Govt 2306 Exam 3 2025 Questions and
Answers
A _________ is a serious criminal offense that could subject a person to state
prison punishment - --Answer --felony
A _______ is a less serious crime that could subject a person to a fine or up to a
one-year sentence in the county jail. - --Answer --misdemeanor
In some cases, a judge might choose to grant a person ________ rather than a jail
or prison sentence, especially if it's the defendant's first conviction. - --
Answer --probation
In Texas, who makes the decision to grant parole? - --Answer --The Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles
A person convicted of a third felony in Texas can be sentenced to life
imprisonment based upon what provision in the penal code? - --Answer --
The three-strike provision
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 1
,After a person is arrested for a crime, the first step in the criminal justice process
for that person is _________. - --Answer --arraignment before a judge
If a grand jury vote _____________, it means that they have found probable cause
that the person has committed the crime. - --Answer --a "true bill"
At grand jury proceedings, ______________ - --Answer --the grand jury
hears only what the prosecutor chooses to let it hear
According to the authors of the textbook, who are likely the most important actors
in the Texas criminal justice system? - --Answer --The prosecuting attorneys
Who is the head of every district attorney's office in Texas? - --Answer --An
elected officer who runs under a party label e
The first state prison in Texas was constructed in Huntsville __________. - --
Answer --shortly after Texas joined the union
Which court case had the most dramatic impact on the operation of the Texas
prison system in modern times? - --Answer --Ruiz v. Estelle
The prison reforms of the 1980s, in which the state eliminated problems of the
overcrowding in prisons, improper supervision of inmates, and improper care of
inmates were spurred by _______________ - --Answer --the appointment
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 2
, of a special master for the prison system as the result of a lawsuit that found the
state's prison system unconstitutional
From the early 1990s to the present day, Texas has ___________. - --
Answer --increased both the number of people in prison and the percentage
of sentences served by inmates
Texas has a ________ rate of incarceration and, compared to other states, a
________ crime rate. - --Answer --high; high
What is the average time an inmate will spend on death row prior to execution? - --
Answer --10.6 years
Which of the following groups is disproportionately represented on death row? - --
Answer --African Americans
Texas is unique in its procedures regarding the death penalty in that _________. - -
-Answer --the governor cannot grant clemency without a recommendation
from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
Which of the following explains why the number of death penalty sentences
imposed in Texas has actually dropped in recent years? - --Answer --Juries
are now allowed to impose a sentence of life without parole.
Advances in ____________ have shown that a number of death penalty sentences
have been erroneously imposed. - --Answer --DNA testing
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 3
Answers
A _________ is a serious criminal offense that could subject a person to state
prison punishment - --Answer --felony
A _______ is a less serious crime that could subject a person to a fine or up to a
one-year sentence in the county jail. - --Answer --misdemeanor
In some cases, a judge might choose to grant a person ________ rather than a jail
or prison sentence, especially if it's the defendant's first conviction. - --
Answer --probation
In Texas, who makes the decision to grant parole? - --Answer --The Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles
A person convicted of a third felony in Texas can be sentenced to life
imprisonment based upon what provision in the penal code? - --Answer --
The three-strike provision
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 1
,After a person is arrested for a crime, the first step in the criminal justice process
for that person is _________. - --Answer --arraignment before a judge
If a grand jury vote _____________, it means that they have found probable cause
that the person has committed the crime. - --Answer --a "true bill"
At grand jury proceedings, ______________ - --Answer --the grand jury
hears only what the prosecutor chooses to let it hear
According to the authors of the textbook, who are likely the most important actors
in the Texas criminal justice system? - --Answer --The prosecuting attorneys
Who is the head of every district attorney's office in Texas? - --Answer --An
elected officer who runs under a party label e
The first state prison in Texas was constructed in Huntsville __________. - --
Answer --shortly after Texas joined the union
Which court case had the most dramatic impact on the operation of the Texas
prison system in modern times? - --Answer --Ruiz v. Estelle
The prison reforms of the 1980s, in which the state eliminated problems of the
overcrowding in prisons, improper supervision of inmates, and improper care of
inmates were spurred by _______________ - --Answer --the appointment
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 2
, of a special master for the prison system as the result of a lawsuit that found the
state's prison system unconstitutional
From the early 1990s to the present day, Texas has ___________. - --
Answer --increased both the number of people in prison and the percentage
of sentences served by inmates
Texas has a ________ rate of incarceration and, compared to other states, a
________ crime rate. - --Answer --high; high
What is the average time an inmate will spend on death row prior to execution? - --
Answer --10.6 years
Which of the following groups is disproportionately represented on death row? - --
Answer --African Americans
Texas is unique in its procedures regarding the death penalty in that _________. - -
-Answer --the governor cannot grant clemency without a recommendation
from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
Which of the following explains why the number of death penalty sentences
imposed in Texas has actually dropped in recent years? - --Answer --Juries
are now allowed to impose a sentence of life without parole.
Advances in ____________ have shown that a number of death penalty sentences
have been erroneously imposed. - --Answer --DNA testing
....COPYRIGHT ©️ 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED...TRUSTED & VERIFIED 3
