Family Questions for the Final Exam

Below are the questions I accepted from the families. Remember, these will be on the final exam.

BLACK FAMILY (Thomas, Natalie, Grant, Matt) 5 points

1. In the context of the discussion of the various drug cases in "Tulia," why did public defenders usually encourage their indigent clients to accept plea bargains?
(2)

ANSWER: Public defenders were poorly compensated for their efforts, only $400 per case, and so they were not motivated to do a good job. And they were also allotted only $500 for investigation purposes, which is grossly inadequate to properly defend someone. So, they usually spent their time trying to get the "best deal" for their clients.

2. Regarding "the most important lesson" to be drawn from "Gang Leader for a Day," the Black Family noted that: "the general lack of opportunities force many people to either work for the gangs or cooperate with them to make money to survive..." In a follow-up comment, how did I relate that to Prof. Ahrens' view of crime? (2)

ANSWER: that, as Ahrens stressed: there is little opportunity for legal, intelligent action in this disorganized world. And that it is this disorganized world that must be addressed in order to deal with the crime problem.


BLUE FAMILY (Marie, Meredith, Kit Jessica) 5 points

1. Why might auto theft attract the professional thief? (1)

ANSWER: There is only a 14% arrest rate, the lowest of any crime category.

2. What is a "fence," and why is this person significant for a certain type of crime? (2)

ANSWER: A fence is someone who buys and sells stolen goods, and this person is a crucial player in the crime of burglary. Without fences, burglars would have a hard time to get rid of the stuff they steal or turn it into cash.


GREEN FAMILY (Aubrey, Miya, Melanie, Sara, Jeremy) 5 points

1. What is the difference between what is called "real rape" and "simple rape?" (2)

ANSWER: Real rape is aggravated rape, involving violence and weapons, whereas simple rape is date or acquaintance rape and it often dismissed as "not real."

2. In the book "Tulia," who was the "mayor of Vigo," and what got him involved in the war on drugs? (2)

ANSWER: Gary Gardner, and he got involved when his son refused to submit to a drug test in school.


RED FAMILY (Wilson, John, Catherine) 5 points

1. After offering some reasons he would give an extraterrestrial to explain why certain drugs are illegal, what does Michael Pollan suggest (in "A Very Fine Line") might be the criteria for legal drugs? (2)

ANSWER: "A capital letter at the beginning of their names and a 'TM' at the end."

2. Identify any TWO things in Tom Coleman's background that should have disqualified him to be an undercover narcotics officer. (2)

ANSWER: Any two of the following: (a) he was openly racist, (b) was a pathological liar, (c) had an arrest warrant for theft and abuse of official property from a previous job in law enforcement, (d) he had walked away from debts, one of them over $6,900.
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That's all folks. See you Thursday afternoon at 2PM.