JS 423 Exam Four (May 10, 2011) Study Questions

Note: You will not know in advance which questions will be selected for the exam so it is advisable to prepare for each question.  Remember the exam will be closed-notes and closed-book. Your answers should reflect the breadth of information presented in the class and must incorporate specific material from the course readings whenever appropriate.  PLEASE BRING A NEW BLUE BOOK TO THE EXAM. Two of the questions below will appear on your exam.

1) Use the moral entrepreneur framework to compare prohibition to the war on drugs.  Be sure to at least discuss:

a) How the policies were developed and “sold”.

b) The costs and benefits of the policies

c) The unintended consequences

d) The factors that limited their success

2) Explain how the policies of the United States shifted from a War on Poverty to a War on Drugs. Be certain to discuss, at minimum:

a) The Law and Order Discourse

b) Presidential administrations from Nixon to Bush (Sr.)

c) Conflict between politics, science, and justice policy

d) Assess the impacts of drug education and rehabilitation in reducing demand

e) Assess the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the supply of drugs

3) Use the readings to predict the future of criminal justice public policy. Include in your discussion at least:

a) The relevance of criminal justice research for public policy in the future

b) How may the relevance of criminology for policy be measured and improved?

c) How might the "war on crime" be re-framed? Be specific

d) Assess Walker’s (2006) proposition #47 "With the possible exception of drugs, decriminalization will not reduce serious crime."

4) A legislator has proposed a sweeping new crime and punishment bill with mandatory prison sentences for Driving While Intoxicated.  For each of the following ethical frameworks, discuss the core principles, whether the framework would lead you to support or reject the policy, and explain the reasons for each stance:

a) Utilitarianism

b) Deontology

c) Ethics of Care