Criminal Justice Advanced Topics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the doctrine of qualified immunity, a police officer is shielded from civil liability unless their conduct violates what?
- Any state criminal statute
- Departmental policy guidelines
- Community standards of decency
- Clearly established statutory or constitutional rights (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Clearly established statutory or constitutional rights
Qualified immunity protects officers unless they violate clearly established rights a reasonable officer would have known.
Question 2: In Graham v. Connor (1989), the Supreme Court held that police use-of-force claims must be evaluated under which standard?
- Strict scrutiny
- The shocks-the-conscience test
- Objective reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment (Correct answer)
- Substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment
Correct answer: Objective reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment
Graham v. Connor established that excessive force claims are judged by Fourth Amendment objective reasonableness from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene.
Question 3: Which sentencing model gives judges broad discretion and relies on parole boards to determine actual release dates?
- Determinate sentencing
- Presumptive guideline sentencing
- Mandatory minimum sentencing
- Indeterminate sentencing (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Indeterminate sentencing
Indeterminate sentencing sets a range (e.g., 5-to-15 years) with release decided by a parole board based on rehabilitation.
Question 4: A prosecutor's constitutional duty to disclose exculpatory evidence to the defense stems from which case?
- Miranda v. Arizona
- Gideon v. Wainwright
- Brady v. Maryland (Correct answer)
- Mapp v. Ohio
Correct answer: Brady v. Maryland
Brady v. Maryland (1963) requires prosecutors to turn over evidence favorable to the accused that is material to guilt or punishment.
Question 5: The 'CSI effect' in criminal justice refers to which phenomenon?
- Increased crime-scene contamination by first responders
- Faster DNA processing in crime labs
- Police over-reliance on eyewitness testimony
- Jurors expecting forensic evidence in every case due to television dramas (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Jurors expecting forensic evidence in every case due to television dramas
The CSI effect describes jurors' unrealistic expectations for scientific evidence shaped by crime-show portrayals.
Question 6: Under the felony murder rule, a defendant can be convicted of murder when a death occurs during what?
- Any misdemeanor involving negligence
- A civil dispute over property
- A lawful arrest by police
- The commission of an inherently dangerous felony (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The commission of an inherently dangerous felony
The felony murder rule imputes malice when a death occurs during the commission or attempted commission of a dangerous felony, regardless of intent to kill.
Question 7: Which correctional philosophy focuses on repairing the harm caused by crime through mediated dialogue between victims and offenders?
- Incapacitation
- Retributive justice
- Restorative justice (Correct answer)
- General deterrence
Correct answer: Restorative justice
Restorative justice emphasizes healing harm through victim-offender mediation, restitution, and community involvement.
Criminal Justice Advanced Topics 2
Under the doctrine of qualified immunity, a police officer is shielded from civil liability unless their conduct violates what?