the death penalty deters some people from committing crime, the appeals
process does not adequately work to free innocent people from death row.
d. The death penalty is immoral, does not provide a deterrent, and is unfairly
administered.
Which of the following are examples of interest groups that seek to influence who is
selected and confirmed for a federal judgeship?
a. The Federalist Society.
b. NAACP.
c. Common Cause.
d. All of these answers are correct.
Laws created by federal and state legislatures are known as:
a. ordinances
b. statutes
c. administrative regulations
d. legislation
The leading advocate for federal grand jury reform is
a. the American Bar Association.
b. the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.
c. the National Center for State Courts.
d. the U.S. Supreme Court.
What 1967 U.S. Supreme Court held that juvenile courts must provide due process
protections?
a. Robinson
b. Cramer
c. Altgelt
d. Gault
CASE 1.1
The creation of “designer drugs” is outpacing the ability of society to enact laws to
prohibit them. Many of these substances have negative side effects, ranging from
violent behavior to death.
Which of the following responses to the problem would best fit the “due process”
philosophy?
a. Government takes steps to limit the availability of ingredients used in the
manufacture of designer drugs.
b. Pass legislation and increase enforcement efforts to send a message of “zero
tolerance” to those who manufacture, sell, and use designer drugs.
c. Dramatic increase in the use of drug courts to divert first-time offenders and defer
prosecution.
d. Design public awareness campaign to warn potential users of the serious legal
ramifications if they are caught with the drugs.
The most commonly used punishment in the United States is
a. restitution
b. imprisonment
c. an intermediate sanction
d. probation
Which of the following statements is true regarding typical felony defendants?
a. Many are incapable of understanding even the simplest instructions about the right to
bail or the presumption of innocence.
b. Many are too inarticulate to aid their attorneys in preparing a defense.
c. Many hold unfavorable attitudes toward the law and the criminal justice system.
d. All of these answers are correct.
A common civil remedy used in drug cases is:
a. writ of habeas corpus
b. mandatory minimum sentences
c. asset forfeiture
d. declaratory damages
______________ are conclusions or deductions that can be made based on the facts that
have been established by the evidence.
Only _____________ can authorize additional federal judgeships.
Therapeutic drug courts operate in all 50 states.
The courtroom _______________________ concept stresses the importance of
patterned interactions of judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys.
Requiring offenders to compensate victims for their losses was customary in ancient
civilizations.
A court system includes lower courts, major trial courts, appellate courts, and a court of
last resort.
The creators of the juvenile court viewed procedural safeguards not only as
unnecessary, but also as harmful.
Victim cooperation with the prosecution dramatically ____________________ the odds
that a case will be prosecuted.
What are the two official reported measures used to estimate the amount of crime in the
United States? Why are there two official measures and how do these two measures
differ?
A trial by a judge only without a jury is called a(n)_______________ trial.
What effects has the exclusionary rule had on the courtroom workgroup?
Other than criminal prosecutions as a result of a grand jury investigation arrests are the
overwhelming source of work for the criminal courts.
American government is based on the principle of ________________, which
distributes government power between national (usually referred to as federal) and state
governments.
In misdemeanor and petty offense cases, U.S. magistrate judges may preside over trials,
accept pleas of guilty, and also impose sentences.
Recent studies show that threats against federal judges are on the increase in the United
States.
The intake decision is usually made during the intake or the ________________
hearing.
Arrests made by the police impact the criminal court process by the dockets of the
courts.
Supporters of the Due Process Model worry that plea bargaining may undercut
protections afforded individuals in our adversary system.
The modern agenda of court reform includes topics such as reducing trial court
____________________ assistance of counsel means that the conduct of the
defendant’s lawyer during trial so undermined the proper functioning of the adversarial
process that the trial court cannot be relied on as having produced a just result.