10 Criminal Justice Policy and Reform Free Online FlashCards

What is criminal justice policy?

Criminal justice policy comprises the laws, practices, budgets, and institutions used to prevent and respond to crime.

Why should reform consider the justice system as a whole?

Decisions at one stage affect later stages: policing shapes arrests, pretrial choices affect jail and court populations, and sentencing and reentry shape costs and life after custody.

Which goals should criminal justice policy balance?

Policy must balance public safety, accountability, fairness, constitutional rights, rehabilitation, victim support, and responsible use of public resources.

What makes an evaluation comparison credible?

Compare outcomes with a credible alternative, such as a similar group or location that did not receive the intervention, and account for other explanations.

How do implementation and effectiveness differ?

Implementation asks whether the policy was carried out as intended; effectiveness asks whether it changed the intended outcome.

Why doesn’t a lower arrest count prove crime declined?

A lower arrest count alone does not prove crime fell; arrests can change because enforcement or recording practices changed.

What does research indicate about policing crime hot spots?

Focused policing at crime hot spots can reduce crime and does not inevitably displace it to nearby locations; effects depend on the tactics used.

Which rights does the Sixth Amendment protect?

The Sixth Amendment protects rights including counsel and a speedy, public trial.

What does research say about incarceration growth and crime?

Policy changes, including broader imprisonment and longer sentences, drove much of prison expansion; evidence did not show that greater reliance on imprisonment substantially reduced crime overall.

How do the purposes of criminal sanctions differ?

Deterrence seeks to discourage offending; incapacitation restricts opportunities to offend while confined; rehabilitation addresses needs to reduce future offending; retribution expresses proportionate condemnation.

How many U.S. adults were under correctional supervision in 2023?

In 2023, about 5.6 million U.S. adults were under correctional supervision; more than two-thirds were on probation or parole.

How can impractical community-supervision conditions cause harm?

Excessive or impractical supervision conditions can lead to technical violations and return people to custody even when they have committed no new crime.