Sophmore Law Final Flashcards
What was the purpose of the three strikes you’re out laws?
It increases the prison sentence significantly for people convicted of a felony, who have previously convicted two or more violent crimes or serious felonies, and limits the ability of these offenders to receive a punishment other than life. The point was to try and make communities safer by removing those who clearly would reoffend.
Corporal punishment refers specifically to what
The death penalty, but prior to 1800 flogging, branding, and mainming. Basically any bodily harm.
Who initiated the American Prison System?
William Penn
What was America’s first penitentiary?
America’s first penitentiary was the
Walnut Street Jail in 1790, and then Eastern State Penitentiary in 1829 as part of the Pennsylvania system
Who were the Quakers?
The Quakers were part of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, which was formed in 1787. They argued that criminals could be best reformed if they were placed in penitentiaries and isolated from one another and from society to consider their crimes, repent, and reform.
Who is Zebulon Brockway?
He was an American reformist who, relying on the ideas of Maconochie and Crofton, began to experiment with the concept of parole. After New York adopted indeterminate sentences in 1876, Brockway started to release prisoners on parole. He also started the first reformatory movement in 1876, same year as parole, believing in diagnosis and treatment as keys to rehabilitation. Introduced the mark system
During the nineteenth century why were federal prisoners housed in state institutions?
There were so few federal prisoners that separate facilities were not considered necessary.
Alcatraz
Developed in the mid 19th century, 1934, Alcatraz was the most repressive maximum-security prison in the nation. It housed the most dangerous public enemies like Al Capone, criminals with a history of escapes and violence, and those who refused to conform to rules and regulations.
Know the difference between prisons and jails
Jail- An institution authorized to hold pretrial detainees and sentenced misdemeanant for periods longer than 48 hours. Most jails are administered by the county government; in six jurisdictions, they are administered by the state government. They house misdemeanor offenders, anyone with a sentence of less than 1 year, and anyone awaiting trial.
Prison- An institution for the incarceration of people convicted of serious crimes, usually felonies. They are housed on sentences of more than one year.
Who populates the American jails?
Offenders with histories of drug problems. Jails are typically made of poorly educated, some high school educated, low income, males, with the majority being white, closely followed by blacks, and likely have some mental health issues. Likely awaiting trial.
Know jails purpose
Facilities of local authority used for temporary detention
Jails purpose is to hold those awaiting trial and those who are sentenced to misdemeanor offenses, holding facilities for those who need to be transferred to a higher level facility, state or federal, and holding inmates when prisons have no room for them.
A modern day form of punishment akin to the scarlet letter is the adoption by a majority of states of an internet based registry of convicted?
Sex offenders
Low, medium, high, max security prisons Know the difference between them.
Minimum-the least secure institution, houses white collar and nonviolent offenders, maintains few security measures, and has liberal furlough and visitation policies. Low staff to inmate ratio, opening sleeping and bathrooms, participation in rehab programs
Low-focus on work and rehabilitation moderate staff to inmate ratio
Medium-Less secure institutions, but more secure than minimum, houses nonviolent offenders and provides more opportunities for contact with the outside world, but security measures are in place. Medium staff to inmate ratio, work assignment allowed out of cell for long period, double fence, electronic detection headcounts
Maximum- Houses dangerous felons, maintains strict security measures, high walls, and limited contact with the outside world. High fences/ walls/ armed guard, communication on radio, death row facilities are here
Super-max-newest form, uses high-level security measures to incapacitate the nations most dangerous criminals, lockdown 23 hours a day. Too dangerous to be in max,can’t function properly in max.
What do you call the process through which educational, vocational, treatment, and custodial needs of the offender are?
Classification is the process where all of these things for the offender are determined.
The earliest forms of inmate classification include separating what?
Gender, age, youths from adults, first offenders from repeat offenders
Which of the following are typically used as the primary rehabilitative tools a correctional institution has to offer?
Academic education and vocational training programs
What are the major reasons that antiquated prisons continue to remain in use?
In most cases it is too expensive to build brand new prisons to house offenders, so they use the old ones to try and keep inmates spread out during overcrowding and times of budget cuts.
What are the primary tasks of prisons?
The primary purpose of prisons keeping (custody), using (work), and serving (treatment) inmates. Prisons are made to show these goals and confine the offender fairly and justly as a punishment where the length matches the seriousness of the crime they committed.
Most prison inmates in the United States are, based on race?
African American, then Hispanic
The highest risk groups for AIDS in the United States?
Gay and Bisexual men
Who is at the top of the administrative hierarchy of any department of corrections?
The warden or commissioner of corrections
What is the job of the warden?
Their job is to manage the prison, they manage schedules for guards, support staff, and offenders, manage policy changes and updates, and allocate the budget and resources.
