Prosecutors often use plea bargains because

Question 1 options:

	plea bargains help ensure success at trial.
	by using plea bargains, these offices can manage their limited resources better and maintain a high conviction rate.
	plea bargains are the only way prosecutors can ensure that guilty individuals face harsh sentences.
	by using plea bargains, there is a smaller chance that an innocent person may go to jail.

Question 2 (10 points)

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Advances in __________ have revealed a series of wrongful convictions raising questions about criminal justice in Texas.

Question 2 options:

	fingerprint analysis
	fair jury selection
	witness identifications
	DNA evidence

Question 3 (10 points)

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After a person is arrested for a crime, the first step in the criminal justice process for that person is

Question 3 options:

	arraignment before a judge.
	a grand jury hearing.
	a pretrial hearing.
	a plea bargain.

Question 4 (10 points)

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Among the issues covered in Ruiz v. Estelle was

Question 4 options:

	the use of the death penalty.
	policies and procedures for dealing with wrongful convictions.
	access to email and the internet while incarcerated.
	health care in the prison system.

Question 5 (10 points)

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Which of the following best describes capital punishment in Texas?

Question 5 options:

	The number of prisoners executed in Texas has been slowly decreasing since the 1970s.
	Texas has the highest rate of successful death sentence appeals in the nation.
	Texas executes more individuals than any other state.
	The number of executions in Texas is double the number of executions in every other state combined.

Question 6 (10 points)

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In Texas, murder is a __________; public intoxication is classified as a __________.

Question 6 options:

	misdemeanor; felony
	felony; misdemeanor
	crime; non-crime
	misdemeanor; non-felony

Question 7 (10 points)

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Drug and alcohol treatment programs were incorporated into Texas prisons while __________ was governor.

Question 7 options:

	Rick Perry
	Ann Richards
	Mark White
	Bill Clements

Question 8 (10 points)

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Texas has a __________ rate of incarceration and, compared to other states, a __________ crime rate.

Question 8 options:

	low; high
	high; low
	high; high
	low; low

Question 9 (10 points)

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The salaries for public defenders, who are assigned to defendants who cannot afford their own attorney, are paid for by

Question 9 options:

	the state government.
	donations from concerned citizens.
	nobody, since they provide their services to indigent defendants on a pro bono basis.
	grants from the federal government.

Question 10 (10 points)

Listen

What happens if a defendant posts bail and does not show up for his or her trial?

Question 10 options:

	The bail money is returned, minus a 15 percent processing fee.
	Compound interest is added to the bail amount until he or she presents himself or herself at the court.
	The amount paid in bail is added to any potential fees or fines the defendant must pay at the end of the trial.
	He or she forfeits the bail money.

Question 11 (10 points)

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Who is the head of every district attorney's office in Texas?

Question 11 options:

	an elected officer who runs under a party label
	an elected officer who runs under a nonpartisan label
	a nonelected county attorney
	the county commissioner

Question 12 (10 points)

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Based upon a provision in the penal code, a person convicted of __________ felonies can be sentenced to life in prison.

Question 12 options:

	three
	four
	seven
	eight

Question 13 (10 points)

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When an individual is released early from jail or prison, which state agency determines the conditions that must be met?

Question 13 options:

	Governor's Committee on Paroling
	Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
	Texas Workforce Commission
	Arraignment, Clemency, and Parole Board

Question 14 (10 points)

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___________________ has recommended that testimony that connects bite marks to a specific defendant's teeth is junk science and should not be used as evidence against a defendant.

Question 14 options:

	The Texas Forensic Science Commission
	The Dallas Police Department
	The district attorney of Burleson County
	The Timothy Cole Advisory Panel

Question 15 (10 points)

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Which of the following statements about Texas and wrongful convictions rates is accurate?

Question 15 options:

	Texas has more verified wrongful convictions than any other state in the United States.
	Texas has fewer verified wrongful convictions than any other state in the United States.
	Texas is about average when it comes to the number of verified wrongful convictions in the United States.
	Texas has no history of verified wrongful convictions.

Question 16 (10 points)

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In theGideon v. Wainwrightcase, the Supreme Court decided that

Question 16 options:

	there is no constitutional right to an attorney.
	each county must have at least five public defenders.
	each city with a population of over 10,000 must have a list of 15 attorneys ready to serve as assigned counsel.
	individuals charged with serious offenses have a constitutional right to an attorney, even if they cannot pay for it themselves.

Question 17 (10 points)

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A major controversy of policing in Texas has involved

Question 17 options:

	the high rate of citations given.
	outdated jails.
	sick leave and pensions.
	the use of force.

Question 18 (10 points)

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What is a grand jury?

Question 18 options:

	the name for the juries used in federal courts
	a jury that determines whether there is enough evidence to justify a trial
	a jury that determines the sentence after guilt has been proven
	a jury that determines whether the rights of the accused have been violated