Chapter 8: Ethics in Corrections: Guarding Ethically

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is not a finding of recent research on prisons and prison guards?

a. Officer training emphasizes emotional detachment and degrading treatment.

b. Prisons have cultures where guards are corrupted and prisoners are denied their humanity.

c. Guards are increasingly using more excessive force.

d. A humane correctional system is impossible given the dominant theory and practice of retribution.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Experience of Guarding

Difficulty Level: Medium

2.______ relates to the need for prison officers to understand the informal rules and processes that shape daily prison interactions and how to avoid being manipulated by inmates.

a. Education

b. Training

c. Understanding

d. Knowledgeability

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Experience of Guarding

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Webb and Morris (1980) found that officers perceived ______ as outsiders with political connections whose main focus was “looking good” and who did not possess the prison officers’ knowledge of the institution and the inmate population.

a. prison administrators

b. politicians

c. new guards

d. none of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Experience of Guarding

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. The modern era of corrections brought with it a set of written ethical ______ for correctional officers and management.

a. rules

b. guidelines

c. instructions

d. standards

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guarding Ethically

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. According to Vose, prisoner rights include all of the following except ______.

a. the right to safety

b. adequate care

c. meaningful activity

d. all of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guarding Ethically

Difficulty Level: Medium

6.______ intended to degrade or dehumanize inmates is not authorized by the sanctions society has imposed on them.

a. Punishment

b. Coercion

c. Treatment

d. All of these

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethical Dimensions: Punishment, Prison Conditions

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Lippke’s view is that basic prisoner welfare demands prisoners receive all of the following except ______.

a. cable television

b. adequate food and nutrition

c. means to maintain personal hygiene

d. appropriate clothing

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethical Dimensions: Punishment, Prison Conditions

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Which U.S. Supreme Court case ruled that prison cells could be searched at any time but prohibited deliberate act of harassment of inmates by prison staff?

a. Bell v. Wolfish

b. Hudson v. Palmer

c. U.S. v. Nix

d. Farmer v. Brennan

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethical Dimensions: Punishment, Prison Conditions

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Which U.S. Supreme Court case determined that inmates whose personal property was destroyed by staff during cell searches had no legal recourse for recovery?

a. Bell v. Wolfish

b. Hudson v. Palmer

c. U.S. v. Nix

d. Farmer v. Brennan

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethical Dimensions: Punishment, Prison Conditions

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Crouch (1980) argues the quality of prison life for inmates has been affected by the increase in ______ and by judicial activism to the extent that inmates now have the ability to look outside the prison for the norms of prison life.)

a. inmate rights

b. political awareness

c. racial awareness

d. both b and c

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethical Challenges

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. Inmates are not only entitled to be treated ethically, but the ______ requires that they be provided humane conditions of confinement.

a. Fifth Amendment

b. Eighth Amendment

c. Fourteenth Amendment

d. privileges and immunities clause

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guarding With Discretion

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. In its decision in Farmer v. Brennan (1994), the U.S. Supreme Court held that “deliberate indifference resides on a continuum between mere negligence . . . [and] something less than acts or omissions for the very purpose of causing harm or with knowledge that harm will result." This case dealt with which of the following?

a. prison rape

b. excessive force

c. thefts

d. homicides

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guarding With Discretion

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Which of the following is not a norm in the typical informal prison guard code?

a. Don’t rat (inform on other guards).

b. Don’t lug (smuggle) drugs in to inmates.

c. Always support fellow officers against inmate claims/allegations.

d. Assist inmates in getting rehabilitated.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Table 8.1: The Prison Officer Code

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which of the following elements of the prison guard code permits conduct that might otherwise violate bureaucratic rules?

a. Always go to the aid of an officer in distress.

b. Never make a fellow officer look bad in front of inmates.

c. Always support officer sanctions against inmates.

d. Show positive concern for fellow guards.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Table 8.1: The Prison Officer Code

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. According to the prison guard code, a violation of which norm is perceived to undercut guard solidarity and enhance the vulnerability of guards as a group?

a. Always go to the aid of an officer in distress.

b. Never make a fellow officer look bad in front of inmates.

c. Always support officer sanctions against inmates.

d. Show positive concern for fellow guards.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Table 8.1: The Prison Officer Code

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. According to the prison guard code, which element covers a range of conduct and is noted by Kauffman (1988) that in practice, it is widely violated?

a. Always go to the aid of an officer in distress.

b. Never make a fellow officer look bad in front of inmates.

c. Always support officer sanctions against inmates.

d. Show positive concern for fellow guards.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Table 8.1: The Prison Officer Code

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. Kauffman’s (1988) research found that ______ prison officers were horrified at the extent and nature of violence in prisons.

a. few

b. some

c. most

d. all

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Witnessing and Experiencing Violence in Prisons

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. With regard to violence in the prison, over time, most inexperienced prison guards ______.

a. are more likely to report excessive violence by other guards.

b. get used to the violence and accept it.

c. became more active in trying to protect inmates from violence by other guards.

d. became more active in trying to protect inmates from other inmates.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Witnessing and Experiencing Violence in Prisons

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Deadly physical force can be used in the following situation(s) ______.

a. to prevent escape

b. in self-defense

c. to prevent arson

d. all of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Using Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. Which of Marquart’s (1986) forms of coercion was reserved for inmates who violated rules considered sacred?

a. counseling

b. tune-up

c. ass whippings

d. severe beatings

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: A Closer Look: Forms of Coercion

Difficulty Level: Medium

21. Which of Marquart’s (1986) forms of coercion was used for minor offenses?

a. counseling

b. tune-up

c. ass whippings

d. both Counseling and Tune-up

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: A Closer Look: Forms of Coercion

Difficulty Level: Medium

22. In the context of the officer ______, fighting an inmate was seen as an expression of masculinity and machismo.

a. subculture

b. status

c. control

d. power

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Officers’ Perspectives on Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

23. The exercise of ______ by prison officers was not intended as a symbol of their power but was rather a reflection of their sense of vulnerability.

a. sympathy

b. violence

c. coercion

d. empathy

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Officer Violence as Informal Justice

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. Every state has their own policy dealing with prison officer use of warning shots. What is the common feature of these policies?

a. None. Police departments and prisons forbid the use of warning shots.

b. Warning shots by prison officers are allowed if innocent people will not be injured.

c. Warning shots cannot be allowed within prison grounds.

d. Armed officers have complete discretion on when and where to use warning shots.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge | Application

Answer Location: Correctional Policy on Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

25. Kauffman (1988) remarks that during the ______ Massachusetts prison system relied on brutality and physical coercion.

a. 1950s

b. 1960s

c. 1970s

d. 1980s

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Justifications for Officer Violence

Difficulty Level: Easy

26. Kauffman (1988) argues that the use of ______ as a technique was a failure because it could not be applied to the inmates generally but had to be enforced inmate by inmate.

a. violence

b. solitary confinement

c. coercion

d. rewards

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Constraining Officer Violence

Difficulty Level: Medium

27. In which U.S. Supreme Court case did the Court argue that deadly force to prevent inmate escape was valid under certain circumstances?

a. U.S. v. Nix

b. Whitley v. Albers

c. Clark v. Evans

d. Kenny v. Indiana Youth Center

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judicial Review of Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

28. In which U.S. Supreme Court case did the Court note that it was relevant to look at various factors in deciding whether the officer had inflicted unnecessary and wanton pain and suffering?

a. U.S. v. Nix

b. Whitley v. Albers

c. Clark v. Evans

d. Kenny v. Indiana Youth Center

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judicial Review of Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

29. What was the significance of the U.S. Supreme Court case Whitley v. Albers?

a. The Court concluded that “dangerousness” was the determinant of appropriate use of deadly force.

b. provided a legal standard for physical brutality

c. The Court decided that the Eight Amendment protects inmates from cruel and unusual punishment, guiding cases of excessive force for those in custody.

d. gave rationale for use of deadly force against escaping prisoners

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judicial Review of Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

30. A study conducted in Philadelphia in 1966 found that ______% of inmates reported sexual assaults while incarcerated or being transported to and from court.

a. 2.3

b. 3.4

c. 4.7

d. 5.6

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Rates of Sexual Violence in Prison

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. The Bureau of Justice Statistics for 2011 to 2012 reveal that an estimated 4% of state or federal prisoners and 3.2% of those in jails reported experiencing at least ______ incident(s) of sexual abuse by another inmate or facility staff within the past 12 months.

a. one

b. two

c. four

d. seven

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Rates of Sexual Violence in Prison

Difficulty Level: Medium

32. Underreporting of prison rape is a problematic issue and is exemplified in a 1996 Nebraska study which found that only ______% of victimized inmates reported abuses.

a. 13

b. 19

c. 25

d. 29

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Rates of Sexual Violence in Prison

Difficulty Level: Medium

33. According to Human Rights Watch (2001) the response of guards to complaints of ______ is often inadequate and even callous.

a. violence

b. rape

c. coercion

d. corruption

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Reporting and Responding to Rape in Prison

Difficulty Level: Medium

34. The first U.S. law addressing the issue of male prison rape was the ______.

a. Prison Rape Elimination Act

b. Rape Elimination Act

c. Elimination Act

d. Prison Rape Act

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Prison Rape Elimination Act

Difficulty Level: Medium

35. The purposes of the Prison Rape Elimination Act include all of the following except ______.

a. setting a zero-tolerance standard for prison rape

b. prisons who want to receive federal funding must eliminate prison rape by 85%

c. prioritization of the prevention of rape in each prison system

d. devising and implementation of national standards to detect, prevent, reduce, and punish rape

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge | Comprehension | Application

Answer Location: Prison Rape Elimination Act

Difficulty Level: Medium

36. In 2014, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that PREA data found that in 2011 ______ allegations of sexual victimization (10%) were determined to have occurred following an investigation into the allegations.

a. 723

b. 864

c. 902

d. 1168

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Prison Rape Elimination Act

Difficulty Level: Medium

37. The terms “transgender” and “transsexual” describe people who are/______.

a. may identify as and already be living as the opposite gender to that they were assigned at birth

b. may be born with typical female or male anatomies

c. may or may not be planning on sex reassignment surgery

d. all of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Transgender Prisoners

Difficulty Level: Medium

38. In the U.S., according to the 2018 Transgender Offender Manual, what is the stated policy for providing housing for transgender inmates?

a. Each inmate’s gender identity determines how and where they will be housed.

b. Inmates’ biological sex is the main determinant of how and where they will be housed.

c. Each inmate is allowed to choose to be housed either with his/her birth-assigned gender group, his/her chosen gender group, or other male-to-female or female-to male transsexuals.

d. none of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Transgender Prisoners

Difficulty Level: Medium

39. One study found that 59% of transgender inmates reported having been sexually abused compared with ______% of the general inmate population.

a. 67

b. 4

c. 17

d. transgendered inmates do no report being sexually abused

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Transgender Prisoners

Difficulty Level: Medium

40. Which country follows two approaches regarding transgender inmates: a social-based and surgery-based approach?

a. Canada

b. United States

c. Australia

d. United Kingdom

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Transgender Prisoners

Difficulty Level: Medium

41. When dealing with transgendered inmates, which country makes use of protective custody, but allows inmates to wear gender-appropriate clothing?

a. Canada

b. United States

c. Australia

d. United Kingdom

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Treatment of Transgender Prisoners in Other Countries

Difficulty Level: Medium

42. Which country created the Gender Recognition Act that resulted in the issuing of guidelines that mandate an establishment permits prisoners to consider themselves transsexual?

a. Canada

b. United States

c. Australia

d. United Kingdom

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Treatment of Transgender Prisoners in Other Countries

Difficulty Level: Medium

43. In which country are transgender inmates often held in solitary confinement based on laws for “their own protection”?

a. Canada

b. United States

c. Australia

d. United Kingdom

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Transgender Prisoners

Difficulty Level: Medium

44. Worley, Marquart, and Mullings (2003) point out that ______ with inmates also involves inmates who exploit relationships with prison officers in order to make illicit profits in the underground prison economy?

a. corruption

b. violence

c. extortion

d. trafficking

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Corruption

Difficulty Level: Medium

45. Why do prison gang members have a comparative advantage over non-gang affiliated inmates when it comes to trafficking contraband inside prisons?

a. Inmates know gangs will use force to collect payment for drugs on credit.

b. Gang members on the outside use creative, stealthy methods to deliver contraband inside.

c. Gang organization provides governance facilitating delivery and distribution.

d. all of these

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Corruption

Difficulty Level: Medium

46. Which of the following is not an example of misuse of authority?

a. accepting gratuities to protect illicit activity

b. soliciting a fee from an inmate for finding him a job

c. extortion through mistreatment or harassment

d. theft of new televisions from the prison loading dock

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Corruption

Difficulty Level: Medium

47. Which court case dealt with inmates testifying that building tenders were given access to pipes, bats, and clubs to administer discipline on behalf of the regular guards?

a. U.S. v. Nix

b. Whitley v. Albers

c. Dreyer v. Jalet

d. Kenny v. Indiana Youth Center

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Corruption

Difficulty Level: Medium

48. While some argue that whistle-blowing is risky, could lead to retaliation, and should be avoided, there are case studies in which whistle-blowers ______.

a. lost their jobs

b. had a positive effect in corrections

c. provided inaccurate information, to the organization’s detriment

d. resigned before losing their positions

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Whistle-Blowing in Corrections

Difficulty Level: Medium

49. ______ operates as a form of oversight of prisons, but in the United States, there is little systematic oversight of prison conditions and operations.

a. Whistle-blowing

b. Ethical guidelines

c. Rules and regulations

d. Court orders

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Whistle-Blowing in Corrections

Difficulty Level: Medium

50. In 2006, the Katzenbach Commission drew attention to the lack of ______ and public monitoring of the prison systems.

a. ethical guidelines

brules and regulations

c. court orders

d. oversight

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Whistle-Blowing in Corrections

Difficulty Level: Medium

51. Many probation and parole officers face ethical issues because their role involves the sometimes inconsistent goals of ______.

a. treatment and punishment.

b. retribution and punishment.

c. control and supervision.

d. monitoring and counseling.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethical Issues in Probation and Parole

Difficulty Level: Medium

52. Many ethical issues among probation and parole officers arise from their ______.

a. heavy caseloads

b. treatment function

c. control function

d. treatment and control functions

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethical Issues in Probation and Parole: Treatment or Control?

Difficulty Level: Medium

53. According to Abadinsky (1982), which probation officer model involves a primary role of public protection?

a. law enforcement model

b. therapeutic model

c. synthetic model

d. blended model

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethical Issues in Probation and Parole

Difficulty Level: Medium

54. In 2016, the Department of Justice reported that at year-end 2015 about ______ persons were on parole.

a. 846,600

b. 870,500

c. 865,700

d. 954,800

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Parole

Difficulty Level: Medium

55. Which of the following states have abolished parole for inmates with lifetime sentences?

a. Idaho

b. California

c. Alaska

d. Illinois

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Abolition of Parole for Life Imprisonment (LWOP)

Difficulty Level: Medium

56. In which U.S. Supreme Court case did the Court rule that in regards to juvenile offenders, a sentence of life without parole for those convicted of noncapital offenses was a violation of the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment?

a. Reynolds v. Florida

b. Graham v. Florida

c. United States v. Shallet

d. Kenny v. Indiana Youth Center

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Abolition of Parole for Life Imprisonment (LWOP)

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. Although there are complex rules at most prisons, guards still have lots of discretion and this discretion can create ethical problems.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guarding With Discretion

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Transgender inmates are often held in solitary confinement based on PREA laws for “their own protection.”

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Transgender Prisoners

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Probation and parole officers sometimes face ethical dilemmas because of their conflicting obligates to provide treatment and control/punishment.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethical Issues in Probation and Parole

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Discretionary power does not usually involve questions of ethical conduct.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guarding With Discretion

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. The central norms of the guard subculture inform how they behave off the job with family as well.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judicial Oversight of Prisons

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. According to Deitch, an ideal form of corrections oversight would promote transparency to the public and hold prisons accountable for human rights infractions and abuses.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Judicial Oversight of Prisons

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. In the U.S., there is little systematic oversight of prisons; whistle-blowing acts as a very inadequate form of prison oversight.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Judicial Oversight of Prisons

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. In 2006, the Mollen Commission drew attention to the lack of oversight and public monitoring of the prison systems.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judicial Oversight of Prisons

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. The ACA’s view on the issuance of firearms to probation officers is that it is justified.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Arming Probation Officers

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Legally, a probation officer may ask law enforcement personnel for assistance in searching probationers.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Probation Officers and Law Enforcement

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. Treatment programs for parolees are unlimited.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Treatment or Control?

Difficulty Level: Medium

Short Answer

1. Brookes and other critics of American prisons contend that operating a humane prison system is almost impossible because correction has ______ as its dominant purpose/justification/ideology.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethical Challenges

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, and this applied to excessive force cases in corrections. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, the test for the legality of use of force against prisoners is whether the force is applied in a ______ effort to maintain or restore discipline, or whether it is applied sadistically and maliciously for the specific purpose of causing harm.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Judicial Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. In what ways do transgendered inmates pose challenges for correctional facilities?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge | Comprehension | Application | Analysis

Answer Location: Transgender Prisoners

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Define corruption and provide an example.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Corruption

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Ethical problems in parole and probation tend to center around the tension between the roles of these institutions as being concerned with both ______.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethical Issues in Probation and Parole

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. A major policy and ethical debate in probation concerns the issue of ______ probation officers.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Arming Probation Officers

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. What type of power can easily involve questions of ethical conduct?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Guarding With Discretion

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. The central norms of what code inform an officer’s daily performance of duty.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Prison Officer Code

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Which of Marquart’s (1986) forms of coercion was employed in more serious rule breaches?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: A Closer Look: Forms of Coercion

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Describe how guards commonly respond to complaints of rape.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Rape in Prison

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Present and discuss three elements of the Prison Guard Code. Explain how each element creates an ethical problem. Please be sure to provide an example of the application of each of the three elements.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Table 8.1: The Prison Officer Code

Difficulty Level: Hard

2. Discuss the situations in which prison officers can use deadly physical force.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Judicial Review of Use of Force | Correctional Policy on Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Hard

3. Discuss the three most important key court cases that have impacted the use of force in prisons.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Judicial Review of Use of Force

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Discuss the prevalence of rape in prison. Why are reports hard to come by?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Rape in Prison | Prison Rape Elimination Act

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. What is whistle-blowing and how has the practice impacted corrections?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Judicial Oversight of Prisons | Whistle-Blowing in Corrections

Difficulty Level: Medium