Criminal Justice Basics
This occurs when a person or group violates a law that applies to them.
What is a crime.
This term describes crimes that actually occur but are never reported to police and therefore may never appear in official crime statistics.
What is the dark figure of crime?
Police arrest a peaceful protester simply because the protester's sign criticizes the government. This amendment is most directly involved.
What is the 1st Amendment?
Jordan knows a laptop belongs to another student but intentionally takes it anyway. This term describes Jordan's guilty mind.
What is mens rea?
The Illinois legislature passes a written law creating a new criminal offense. Unlike rules created through court decisions, this type of law comes directly from a legislative body.
What is statutory law?
This concept involves administering punishment or reward according to what society believes is morally fair and correct.
What is Justice
This FBI reporting system collects detailed information about individual criminal incidents and is known by the initials NIBRS.
What is the National Incident-Based Reporting System?
A city completely bans a law-abiding adult from keeping an operable handgun in the home for lawful self-defense. This amendment is most directly involved.
What is the 2nd Amendment?
Maria decides to steal money and then physically removes it from the cash register. This term describes the criminal act itself.
What is actus reus?
A law makes a prohibited act punishable without requiring prosecutors to prove that the defendant intended to break the law. This type of criminal responsibility focuses on the act rather than a guilty mind.
What is strict liability?
The three elements of the Criminal Justice System are?
Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections.
Unlike police-based statistics, this national survey asks people directly whether they have been victims of crimes, including incidents they may never have reported to police.
What is the NCVS (National Crime Victimization Survey)?
An officer enters and searches a person's home without a warrant. The homeowner challenges whether the search was reasonable. This amendment is at the center of the dispute.
What is the 4th Amendment?
A judge decides a case by relying on an earlier court decision involving nearly identical circumstances. The earlier decision is known as this.
What is precedent?
A customer is injured after a business negligently leaves a dangerous condition uncorrected. Instead of seeking criminal punishment, the customer sues for monetary damages under this area of law.
What is tort law?
One occurs after incarceration, while the other is generally ordered by a court as a sentencing alternative to incarceration. Name both.
What is probation.
Researchers want to learn about crimes committed by teenagers who were never caught or arrested. They ask the teenagers anonymously about offenses they have committed. This crime-measurement method is being used.
What is a self-report study?
Police obtain a warrant to search 123 Main Street, but accidentally search 132 Main Street instead. This constitutional requirement may be a problem.
What is the 4th Amendment's particularity requirement?
Police pressure a normally law-abiding person into committing a crime the person otherwise would not have committed. The defendant may raise this defense.
What is entrapment?
A law makes a prohibited act punishable without requiring prosecutors to prove that the defendant intended to break the law. This type of criminal responsibility focuses on the act rather than a guilty mind.
What is strict liability?
Being able to reflect on how a situation may affect someone no matter of your personal beliefs
What is Social Imagination.
City A has 500 violent crimes among 50,000 residents. City B also has 500 violent crimes but has 500,000 residents. This type of calculation should be used instead of simply comparing the raw number of crimes.
What is a crime rate (crime per population)?
Students peacefully organize a rally criticizing a new government policy, but officials attempt to stop the gathering solely because they dislike its message. This constitutional freedom is involved.
What is the 1st Amendment right to peaceful assembly/free speech?
Alex plans a robbery and takes substantial steps toward committing it, but police intervene before the robbery is completed. This type of unfinished crime is known as this.
What is an inchoate offense?
Three people agree to rob a store and begin taking steps toward the crime, but police intervene before the robbery is completed. Attempt and conspiracy fall into this category of offenses.
What is an inchoate offense?