Study Guide: Exam 3
Technology and the Criminal Justice System
Professor Byrne Fall, 2015
Exam Date: Tuesday, Dec. 15, 3pm
Exam Format: Multiple Choice and Short Answers (70%) and Essay ( 30%)
Required Reading in Text: Chapters 10,11,12, 13.
Required Links, online reading, and Websites to visit: See Schedule/ Materials sections of Technology
course webpage and be sure to review the following links:
Technological innovation and Offender Reentry ( see link on schedule)
Case of Phillip Garrido: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Special Report ( See
Materials Section)
Maximum Impact: Targeting Supervision on Higher-Risk People, Places and Times
Key Terms to review:
1. Types of contraband detection devices used in prison/jail; effectiveness( Text, ch.10and
PPT)
2. Types of duress alarm systems for corrections officers in indoor and outdoor settings(
Text, ch. 10and PPT)
3. Types of language translation devices for use within prisons and in community
corrections( Text, ch. 10and PPT, )
4. Super-max prison: what is it? extent of use( Text, ch. 10, PPT and schedule links)
5. Inmate classifications systems: external and internal; % of prisoners classified as max,
mod, min ( Text, Ch. 11and PPT)
6. Extent of Inmate health problems (prevalence of various mental and physical health
problems)( Text, ch. 11and PPT)
7. Electronic supervision tools in community corrections; types and extent of use;
effectiveness( Text, ch. 12and PPT)
8. The use of polygraph tests and penile plethysmographs in sex offender treatment( Text
ch.12)
9. Kiosks to monitor offender location, using biometric devices; extent of use in NYC(
Text, ch. 12and PPT)
10. Maximum Impact: Key findings and recommendations from Byrne review( see link on
schedule and PPT)
11. California vs, Johnson: What was the Supreme Court decision? Link to current debate
on tracking of prisoner radicalization? ( see materials section for link to prisoner
radicalization testimony, PPT, Text, ch.11)
12. Escape/flight risk: How often does it happen and why?(Text, ch. 11and PPT)
13. LSI_R: what is it?( Text, ch. 13and PPT)
14. Field Search: what is it?( Text, ch. 13and PPT)
15. % of drug offenders in federal vs. state prison populations( Class notes/PPT)
16. % of probationers who successfully complete probation: is it getting higher or lower
over time? ( Class notes/PPT), and PPT
17. Parole and Probation revocation: How often do offenders fail and for what reasons? (
Class notes/PPT and link to Maximum Impact report by Byrne)
18. Number of offenders under correctional control in the US; % in prison and % under
community supervision( class notes/PPT)
19. How do probation and parole officers use social media to supervise offenders?( class
notes and link to APPA report on schedule)
20. Persuasive Technologies: The Methamphetamine Remote Recovery Project, E-Treat
and Ann-e( schedule link to reentry chapter by Byrne and Pattavina)
21. Cell phones in prison: detection strategies; prisoner phone service cost issues( class
notes. Link on schedule)
22. Video as an alternative to face –to-face visitation” advantages and disadvantages( class
notes/PPT)
23. Compstat and reentry: What are the key principles? ( Class notes/ppt and Reentry book
chapter by Byrne and Pattavina on schedule))
24. RNR model: Risk, Need, and Responsivity( see class notes/ppt)
25. The case of Jaycee Dugard: What went wrong with the electronic monitoring of Phillip
Garrido?( see link to report in Materials section of course webpage)
Sample Essay Questions:
1. Provide an overview of hard technology and soft technology innovations in prisons, and
then highlight the research on the impact of these technology innovations on prison
performance.( Text, ch. 10, 11)
2. Provide an overview of hard and soft technology innovations in community corrections
and then highlight the research on the impact of these technology innovations on the
performance of community corrections.( Text, ch. 12,13)
Here are a few Sample Study Questions for short answer section ( answers in text and ppts):
1. ___________ are identification cards that contain the inmate’s photograph and that are integrated with a circuit
chip that stores pertinent information about each prisoner.
A. Plethsysmographs
B. Smart Cards
C. Courtools
D. All of the above
E. None of the above
2 Approximately half of all new prison admissions nationwide each year are for technical violations of the
conditions of probation and/or parole. To eliminate this source of new prison admissions, the legislature in the state
of ____________ passed a law that essentially outlaws this practice.
A. California
B. Massachusetts
C. Washington
D. Arizona
3. According to a recent review by Stowell, due to its versatility and ability to communicate in both indoor and
outdoor environments, duress notification systems based on_____________________ may be forthcoming.
A. RFID
B. MDT
C. SYSTRAN
D. CMC
4. The use of video surveillance was found to be as an effective way to help reduce levels of violence (perpetrated
by inmates and guards) in jails and prisons.
A. True
B. False
5._________________ operates by translating key phrases spoken into the machine by an officer into one of 50
different languages . The _______ is not a dynamic language translator, meaning that it cannot be used for the
purposes of carrying on a direct conversation with an inmate. Rather, the ____________ stores thousands of prerecorded phrases in the various languages, which can be used to obtain “basic information” during the questioning
of non-English-speaking inmates .
A. SYSTRAN
B. Voice Response Translator (VRT)
C. JNET
D. All of the above
E. B and C only
6. The current trend in handling many high-risk inmates, approximately 10% 0f the prison population (or 200,000
inmates nationally), has been to remove them from the general prison population and to place them in ultra-secure
housing units known as supermax prisons.
A. True
B. False
7. In addition to its role in preventing drunk driving, the____________ device functions as a surveillance tool for
community supervision officers. A memory chip in the mechanism can store data that can be retrieved each time the
vehicle is serviced. Examples of data that can be downloaded include number and outcome of vehicle starts, driver’s
blood alcohol content per test and retest, tamper attempts, and total number of hours of operation
A. GPS
B. Plethysmograph
C. Sousveillance
D. Ignition interlock
8. According to the results of a recent NCCHC review of correctional health care , the rate of schizophrenia or other
psychotic disorders is____________ times greater among prisoners as compared to the U.S. population., while the
rate of bipolar disorder is___________ times greater .
A. three to five; 1.5 to 3
B. ten to fifteen; 10 to 12
C. three to five; 10-12
D. ten to fifteen; 1.5 to 3
9. The prevalence of Infectious disease among prisons is a serious problem, with the rate of AIDS 5 times higher,
Active tuberculosis 4 times greater, Hepititis C 9-10 times higher, and the rate of HIV infection 8-9 times higher
than the U.S. population.
A. True
B. False
10. The ___________ is the most common means of assessing the nature and extent of the offender’s deviant sexual
arousal, a practice known as phallometric assessment
A. Privatization
B. Portocaval Shunt
C. Plethysmograph
D. None of the above