Corrections Midterm

Why has the prison population exploded?

due to the war on drugs, get-tough-on-crime laws, and parole authorities reluctance to release inmates

What is the Uniform Crime Report(UCR)?

Data is analyzed to forecast the numbers and types of correctional clients

What is the National Incident Based Reporting System?

an incident-based reporting system used by law enforcement agencies in the United States for collecting and reporting data on crimes. Local, state and federal agencies generate NIBRS data from their records management systems.

What is the National Crime Victims Survey?

a national survey of approximately 49,000 to 77,400 households twice a year in the United States, on the frequency of crime victimization, as well as characteristics and consequences of victimization.

What are the "Three Strikes" laws?

they increase the prison sentences of persons convicted of a felony who have been previously convicted of two or more violent crimes or serious felonies, and limits the ability of these offenders to receive a punishment other than a life sentence.

What is the war on drugs and how has it affected the prison population?

it is the combat of drug abusers and dealers in the streets and has increased the prison population

Why would parole authorities be hesitant to release someone early from jail?

because if the felon commits a serious a serious crime, it rests on the shoulders of the person who allowed them to be released

What is the Dark Figure of Crime?

the number of crimes that go unreported every year

What are the main components of the criminal justice system?

police, corrections, courts

misdemeanor

a crime punishable by confinement in a local jail for less than a year

felony

a serious criminal offense punishable by death or more than one year in prison

What is the difference between a misdemeanor and felony?

a misdemeanor is punishable for less than a year of jail while a felony is punishable for more than a year in prison

What are some examples of misdemeanors?

drunk driving, speeding, not paying the parking meter

What are some examples of felonies?

murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, and arson

adjudication

Process by which a court arrives at a final decision in a case

What are kinds of sentencing options?

imprisonment, community service, probation, death, and restitution

evidence based corrections

the application of social scientific techniques to the study of everyday corrections procedures for the purpose of increasing effectiveness and enhancing the efficient use of available resources

Are men and women represented equally in the correctional system?

yes

certification

a credentialing process through which the skills, knowledge, and abilities of correctional personnel can be formally recognized, and which usually involves testing and career development assessment

What were forms of punishments from ancient times?

execution, banishment or exile, death, civil penalties, physical punishment, confiscating property, payment or compensation

What was the most frequent penalty in ancient times?

flogging

What was the most honorable form of punishment for men?

decapitation

What did several European countries do to their prisoners up until the 1950s?

prisoners were sent to different colonies to work

corporal punishment

physical punishments or those involving the body

Why did the Puritans sometimes force women to wear scarlet letters on their clothes?

if she committed any type of crime she was forced to embroider a letter on her clothes instead of being branded

What were workhouses in England developed for?

vagrants

vagrant

poor person who didn't have a job

What happened to Englands prisoners up until the American Revolution?

they would be sent to America to work

bondage

any punishment that puts severe restrictions on the condemned persons freedom of action and movement including but not limited to imprisonment

utilitarianism

the highest objective of public policy is the greatest happiness for the largest number of people; outweighing the good with bad

What is the hedonistic calculus?

people are motivated by pleasure and pain and that the proper amount of punishment can deter crime

sentencing

the imposition of a criminal sanction by sentencing authority, such as a judge

specific deterrence

Deterrence of the individual being punished from additional crimes

general deterrence

Using the example of an individuals crimes to dissuade others from committing crimes

What is the sentencing goal of incapacitation?

revenge, retribution, punishment rightly served, deterrence, the pain pleasure principle, incapacitation, reintegration, and restoration

reintegration

the process of making the offender a productive member of society

restitution

payments made by a criminal offender to his or her victim as compensation for the harm caused

victim impact statement

Description of the suffering that a crime has caused victims

rehabilitation

correction of behavior through treatment, education, and training

What are some examples of sentencing options?

fines, probation, alternative or intermediate sanctions, incarceration, or the death penalty

What is a pre-sentence report(PSR)?

it provides a social and personal history and an evaluation of a defendant and helps the court in determining a sentence; it's prepared by a court's probation department

Who is the PSR meant for?

the judge

mandatory sentences

Sentences required by law under certain circumstances

Are three strike laws and habitual offender laws legal?

yes

What does fair sentencing involve?

proportionality, equity, social debt, and truth in sentencing

restorative justice

a systematic response to wrongdoing that emphasizes healing the wounds of offenders and communities caused or revealed by crime

diversion

the halting or suspension, before conviction, of formal criminal proceedings against a person, conditioned on some form of counter performance by the defendant

What are some types of diversions?

drug court, mental health court, and domestic violence court

What is the overall goal of diversion?

to reduce recidivism through rehabilitation

probation

the conditional release of a convicted offender into the community, under the supervision or a probation officer

What are some reasons for probation?

it keeps offenders in their communities and facilitates reintegration, it avoids the institutionalization and stigma of imprisonment, reduces the expense of imprisonment, and gives fair treatment for offenders whose crimes don't merit incarceration

What are some goals of probation?

to protect the community, to carry out court-imposed sanctions, to identify probationers' supervision and service needs, to support crime victims, and to coordinate and promote the use of community resources

What are the two main duties of a probation officer?

the investigation for PSRs and to supervise those on probation

What are the main areas of the PSR?

the information regarding the offense, the offenders past adult and juvenile criminal record, the family history and background, and personal data about education, heath employment, and substance abuse history

What is the difference between a violation of probation and a technical violation of probation?

a technical violation is when a person on probation fails to comply with the conditions of their probation while a violation is when a revocation hearing is imposed to decide whether probation should be revoked or not

What is the most used sentence in court?

probation

revocation

the formal termination of an offender's conditional freedom

intermediate sanctions

they fill the gap between probation and jail or prison

What are some kinds of intermediate sanctions?

fines, community service, drug court, intensive supervision probation, day reporting centers, remote location monitoring, residential community centers, and boot camps

fine

a sum of money exacted as a penalty by a court of law or other authority

drug court

Treatment-based alternatives to prisons, youth-detention facilities, jails, and Probation. These courts make extensive use of comprehensive supervision, drug testing, treatment services, immediate sanctions, and incentives.

remote location monitoring

technologies including GPS devices and electronic monitoring(EM) that probation and parole officers use to monitor remotely the physical location of an offender

residential community centers

a medium security correctional setting that resident offenders are permitted to leave regularly, unaccompanied by staff, for work, education, or vocational programs, or treatment in the community but require them to return to a locked facility each evenin

boot camps

a short institutional term of confinement that includes a physical regimen designed to develop self-discipline, respect for authority, and a sense of accomplishment

What are some benefits of intermediate sanctions?

it provides a means for offenders who aren't dangerous to repay their victims and their communities, promotes rehabilitation and reintegration of the offender into the community, and these examples are cost effective

What is one suggested problem with intermediate sanctions?

net widening

What is net widening?

Increasing the number of offenders sentenced to a higher level of restriction which results in sentencing offenders to more restrictive sanctions than their offenses and characteristics warrant.

What is the goal of net widening?

by placing so many offenders in restrictive conditions its more or less likely that they'll end up in jail again

What is an example of net widening?

community service; this adds an additional burden on minor offense violations

community corrections

a philosophy of correctional treatment that embraces decentralization of authority, citizen participation, redefinition of the population for whom incarceration is most appropriate and places an emphasis on rehabilitation through community programs

What is involved in Intensive Supervised Probation(ISP)?

control of offenders in the community under strict conditions, by means of frequent reporting to a probation officer whose caseload is generally limited to 30 offenders

community service

a sentence to serve a specific number of hours in unpaid positions with nonprofit or tax-supported agencies

day reporting center

a community correctional center to which an offender reports to everyday or several days a week for supervision and treatment

What is the purpose of a day reporting center?

to rehabilitate offenders

jail

locally operated correctional facility that confines people before or after conviction

Why would inmates be in a JAIL?

their sentence is under a year, they were denied bail, or they couldn't pay their bail

_________ are housed in jails today

people awaiting trial, offenders serving short sentences, people with an alcohol or drug dependency, homeless, especially those who have poor physical health, AIDS, HIV, and/or TB, and those those detained from a mob

first generation jails

multiple occupancy cells or dormitories that line corridors arranged like spokes

What was the supervision like in first gen jails?

its intermittent since the staff has to patrol the corridor to observe inmates in their cells; officers didn't enter the housing units unless there was a problem

second generation jails

staff remains in a secure control booth surrounded by inmate housing areas called pods

What was the supervision like in second gen jails?

you can see more however it's remote; personal interaction with inmates is less frequent and property destruction is minimized due to construction with steel and cement

third generation jails

inmates are housed in small groups, or pods, staffed 24 hours a day by specially trained officers( i.e. 24 hour supervision)

What is the role of officers in third gen jails?

officers interact with inmates to help change their behavior; bars and metal doors are absent, reducing noise and dehumanization

fourth generation jails

incorporates natural light into the day room where the staff work and inmates spend most of their time; services, staff, programs, and visitors are brought to this unit.

What was cited as the top concern in jails by their managers?

inmate mental health

What are some examples of evidence based practices used in jails?

comprehensive treatments, engagement with community agencies, use of positive incentives and standardized substance abuse assessment tools

What are the prison work systems?

the public account system, contract system, convict lease system, state user system, and public work system

public account system

where the warden is responsible for purchasing material and equipment for overseeing manufacture, marketing and sale of prisoner made items

contract system

the prison advertised for bids for employment of prisoners, who labor was sold to the highest bidder

convict lease system

where the prison released supervision of its prisoners to a lessee who either employed the prisoners within the institution or transported them to work elsewhere in the state

state user system

employs prisoners to manufacture products consumed by state governments and their agencies, departments, and institutions

public work system

prisoners were employed in construction of public buildings, roads, and parks

Medical Model

a philosophy of prisoner reform in which criminal behavior is regarded as a disease to be treated

Whats the difference between internal and external classification?

internal classification examines an inmates background to determine what level of security an inmate should be placed in while external doesn't examine anything regarding an inmates placement

What are some advantages of classification?

it separating inmates by risk level and program needs puts extremely aggressive inmates in high security, minimizes misclassification thus promoting a safe environment for inmates and staff, more accurately places inmates in more effectively deploys staff

What are some justifications for prison industries?

it generates a safer prison management and better discipline through the reduction of idleness, its cost efficient, contributes to job training and rehabilitation, and increases an inmates financial responsibility

What have the courts constituted as a cruel and unusual punishment?

not caring about the medical needs of their inmates

Principle of Least Eligibility

the requirement that prison conditions, including the delivery of health care, must be a step below those of the working class and people on welfare

What is the difference between operational capacity and design capacity?

operational is the number of inmates that can be accommodated for programs held while design is the number of inmates intended for the facility

justice reinvestment

the practice of reducing money spent on prisons and investing a portion of the savings into infrastructure and civic institutions located in high-risk neighborhoods

In your own opinion, write a short answer answering the following question: why would crime go down at the same time the number of people in prison is going up?

Crime is going down because those committing crimes are being arrested. Also because those who are on parole or probation have violated their terms and are therefore getting their probation revoked and are being sent to prison or jail.

Write a short answer explaining what specific and general deterrence is.

Specific deterrence is deterrence of the individual being punished from additional crimes and general deterrence is using the example of an individuals crimes to dissuade others from committing crimes

True or False: a person had to have notice and an opportunity to b heard before their probation can be revoked.

true

True or False: the sentence of probation allows a subject to serve their sentence in a jail rather than a prison.

false

True or False: the attitude of the public favors intermediate sanctions with treatment over incarceration.

true

In a short answer, explain what the 3 Strike laws are, what they're supposed to do, and how they affect the prison population.

They are supposed to significantly increase the prison sentences of persons convicted of a felony who have been previously convicted of two or more violent crimes or serious felonies, and limits the ability of these offenders to receive a punishment other

In a short answer, name a positive aspect of probation.

With the programs given, the recidivism rate is reduced by the number of participants in said programs.

True or False: a greater percentage of people in jails have mental illness compared to the general population.

true

True or False: a problem with prison population today is that its getting older with all the medical problems that come with an older person.

true

True or False: every state and federal government has a prison system

true