Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Corrections and Rehabilitation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of incarceration according to incapacitation theory?
- Rehabilitate offenders
- Deter future crimes through fear of punishment
- Prevent offenders from committing crimes by removing them from society (Correct answer)
- Make offenders pay back the community
Correct answer: Prevent offenders from committing crimes by removing them from society
Incapacitation theory holds that imprisoning offenders physically prevents them from committing crimes against the general public.
Question 2: What federal agency oversees federal prisons in the United States?
- Department of Homeland Security
- Bureau of Prisons (BOP) (Correct answer)
- U.S. Marshals Service
- Drug Enforcement Administration
Correct answer: Bureau of Prisons (BOP)
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), established in 1930, manages all federal correctional institutions and inmates.
Question 3: Which type of correctional facility houses the most serious offenders with the highest security measures?
- Minimum security prison
- Medium security prison
- Maximum security prison (Correct answer)
- Work camp
Correct answer: Maximum security prison
Maximum security prisons house the most dangerous offenders and employ the strictest security measures, including individual cells and constant monitoring.
Question 4: What is 'recidivism' in criminal justice?
- The process of appealing a conviction
- The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend (Correct answer)
- A form of community service
- A type of plea bargain
Correct answer: The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend
Recidivism refers to a person's relapse into criminal behavior after having been punished or incarcerated.
Question 5: What is the key difference between jails and prisons in the US correctional system?
- Jails house state offenders; prisons house federal offenders
- Jails are locally operated and hold short-term or pre-trial inmates; prisons hold convicted felons serving longer sentences (Correct answer)
- There is no difference between jails and prisons
- Jails are private facilities; prisons are government-run
Correct answer: Jails are locally operated and hold short-term or pre-trial inmates; prisons hold convicted felons serving longer sentences
Jails are locally operated facilities for pre-trial detainees and those serving short sentences, while prisons hold convicted felons serving longer terms.
Question 6: What is solitary confinement formally known as in correctional settings?
- General population housing
- Administrative segregation or isolation (Correct answer)
- Protective custody
- Work release program
Correct answer: Administrative segregation or isolation
Solitary confinement is formally called administrative segregation and involves isolating an inmate in a single cell for 22–24 hours a day.
Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Corrections and Rehabilitation 1
What is the primary purpose of incarceration according to incapacitation theory?