Quiz #4

Question 1

Officers routinely decide not to arrest people. Some examples:

Answer 1

• Domestic dispute arrests
• Mental Health
• Traffic enforcement
• Juvenile court referrals
• Deadly force

Question 2

FINAL Domestic dispute arrests….

Answer 2

….58% of people suspected of committing felonious assault in domestic violence situations

Question 3

Traffic enforcement …

Answer 3

…1/4 of all drivers stopped for speeding were issued a warning than a ticket

Question 4

FINAL Discretion?

Answer 4

An unofficial action by a criminal justice official based on that individuals judgment about the best course of action

Question 5

FINAL Street-level bureaucrats

Answer 5

They make the decisions that produce actual police policy as it affects citizens.
Through their discretion to arrest or not arrest, police officers are the gatekeepers of the CJS

Question 6

Police discretion also determines?

Answer 6

Public policy. If police officers do not criminalize people for small amount of marijuana, then the offense will be decriminalized

Question 7

Potential abuse of discretion?

Answer 7

• Discrimination
• Denial of due process - harassing drug dealers
• Systematic underenforcement of the law (eg. police tolerating gambling in poor communities)
• Poor personnel management
• Inconsistent policy - officers making decisions inconsistent with policies, the policy won’t be carried out

Question 8

Proper Exercise of Discretion

Answer 8

• The use of good judgment (police officer determines no crime was committed so no report is filed)
• Efficient use of scarce police resources - (By concentrating on serious crimes than less serious crimes)
• Individualized justice - (Eg. juvenile shouldn’t be arrested)
• Sound Public Policy (Eg. arresting homeless people best option?)

Question 9

Patrol Officer’s Discretionary decisions

Answer 9

Related to CRIME situations

and ORDER MAINTENANCE

Question 10

Detective Decisions

Answer 10

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

Question 11

Police Manager’s decisions

Answer 11

About LAW ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PRIORITIES

Question 12

The nature of the Criminal Law

Answer 12

Demands that officers exercise discretion, but officers on the street have to determine whether the facts of a particular case fit the definition

Question 13

Conflicting Public Expectations

Answer 13

Criminal Law in US reflects conflicting public expectations about what behavior should be illegal

Question 14

The work environment of policing. - 3 aspects

Answer 14

1. ) Patrol officers work alone or in pairs
2. ) There is no direct supervision by a sergeant
3. ) The majority of police-citizen encounters occur in private places (observers may testify about officer’s behavior)

Question 15

Legal Factors limiting discretion

Answer 15

Supreme Court decisions
State court decision
State law

Question 16

Administrative Factors limiting discretion

Answer 16

Department policy

Supervision

Question 17

Organizational Culture Factors limiting discretion

Answer 17

Peer officer culture (use of force to minimal or offices will report it to supervisor)

Question 18

Situational Factors Influencing Discretionary Decisions

Answer 18

• Seriousness of the crime
• Strength of the evidence
• Preference of the victim
• Relationship between victim and suspect
• Demeanor of the suspect
• Characteristics of the victim
• Race, ethnicity, or gender of the citizen
• Characteristics of the neighborhood
• Characteristics of the individual officer
• *a number of studies have shown that an arrest is more likely when the victim asks for an arrest**