Goals of CJS
What are the three goals of the criminal justice system?
Doing justice, controlling crime, preventing crime.
Crimes like murder and rape are considered what?
Mala in se (wrong by their very nature).
What is the “dark figure of crime”?
Crime that occurs but is not reported to police.
What amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures?
Fourth Amendment.
How many steps are in the criminal justice decision-making process?
13
Which model is described as an “assembly line” that values efficiency?
Crime control model.
What are the seven types of crimes identified in the textbook?
Visible crimes, occupational crimes, organized crime, transnational crime, victimless crimes, political crimes, cybercrime.
Which crime measure comes from police reports collected by the FBI?
Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).
What amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial?
Sixth Amendment.
What is the difference between a bench trial and a jury trial?
Bench trial = judge decides guilt; Jury trial = jury decides guilt.
Which model prioritizes protecting individual rights, even if some guilty go free?
Due process model.
Which criminological theory argues that crime is learned through interactions with others?
Differential association (learning theory).
Which survey collects both reported and unreported victimization data?
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
Name the seven principles of criminal law.
Legality, actus reus, causation, harm, concurrence, mens rea, punishment.
What is a plea bargain, and how does it benefit both prosecution and defense?
Agreement where defendant pleads guilty for lesser charges/sentence; benefits prosecution with efficiency and defense with reduced punishment.
What is the “wedding cake model,” and what type of cases make up the top layer?
A model showing how cases are treated differently in layers; celebrated cases with media attention are at the top.
What theory explains that crime occurs when motivated offender, suitable target, and lack of guardian converge?
Routine activities theory.
According to victimology, who is most at risk of victimization (age, income, location)?
Young people, the poor, and urban residents.
Give one example each of a justification defense and an excuse defense.
Justification = self-defense or necessity; Excuse = duress, entrapment, infancy, mistake of fact, involuntary intoxication, insanity.
Which stage involves formally informing the defendant of charges and entering a plea?
Arraignment.
Name and explain one cause of racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Possible answers: economic disadvantage, system bias (racial profiling), or broader racial bias in society (implicit/explicit).
Which theory critiques how laws are created by the powerful to control the less powerful?
Critical criminology (social conflict theory).
What are the three main costs or impacts of crime on victims?
Economic, physical, and emotional costs.
What landmark case guaranteed the right to counsel for indigent defendants?
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963).
What is the role of appellate courts in the criminal justice system?
To review cases for legal/constitutional errors; can overturn or order retrials.