Peterson's *DSST is a registered trademark of Prometric, which was not involved in the
production of and does not endorse this product.
40. During the late 1900s, the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment has been interpreted by the
United States Supreme Court to mean that
(A) federal officials must adhere to standards outlined in the Bill of Rights
(B) federal officials do not have to adhere to standards outlined in the Bill of Rights
(C) state officials must adhere to standards designed to eliminate abuses by federal officials
(D) state officials do not have to adhere to standards designed to eliminate abuses by federal
officials
41. Victimless crimes include all of the following EXCEPT
(A) larceny
(B) gambling
(C) prostitution
(D) sodomy
42. The local police department is asked to send officers to the local pizza parlor, a popular gathering place after high school sports competitions, to help manage the crowds. This is an example of their function in
(A) order maintenance
(B) law enforcement
(C) crime control
(D) traffic enforcement
43. The police are often reactive in that many crimes are reported to them by victims and witnesses.
Examples of two types of criminal offenses in which the police are often proactive would be which of the
following?
(A) Robberies and thefts
(B) Kidnapping and arson
(C) Prostitution and narcotics sales
(D) Motor vehicle theft and embezzlement
44. All of the following are Uniform Crime Reports index offenses EXCEPT
Peterson's *DSST is a registered trademark of Prometric, which was not involved in the
production of and does not endorse this product.
50. One of the most important functions of plea bargaining in the courts is to
(A) facilitate the movement of many cases through the courts
(B) provide the best adjudication for the defendant
(C) protect the rights of the accused
(D) maximize the likelihood of victims appearing and testifying
51. Which of the following occurs after a period of incarceration and requires the person to remain under the control and guidance of the state until final discharge is granted?
(A) Sanction
(B) Parole
(C) Probation
(D) Sentence
52. Which of the following statements is true about the growth of America’s prison population and its
relationship to the crime rate?
(A) The size of the prison population is proportional to the crime rate.
(B) The crime rate is growing faster than the prison population.
(C) The prison population is growing faster than the crime rate.
(D) The relationship between the prison population and the crime rate varies from state to state.
53. “Innocent until proven guilty” is characteristic of which of the following criminal justice system models?
(A) Probable cause
(B) Due process
(C) Reasonable cause
(D) Crime control
54. The appearance of the accused in court to be read the charges pending, to be advised of his or her rights,
Peterson's *DSST is a registered trademark of Prometric, which was not involved in the
production of and does not endorse this product.
94. The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lambert v. California relates to which defense?
(A) Consent of the victim
(B) Ethnic custom
(C) Mistake of fact
(D) Mistake of law
95. Second-degree murder is committed with
(A) malice aforethought
(B) premeditation
(C) deliberation
(D) larceny
96. Which of the following terms refers to punishments that are less severe than prison but more restrictive
than traditional probation?
(A) Intermediate sanction
(B) Separate confinement
(C) Preventive detention
(D) Restorative justice
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DSST Criminal Justice
ANSWER KEY - Page 21
1. The correct answer is C. Crime is considered any violation of criminal law. Court decisions are based on
case law, and relationships between individuals are handled through civil law.
2. The correct answer is B. Peel strongly advocated the Metropolitan Police Act, which established the
London police force. In 1748, Fielding organized the Bow Street Runners, London's first unofficial police
force, so choice C is incorrect.
3. The correct answer is A. Probation officers supervise individuals who have been assigned community
service for committing a crime. Most probation officers help their clients to find jobs and receive drug rehabilitation. Parole officers supervise individuals who have been released from jail prior to the end of their
sentence, and corrections officers work in prisons and jails.
4. The correct answer is D. President Hoover established the Wickersham Commission in 1929. The
Commission was assigned the task of identifying the primary causes of most crimes and to suggest public policies that would help alleviate the crime problem in the United States.
5. The correct answer is C. Most states that have a death penalty prefer to use lethal injection. The U.S.
Supreme Court does not have to approve either the method used to administer the death penalty or review
each case, so choices A and D are incorrect. More than two methods for administering the death penalty are available, so choice B is incorrect.
6. The correct answer is A. In most states and municipalities, the minimum education required for a police
officer is a high school diploma. However, many officers have taken college courses or have college degrees.
7. The correct answer is B. In trial courts, a full transcript of the court proceedings is created for all cases. Judges determine whether trials are open to the public, so choice D is incorrect.
8. The correct answer is B. A disposition hearing follows the adjudication inquiry and hearing. At the
disposition hearing, a judge may dismiss a case, order restitution, or place the juvenile on probation. Intake
occurs prior to adjudication, so choice A is incorrect.
9. The correct answer is D. Behavior deemed aggressive and violent in one society may or may not be
considered inappropriate in another culture, so choice D is the correct answer. Aggressive and violent
behaviors are not necessarily more prevalent in large, industrial societies, so choices A and C are incorrect.
10. The correct answer is A. Mens rea refers to criminal intent, which is necessary along with actus reus
when proving a person's legal responsibility for a crime. Choices B, C, and D are criminal justice terms but
not principles of criminal law.
11. The correct answer is C. Biological theories of criminality assume that individuals inherit certain traits
that make them prone to criminal behaviors, so choice C is the best answer. Personal choice, social disorganization, and behavior are criminality theories that are not based on biological factors, so choices A,
B, and D are incorrect.
12. The correct answer is D. Street crime receives the most attention from law enforcement because such
crimes are highly visible to the public. Street crimes include homicide, theft, vandalism, and disorderly
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conduct. Organized crime, white-collar crime, and occupational crime receive less attention within the
criminal justice system.
13. The correct answer is B. Incorrigibility refers to extreme disobedience, so choice B is the correct
answer. Running away, incorrigibility, and truancy are status offenses, which are specific to juveniles.
14. The correct answer is A. Self-reported crimes are difficult for law enforcement officers to prove, so
choice B is incorrect. The UCR provides criminal statistics based only on reported crimes, which is a
limitation, and the FBI crime clock is a loose interpretation of the frequency of crimes. Choice A is the correct answer because numerous crimes go unreported in the U.S.
15. The correct answer is C. Car theft, counterfeiting, and drug offenses are less costly than white-collar
crimes. White-collar crimes include tax evasion, monopolistic practices, misuse of funds, and embezzlement.
16. The correct answer is B. The U.S. criminal justice system primarily stems from English common law.
The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest codes of law, but it was not as influential to the current
system in America as English precedents and procedures.
17. The correct answer is D. In most cases, police officers arrest women less often than they arrest men for the same offenses. Choices A, B, and C are factual statements regarding the arrest rate of men and women
since the 1960s.
18. The correct answer is D. Judges instruct juries to convict a defendant when they are convinced of his or
her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt rather than all doubt. If reasonable doubt of guilt exists, then the jury
should acquit the defendant.
19. The correct answer is C. For the Uniform Crime Reports, the FBI calculates the crime incident rate per
100,000 people, which enables the agency to compare the number of sexual assaults with the number of other
crimes committed in the U.S. This objective method does not include information about offenders or
convictions, so choices A, B, and D are incorrect.
20. The correct answer is A. The rate of juvenile offenders involved in violent crimes is on the rise in the
U.S., so choice A is the correct answer. Choices B, C, and D are not necessarily true statements.
21. The correct answer is C. Federal, state, and local statutes define which acts in a society are criminal, so choice C is the best answer. Law enforcement agencies, courts, and attorneys play important roles in the
criminal justice system, but none of them establish that certain acts are criminal.
22. The correct answer is B. A capital offense is punishable by death, so it is the most serious crime listed.
Fines or local jail time are typical punishments for individuals who commit misdemeanors, so choice A is
incorrect. Felonies are punishable with state or federal prison incarceration but not death, so choice C is close but incorrect. Juveniles commit status offenses.
23. The correct answer is D. White-collar crimes often go unnoticed or unreported because they occur in the
setting of a business or profession. However, such crimes significantly affect the economy, so choice A is
incorrect. Occupational crimes occur frequently and violate specific laws, so choices B and C are incorrect.
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DSST Criminal Justice
ANSWER KEY - Page 23
24. The correct answer is B. Remaining silent at an arraignment is assumed to be a plea of not guilty. A no
contest plea is virtually the same as a guilty plea, so choice C is incorrect.
25. The correct answer is D. Retribution attempts to strike a balance between an offense and its punishment.
The philosophy of rehabilitation seeks the reintegration of offenders into society, so choice A is incorrect.
26. The correct answer is A. A grand jury indictment is a formal charging document, so choice A is correct.
The grand jury does not find reasonable suspicion, only that the case should proceed to trial, so choice D is incorrect.
27. The correct answer is D. When setting bail, a judge may not consider a defendant's gender or race.
However, the judge may review the defendant's finances, community connections, and criminal record when
deciding on bail.
28. The correct answer is B. Trial courts retain the power to assign probation to offenders, so choice B is
correct. Paroles and furloughs are under the power of the corrections system, while the executive branch of a
state or federal government issues pardons.
29. The correct answer is A. An adversarial system serves as the basis for the U.S. legal system. With an
adversarial system, judges and juries search for the truth by listening to attorneys for both parties. With
30. The correct answer is D. U.S. crime rates over the last 20 years have remained stable. Crime rates were
very high in the early 1980s as well as the 1930s.
31. The correct answer is C. The FBI was established in 1908 to investigate federal crimes. LEAA was
established in 1968 and the DEA followed in 1973.
32. The correct answer is B. The criminal justice system primarily attempts to uncover criminal behavior and then prosecute and punish offenders. Antisocial behavior is not necessarily criminal, so it is not an area
of concern for the U.S. criminal justice system.
33. The correct answer is A. Delinquency refers to criminal violations committed by juveniles, so the first
statement is true. In the juvenile court system, intake hearings and detention hearings take the place of full trials. Juvenile courts must prove the guilt of a defendant, a characteristic of an adversarial system, so the
correct answer is choice A.
34. The correct answer is A. Gideon v. Wainwright requires that indigent defendants have the right to
counsel when facing felony charges. Choices B, C, and D are important court cases that do not relate to the
right to counsel.
35. The correct answer is B. According to Miranda v. Arizona, police officers must inform suspects of their
right to remain silent. Miranda rules only apply to interrogations that occur when a suspect is held in custody.
36. The correct answer is C. According to Mapp v. Ohio, evidence collected during an illegal search cannot
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DSST Criminal Justice
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be included in the trial. Choices A, B, and D are landmark Supreme Court cases that are not related to the
exclusion of evidence.
37. The correct answer is A. Gideon v. Wainwright requires that indigent defendants have the right to
counsel when facing felony charges. Choices B, C, and D are Supreme Court cases that do not relate to the
right to counsel.
38. The correct answer is B. Patrol officers have a high degree of discretion when dealing with citizens,
which means that they selectively enforce laws depending on the situation. Choices A, C, and D are characteristics of other types of organizations and not specific to the police.
39. The correct answer is D. The crime rate in the U.S. is typically greater than the crime rate in other
industrialized societies. Crime rates vary from city to city and fluctuate slightly each year, so choices A and B
are incorrect.
40. The correct answer is C. State and federal officials are required to follow the same standards to avoid
abuses, so choice C is the best answer. Most provisions in the Bill of Rights apply to each state, which is
known as selective incorporation. Before the twentieth century, the Bill of Rights was only applicable to the
federal government.
41. The correct answer is A. Victimless crimes are those in which both parties are willing participants in an
illegal act, such as gambling, prostitution, and sodomy. Larceny involves taking the personal property of
another individual, so choice A is the correct answer.
42. The correct answer is A. Order maintenance is the police function of preventing public disturbances. Managing crowds, breaking up fights, and removing troublemakers are aspects of order maintenance, so
choice A is the correct answer.
43. The correct answer is C. Prostitution and drug offenses are considered victimless crimes because both
parties are willing participants. Police attempt to interfere with such crimes and s top them from occurring. With robberies, arson cases, and car thefts, victims make reports to the police department, so choices A, B,
and D are incorrect.
44. The correct answer is B. Embezzlement is a Part II offense according to the UCR. Robbery, burglary,
and auto theft are index offenses, which are also known as Part I offenses.
45. The correct answer is D. Intensive probation supervision involves closely monitoring a probationer with
mandatory employment, drug testing, and curfew. Such programs attempt to divert offenders from
committing crimes by providing a highly structured atmosphere. Although community service is often
required in IPS programs, the primary goal is diversion.
46. The correct answer is B. Work release programs were first started in 1913 in Wisconsin, so choice B is
the correct answer. House arrest, electronic monitoring, and intensive probation are more modern concepts,
so choices A, C, and D are incorrect.
47. The correct answer is A. White males commit the majority of all crimes in the U.S. In some crime
ANSWER KEY
DSST Criminal Justice
ANSWER KEY - Page 25
categories, black males account for more offenses than white males, but white males account for the greatest
number of total crimes.
48. The correct answer is C. Small claims courts, family courts, and juvenile courts are relatively modern
concepts, which eliminates choice A. Such courts handle local rather than state cases but not appeals, so
choices B and D are incorrect. Expanding populations with changing needs caused the emergence of these
specialty courts, so choice C is the correct answer.
49. The correct answer is D. Screening potential police officers serves to identify candidates who have the necessary personality traits and attitudes for the job, so choice D is the correct answer. Although recruiting
minorities and avoiding discrimination are important, these are not the main goals of the screening process.
50. The correct answer is A. Pushing numerous cases through the court system is the primary purpose of the
plea bargaining method. Plea bargaining limits the need for court testimony from victims, so choice D is incorrect.
51. The correct answer is B. Parole involves releasing an inmate early from prison on the condition that the
offender follows specific guidelines. Probation is a sentence that does not require incarceration, so choice C
is incorrect.
52. The correct answer is C. In general, the prison population is growing while the crime rate is decreasing
in the United States. Prisons are becoming increasingly overpopulated in many states, and the construction of
new prisons is on the rise.
53. The correct answer is B. The due process model is based on the concept of a person being innocent until proven guilty. In contrast, the crime control model focuses on stopping crime and pushing cases through the
system rather than protecting citizen's rights and preventing conviction errors.
54. The correct answer is C. During arraignment, an accused individual appears in court for the reading of
the charges. Arrest and booking occur prior to arraignment, and a grand jury may choose to indict the accused after the arraignment.
55. The correct answer is A. Individuals who cannot pay bail are placed in jail, so choice A is the correct
answer. In some cases, a judge will release individuals on their own recognizance instead of setting bail, so
choice C is close but incorrect.
56. The correct answer is D. Approximately 90% of all felony defendants plead guilty, so choice D is
correct. Plea bargaining saves both time and money, which explains its increasing popularity in the criminal
justice system.
57. The correct answer is C. Part I offenses are serious crimes like robbery, arson, and aggravated assault. Drug distribution is a Part II offense according to the UCR.
58. The correct answer is B. Original jurisdiction refers to the right of a court to hear a case that stems from
a specific area. Court hierarchy, rather than geography, limits appellate jurisdiction, so choice C is incorrect.
ANSWER KEY
DSST Criminal Justice
ANSWER KEY - Page 26
59. The correct answer is C. Deterrence theory attempts to discourage people from committing crimes by
showing that the punishment for a crime is not worth any benefits gained from the crime. With deterrence
theory, the public is frequently reminded of the punishment for specific criminal acts, such as the death penalty for capital murder. Choices A, B, and D are not elements of deterrence theory.
60. The correct answer is D. Juvenile courts have exclusive jurisdiction over juvenile status offenders as
defined by the maximum age limit for a juvenile in each state. Status offenses are crimes such as truancy that
are specific to juveniles.
61. The correct answer is D. Status offenses are crimes that are specific to juveniles and not considered
criminal acts for adults. Truancy, running away, smoking, and incorrigibility are status offenses, so choice D
is the best answer.
62. The correct answer is C. Minimum security prisons house white-collar criminals and non-violent offenders. In such prisons, rehabilitation is stressed through education programs and counseling. Higher
security prisons place less emphasis on rehabilitation and more emphasis on security.
63. The correct answer is C. The primary alternatives to incarceration are probation, parole, and fines.
Deportation has been used in the past by other countries but is only used in the U.S. for foreign citizens, so choice C is the correct answer.
64. The correct answer is D. Police officers are required to stop pursuing a fleeing suspect if such activities
will injure people or damage property. Speed and weather may lead to the end of a pursuit but not always, so
choices A and C are incorrect. The number of pursuing officers is not limited, so choice B is incorrect.
65. The correct answer is C. Prisons house felony offenders who have been sentenced to at least one year of
incarceration. Locally managed jails are used to house offenders temporarily or for short periods.
66. The correct answer is A. Superior courts, district courts, and circuit courts are types of trial courts.
Probate courts handle the administration of wills and estates, so choice A is the best answer.
67. The correct answer is B. According to the theory of differential association, criminal behavior is learned
through social groups. Choices A, C, and D are other theories of criminal behavior that attribute criminality
to factors other than personal associations.
68. The correct answer is C. Rehabilitating offenders, maintaining public safety, and using public funds
appropriately are the primary objectives of most state parole systems. Although paroled offenders do not
serve their full sentences, the purpose of the system is not to change sentencing guidelines.
69. The correct answer is A. According to the Uniform Crime Report, property crimes account for the
majority of all crime index offenses in the U.S. Violent crimes occur less frequently than property crimes. Victimless and white-collar crimes are often unreported.
70. The correct answer is C. The Warren Court of the 1960s implemented significant changes to
constitutional rights—a period known as the due process revolution. Known as the process of incorporation,
provisions in the Bill of Rights were applied to each state. Before the twentieth century, the Bill of Rights
ANSWER KEY
DSST Criminal Justice
ANSWER KEY - Page 27
was only applicable to the federal government.
71. The correct answer is D. Merciful punishment that requires offenders to compensate victims is considered highly effective. Punishment that is immediate, public, severe, or frequent is not necessarily
effective, so choices A, B, and C are incorrect.
72. The correct answer is A. Burglary convictions occur more frequently than convictions for theft,
embezzlement, and murder. Burglary is a broad term that refers to the unlawful entry of a building to commit
a theft or a felony.
73. The correct answer is D. The lack of respect for police officers is difficult to quantify. Though an
increasing number of women and civilians work in police departments, the greatest change is that police
officers have a greater number of promotional opportunities than they had in the past, so choice D is the
correct answer.
74. The correct answer is C. Community alternatives to incarceration, such as work release programs and
halfway houses, often have higher recidivism rates than traditional incarceration programs, so choice A is
incorrect. The primary reason for communities using such alternatives is the low cost, so choice C is the
correct answer.
75. The correct answer is D. Trial courts and district courts are synonymous terms, so choice D is the
correct answer. Choices A, B, and C are not known as trial courts.
76. The correct answer is B. The prison population is growing beyond capacity in most states, so choice B is
the correct answer. Many inmates are paroled to alleviate crowding, so choice C is incorrect. The number of inmates in rehabilitation programs has little bearing on the prison population, so choice D is incorrect.
77. The correct answer is C. According to the due process of law, justice is administered according to
established principles that do not violate personal rights. A notice of the proceedings, a hearing, and the
opportunity to present a defense are requirements of procedural due process. Procedural due process does not require a venue change, bail, or a jurisdiction transfer, so Choices A, B, and D are incorrect.
78. The correct answer is D. Rehabilitation, solitary confinement, and job training have been offered at
prisons for many years. However, co-ed facilities are a recent trend in correctional facilities.
79. The correct answer is A. Inmates of both genders are typically young, unmarried minorities, so choice A
is the correct answer. Choices B, C, and D fail to describe the characteristics of most prison inmates.
80. The correct answer is D. Halfway houses are designed for inmates who are approaching parole. Such
residential facilities offer substance abuse treatment programs and rehabilitative programs, and they interact
with work release programs to ensure a successful transition for parolees.
81. The correct answer is C. Doing time is a slang term that refers to the time an offender spends in prison.
Choices A, B, and D are incorrect.
82. The correct answer is D. Male guards harassing, assaulting, and raping female prisoners is a rising
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problem within women's prisons. Choice A is incorrect; classification of prisoners occurs regularly in prisons
as a method for determining the most appropriate program for both male and female inmates. Funds are
available for prison industries that allow inmates to produce and sell products, so choice B is incorrect. Many male and female inmates are interested in participating in academic programs, so choice C is incorrect.
83. The correct answer is A. Probation is a sentence that does not involve incarceration, and probation
officers working for the court system supervise probationers. The fact that each state designs its own
probation system makes choices B, C, and D incorrect.
84. The correct answer is C. According to psychological theories of crime, criminal behavior replaces
abnormal urges, psychic conflict, and personality disorders. Choices A, B, and D are other theories of
criminality.
85. The correct answer is A. During a disposition hearing, a judge has discretionary authority to resolve a juvenile case with a variety of methods. Requesting a continuance, dismissing the case, sending a juvenile to
a detention center, and ordering probation are the typical methods used by judges to handle juvenile cases.
86. The correct answer is C. Illinois passed the Juvenile Court Act in 1899, thus establishing the nation's
first juvenile court system. The House of Refuge in New York was established in 1825 to house juvenile offenders and orphans, but it bore no resemblance to the current juvenile system.
87. The correct answer is B. Probation is the most commonly applied criminal punishment, so choice B is
the correct answer. Approximately 60 percent of all convicted adults are serving probation.
88. The correct answer is D. According to U.S. v. Wade, any suspect identification made during a police lineup in which the suspect's attorney is not present will be deemed inadmissible at trial. The case does not
relate to arrests, fingerprinting, or questioning, so choices A, B, and C are incorrect.
89. The correct answer is B. Counties spend more money on correctional facilities than state, federal, or
municipal governments. County jails house more inmates than other facilities, which explains the increased spending.
90. The correct answer is B. DHS was established in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
DHS coordinates the actions of other agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which was
previously the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The General Services Administration is a federal agency that provides management support but is not involved with security, so choice C is incorrect. DHS analyzes
information gathered from the CIA and FBI, so choice D is incorrect.
91. The correct answer is B. Patrolling was the responsibility of constables and beadles rather than
magistrates, so choice B is the correct answer. Magistrates called witnesses to their courts, ordered arrests,
and questioned prisoners, so choices A, C, and D are incorrect.
92. The correct answer is A. President Johnson launched the President's Commission on Law Enforcement
and Administration of Justice in 1965, so choices B, C, and D are incorrect. The President's Crime
Commission established task forces to study crime and the structure of the criminal justice system.
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93. The correct answer is B. The night watch emerged during the thirteenth century in urban areas as a way
to provide protection. Magistrates and thief-takers, who served as private detectives, were both common
during the seventeenth century, so choices A and C are incorrect. The mutual pledge system was a form of internal policing that developed during the ninth and tenth centuries.
94. The correct answer is D. Lambert v. California states that being ignorant of a relatively unknown law
may be used as a defense, so choice D is correct. Victim consent, ethnic custom, and mistake of fact are
defenses that did not stem from Lambert v. California, so choices A, B, and C are incorrect.
95. The correct answer is A. A murder committed impulsively during an argument is categorized as
second-degree, which requires malice aforethought but not deliberation or premeditation. Larceny involves
the theft of property rather than murder, so choice D is incorrect.
96. The correct answer is A. Intermediate sanctions are punishments, such as fines, restitution, and boot camp, that are used to relieve prison crowding. Separate confinement involves isolating inmates from each
other, so choice B is incorrect. A judge may order preventive detention if a defendant is expected to flee the
community, so choice C is incorrect. Restorative justice aims to help victims, and it may be used as an
intermediate sanction in some situations but not always.
