CRJU 2200 1st EditionExam # 3 Study Guide Criminal Justice Study GuideWalker, Chapter 6: “Deter the Criminals” - Walker, Chapter 13: “Sense and Nonsense about Drugs and Crime” - Reding, “The Most American Drug” (online reading) Reading/discussion questions: 1. What influences the decision-making of active offenders? Are they influenced by the odds ofapprehension, or the severity of punishment? What can explain these surprising results? (See especially Walker, Chapter 6) ` Active offenders make decisions based on the rewards that they will receive. They believe that the can beat the system the more times they commit crimes because they are better at committing them. They are more influenced by the odds of apprehension rather than the severity of punishment because the punishment does not deter them like many would assume it would.2. What do we know about the relationship between drugs and crime? What has been the impact of law enforcement crackdowns, and what are some of the limitations of a deterrence-based approach to the drug problem? What are some of the strongest arguments for a continued “war on drugs”? What are some of the strongest arguments against the war on drugs? There are three major connections between drugs and crime. The first connection is psycho- pharmacological which is crime and violence due to effects of the drugs themselves. The second connection is economic compulsion which is crime and violence stemming from a need to support a drug habit. The third connection is systemic which is crime and violence related to operation of the drug trade. It is difficult to implement deterrence theory in practice. Research indicates that the certainty of punishment is the most important factor. Certainty is the weakest link in the criminal justice system because many crimes are never reported and many are never cleared by arrest. Questions you should be able to answer following the class sessions: 1. What is the “police code of silence”? How can we explain this code of silence? What tactics have police agencies used to overcome the code of silence and to root out police corruption?The police code of silence is a way for police officers to keep quiet about their own injustices. Some tactics that police agencies has implemented are integrity tests which show how reliable and truthful a trainee would be if they were on active duty. Also they have become stricter in their recruiting process.2. How are drugs linked to crime? What are the different ways that drugs are linked to crime? Which type of link is most often seen in drug-related homicides? Drugs are linked to crimes in many ways. The one that yields the highest homicides are systemic methods in which crime and violence are related to the operation of the drug trade.3. What have been the results of various drug-control policies (“natural experiments”) across the globe? In the Netherlands, there was a restrictive policy of “decriminalization” for soft drugs (marijuana). Surveys were conducted before and after policy took effect. It showed remarkable stability in the use of both “soft” and “hard” drugs. The policy did not result in a flood of drug use, as some had feared. In Switzerland, “Needle Park” was coined. From 1987-1992 open drug use and sale was allowed in the city’s public park. It was proposed as a “public health" experiment. A mutual agreement was reached between the police and city officials.4. Distinguish between formal and informal sanctions. How are they related? When, and under what conditions, is punishment (or the threat of punishment) most likely to deter? 5. Which component of deterrence is most important? The certainty, celerity, or severity of punishment? What can we do to increase the deterrent potential of the criminal justice system? Formal sanctions consist of legal fines, arrest, and incarcerations. Informal sanctions are sanctions imposed by family, friends, and others that care about you. Punishment is likely to deter under informal sanctions. The severity of punishment is the most important component of deterrence.April 1, 3 Capital Punishment - Alvarez & Bachman, Chapter 8: “Capital Punishment” Reading/discussion questions: 1. Public support for the death penalty rests, in part, on the belief that it deters would-be murderers and prevents convicted murderers from killing again. What does the research in this area show? To what extent does the death penalty function as a deterrent (see pp. 171-173; also see Walker, pp. 130-131)? What might explain these findings?The death functions as a deterrent when it actually gets hard core murderers off of the streets to protect the livelihood of others. There is no observable impact of the death penalty on the murder rate. The majority of homicides are “heat of passion” crimes.Questions you should be able to answer following the class sessions: 1. How have criminologists examined the deterrent effects of the death penalty? What have they found, and how can we explain the results? There is noticeable difference between states with capital punishment and those states without it. Modern studies use sophisticated statistics techniques to isolate the impact of the death penalty or executions and to control for other factors that influence the murder rate.2. What leads to wrongful convictions? What is the size and scope of the problem, and what policies and procedures have been recommended to minimize the possibility of wrongful convictions? Mistaken eyewitness identification and false confessions are two factors that lead to wrongful convictions. Reportedly, there have been 7500 wrongful convictions. During the past 30 years, over 1300 individuals were executed, 140 plus people were released before execution.Establishing national standards for crime lab workers such as training, certifications, and accreditation would be one way to prevent wrongful convictions.April 8 Prisons - Granack, “Prison Survival” (online reading) - Rideau, “Why Prisons Don’t Work” (online reading) - Walker, Chapter 7: “Lock ‘Em Up” Reading/discussion questions: 1. Walker, Chapter 7: “Lock ‘Em Up.” Why does the author describe “Three Strikes” laws as “terrible crime policy”? (See pp. 167-170) The author describes “three strikes” laws as being a terrible crime policy because they do not focus on repeat offenders. The majority