Introduction to Criminal Justice Midterm
Exam ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Adjudication - CORRECT ANSWER - The process of determining whether the defendant
is guilty.
Arrest - CORRECT ANSWER - The physical taking of a person into custody on the
grounds that there is reason to believe that he or she has committed a criminal offense. Police are
limited to using only reasonable physical force in making an arrest. The purpose of the arrest is
to hold the accused for the court proceeding.
Crime Control Model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model of the criminal justice system
that assumes freedom is so important that every effort must be made to repress crime; it
emphasizes efficiency, speed, finality, and the capacity to apprehend, try, convict, and dispose of
a high proportion of offenders.
Discretion - CORRECT ANSWER - The authority to make decisions without reference to
specific rules or facts, using instead one's own judgement; allows for individualization and
informality in the administration of justice.
Discrimination - CORRECT ANSWER - Differential treatment of individuals or groups
based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status, instead of their behavior
or qualifications.
Disparity - CORRECT ANSWER - A difference between groups that may be explained
either by legitimate factors or by discrimination.
Dual Court System - CORRECT ANSWER - A system consisting of a separate judicial
system for each state in addition to a national system. Each case is tried in a court of the same
jurisdiction as that of the law or laws broken.
,Due Process Model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model of the criminal justice system that
assumes freedom is so important that every effort must be made to ensure that criminal justice
decisions are based on reliable information; it emphasizes the adversarial process, the rights of
defendants, and formal decision-making procedures.
Exchange - CORRECT ANSWER - A mutual transfer of resources: a balance of benefits
and deficits that flow from behavior based on decisions about the values and costs of
alternatives.
Federalism - CORRECT ANSWER - A system of government to which power is divided
between a central (national) government and regional (state) governments.
Felonies - CORRECT ANSWER - Serious crimes usually carrying a penalty of death or of
incarceration for more than one year.
Filtering Process - CORRECT ANSWER - A screening operation; a process by which
criminal justice officials screen out some cases while advancing others to the next level of
decision making.
Indictment - CORRECT ANSWER - A document returned by a grand jury as a "true bill"
charging an individual with a specific crime on the basis of a determination of probable cause as
prevented by a prosecuting attorney.
Information - CORRECT ANSWER - A document charging an individual with a specific
crime. it is prepared by a prosecuting attorney and presented to a court at a preliminary hearing.
Mala in se - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses that are wrong by their very nature.
Mala Prohibita - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses prohibited by law but not necessarily
wrong in themselves.
,Misdemenor - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses less serious than than felonies and usually
punishable by incarceration of no more than one year in jail, probation, or intermediate
sanctions.
Plea Bargain - CORRECT ANSWER - A defendant's plea of guilty to a criminal charge
with the reasonable expectation of receiving some consideration from the state for doing so,
usually a reduction of the charge. The defendant's ultimate goal is a penalty lighter than the one
formally warranted by the charged offense.
System - CORRECT ANSWER - A complex whole consisting of interdependent parts
whose actions are directed toward goals and are influenced by the environment within which
they function.
Warrant - CORRECT ANSWER - A court order authorizing police officers to take certain
actions-for example, to arrest suspects or to search promises.
Anomie - CORRECT ANSWER - A breakdown or disappearance of the rules of social
behavior.
Biological Explanations - CORRECT ANSWER - Explanations of crime that emphasize
physiological and neurological factors that may predispose a person to commit crimes.
Classical Criminology - CORRECT ANSWER - A school of criminology that views
behavior as stemming from free will, demands responsibility and accountability of all
perpetrators, and stresses that need for punishments severe enough to deter others.
Control Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories holding that criminal behavior occurs
when the bonds that tie an individual to society are broken or weakened.
Criminogenic - CORRECT ANSWER - Having factors thought to bring about criminal
behavior in an individual.
, Cyber Crimes - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses that involve the use of one or more
computers.
Dark Figure of Crime - CORRECT ANSWER - A metaphor that emphasizes the
dangerous dimension of crimes that are never reported to the police.
Feminist Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories that criticize existing theories for
ignoring undervaluing women's experiences as offenders, victims, and people subjected to
decision making by criminal justice officials. These theories seek to incorporate an
understanding of differences between the experiences and treatment of men and women while
also integrating consideration of other factors, such as race and social class.
Labeling Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories emphasizing that the causes of
criminal behavior are not found in the individual but in the social process that labels certain acts
as deviant or criminal.
Learning Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories that see criminal behavior as
learned, just as legal behavior is learned.
Life Course Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories that identify factors affecting the
start, duration, nature, and end of criminal behavior over the life of an offender.
National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS) - CORRECT ANSWER - Interviews of
samples of the U.S> population conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to determine the
number and types of criminal victimizations and thus the extent of unreported as well as reported
crime.
Occupational Crimes - CORRECT ANSWER - Criminal offenses committed through
opportunities created in a legal business or occupation.
Organized Crime - CORRECT ANSWER - A framework for the perpetuation of criminal
acts-usually in fields such as gambling, drugs, and prostitution-providing illegal services that are
in great demand.
Exam ACTUAL Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Adjudication - CORRECT ANSWER - The process of determining whether the defendant
is guilty.
Arrest - CORRECT ANSWER - The physical taking of a person into custody on the
grounds that there is reason to believe that he or she has committed a criminal offense. Police are
limited to using only reasonable physical force in making an arrest. The purpose of the arrest is
to hold the accused for the court proceeding.
Crime Control Model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model of the criminal justice system
that assumes freedom is so important that every effort must be made to repress crime; it
emphasizes efficiency, speed, finality, and the capacity to apprehend, try, convict, and dispose of
a high proportion of offenders.
Discretion - CORRECT ANSWER - The authority to make decisions without reference to
specific rules or facts, using instead one's own judgement; allows for individualization and
informality in the administration of justice.
Discrimination - CORRECT ANSWER - Differential treatment of individuals or groups
based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or economic status, instead of their behavior
or qualifications.
Disparity - CORRECT ANSWER - A difference between groups that may be explained
either by legitimate factors or by discrimination.
Dual Court System - CORRECT ANSWER - A system consisting of a separate judicial
system for each state in addition to a national system. Each case is tried in a court of the same
jurisdiction as that of the law or laws broken.
,Due Process Model - CORRECT ANSWER - A model of the criminal justice system that
assumes freedom is so important that every effort must be made to ensure that criminal justice
decisions are based on reliable information; it emphasizes the adversarial process, the rights of
defendants, and formal decision-making procedures.
Exchange - CORRECT ANSWER - A mutual transfer of resources: a balance of benefits
and deficits that flow from behavior based on decisions about the values and costs of
alternatives.
Federalism - CORRECT ANSWER - A system of government to which power is divided
between a central (national) government and regional (state) governments.
Felonies - CORRECT ANSWER - Serious crimes usually carrying a penalty of death or of
incarceration for more than one year.
Filtering Process - CORRECT ANSWER - A screening operation; a process by which
criminal justice officials screen out some cases while advancing others to the next level of
decision making.
Indictment - CORRECT ANSWER - A document returned by a grand jury as a "true bill"
charging an individual with a specific crime on the basis of a determination of probable cause as
prevented by a prosecuting attorney.
Information - CORRECT ANSWER - A document charging an individual with a specific
crime. it is prepared by a prosecuting attorney and presented to a court at a preliminary hearing.
Mala in se - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses that are wrong by their very nature.
Mala Prohibita - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses prohibited by law but not necessarily
wrong in themselves.
,Misdemenor - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses less serious than than felonies and usually
punishable by incarceration of no more than one year in jail, probation, or intermediate
sanctions.
Plea Bargain - CORRECT ANSWER - A defendant's plea of guilty to a criminal charge
with the reasonable expectation of receiving some consideration from the state for doing so,
usually a reduction of the charge. The defendant's ultimate goal is a penalty lighter than the one
formally warranted by the charged offense.
System - CORRECT ANSWER - A complex whole consisting of interdependent parts
whose actions are directed toward goals and are influenced by the environment within which
they function.
Warrant - CORRECT ANSWER - A court order authorizing police officers to take certain
actions-for example, to arrest suspects or to search promises.
Anomie - CORRECT ANSWER - A breakdown or disappearance of the rules of social
behavior.
Biological Explanations - CORRECT ANSWER - Explanations of crime that emphasize
physiological and neurological factors that may predispose a person to commit crimes.
Classical Criminology - CORRECT ANSWER - A school of criminology that views
behavior as stemming from free will, demands responsibility and accountability of all
perpetrators, and stresses that need for punishments severe enough to deter others.
Control Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories holding that criminal behavior occurs
when the bonds that tie an individual to society are broken or weakened.
Criminogenic - CORRECT ANSWER - Having factors thought to bring about criminal
behavior in an individual.
, Cyber Crimes - CORRECT ANSWER - Offenses that involve the use of one or more
computers.
Dark Figure of Crime - CORRECT ANSWER - A metaphor that emphasizes the
dangerous dimension of crimes that are never reported to the police.
Feminist Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories that criticize existing theories for
ignoring undervaluing women's experiences as offenders, victims, and people subjected to
decision making by criminal justice officials. These theories seek to incorporate an
understanding of differences between the experiences and treatment of men and women while
also integrating consideration of other factors, such as race and social class.
Labeling Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories emphasizing that the causes of
criminal behavior are not found in the individual but in the social process that labels certain acts
as deviant or criminal.
Learning Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories that see criminal behavior as
learned, just as legal behavior is learned.
Life Course Theories - CORRECT ANSWER - Theories that identify factors affecting the
start, duration, nature, and end of criminal behavior over the life of an offender.
National Crime Victimization Surveys (NCVS) - CORRECT ANSWER - Interviews of
samples of the U.S> population conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics to determine the
number and types of criminal victimizations and thus the extent of unreported as well as reported
crime.
Occupational Crimes - CORRECT ANSWER - Criminal offenses committed through
opportunities created in a legal business or occupation.
Organized Crime - CORRECT ANSWER - A framework for the perpetuation of criminal
acts-usually in fields such as gambling, drugs, and prostitution-providing illegal services that are
in great demand.
