Discuss some of the pros and cons of police discretion.
What will be an ideal response?
Pros—It is a normal, desirable, and unavoidable part of policing. The criminal justice system has limited resources (court time, jail cells, etc.), so not all violators can be put through the system. Police officers do not operate under a direct supervisor looking over their shoulder, so they need the freedom to choose the best course of action under the circumstances.
Cons—Can contribute to corruption, racial profiling, biased policing, and unfair enforcement. It is difficult to control the ethical and consistent nature of discretion.
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Regarding the right of religious freedom, the First Amendment includes the freedom to act; but the U.S
Supreme Court has ruled that prison officials can limit certain religious acts (preventing attendance at certain worship services, for example) as long as the restriction meets legitimate penological interests. a. True b. False
Investigating is
a. finding admissible evidence through testimony, documents, and tangible evidence. b. the process of questioning potential witnesses. c. the process of obtaining tangible or documentary evidence. d. the informal, non-court assisted methods, but can include formal court assisted discovery as well.
______ showed that certain types of individuals were more likely to commit crime.
a. Andre-Michel Guerry b. Thomas Hobbes c. Adolphe Quetelet d. August Comte e. Émile Durkheim
The largest percentage of caseloads of the juvenile courts is:
A. status offenses. B. dependency. C. delinquency. D. other.