Morality and the Criminal Law Final
Test Solutions
Course Introduction
This course explores the complex relationship between moral philosophy and criminal law, examining how ethical principles shape definitions of crime, culpability, and punishment. Students analyze foundational questions regarding the justification of legal sanctions, the moral limits of criminalization, and the role of concepts such as intent, harm, and responsibility in legal contexts. Through case studies, philosophical texts, and contemporary legal debates, the course encourages critical thinking about issues such as justice, proportionality, and the interplay between societal values and legal norms.
Recommended Textbook
Ethics Crime and Criminal Justice 2nd Edition by Christopher R. Williams
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10 Chapters
277 Verified Questions
277 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2065 Page 2
Chapter 1: Criminal Justice and the Study of Morality
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26 Verified Questions
26 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41057
Sample Questions
Q1) Social justice is concerned with how a society provides for the needs of its members and the extent to which it treats its subgroups equally.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Briefly discuss at least one reason that the behavior of public officials,including criminal justice professionals,should be held to higher moral standards than that of ordinary persons.
Answer: Should include discussion of one or more of the following: <b>Authority,power,and discretion </b>held by criminal justice professionals Criminal justice agents as <b>public servants</b> The ways in which <b>individual behavior reflects the institution</b>
Q3) Illegal or unethical actions of individual police officers are usually detected and reported.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: Choices,Values,and Ethics
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22 Verified Questions
22 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Consequentialist theories of moral decision-making would have us focus primarily on:
A)our relevant moral duties.
B)determining the course of action which will likely produce the best consequences.
C)the development of moral character.
D)the struggle to overcome moral vice.
Answer: B
Q2) Although frowned upon formally,the informal values of police culture sometimes hold that accepting gifts from the public (e.g. ,free meals)is an acceptable way of supplementing income.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Which of the following would NOT be an example of a moral value?
A)Happiness
B)Tolerance
C)Physical strength
D)Honesty
Answer: C
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Free Will and Moral Responsibility
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27 Verified Questions
27 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In simplest terms,determinism holds that:
A)Every event has a cause.
B)We are naturally motivated to avoid pain.
C)Moral beliefs are a product of the culture in which one lives.
D)No human action is "caused" in the scientific sense of the word.
Answer: A
Q2) If we argued that a person's decision to rob a bank was motivated by an unconscious desire to be punished for her previous sins,we would be making a deterministic argument.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) To show that a given action is determined,we need to be able to give concrete empirical evidence that a single,identifiable factor caused it to happen (i.e."A caused B").
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Is Morality Relative the Variability of Norms and Values
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26 Verified Questions
26 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41060
Sample Questions
Q1) Moral relativism is the idea that:
A)Everything we do is motivated by self-interest.
B)Every event has a cause.
C)Morality is absolute because it is based in human nature.
D)Morality varies from culture to culture and time period to time period.
Q2) When we are committed unquestioningly and with absolute certainty to a belief or beliefs,we are guilty of:
A)Psychological egoism.
B)Normative relativism.
C)An imbalanced soul.
D)Dogmatism.
Q3) Which of the following might help us develop open-mindedness and the virtue of tolerance?
A)Recognizing that people have free will
B)Recognizing that moral norms can and often do vary by time and place
C)Developing our own sense of egoism
D)All of the above
Q4) Briefly discuss the basic position of ethical naturalism,commenting specifically upon the ways in which science can,arguably,enhance our understanding of morality.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Why Should We Be Good
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25 Verified Questions
25 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following involves rationalizing misconduct by perceiving informal norms - such as secrecy or loyalty to fellow officers - to be more important than societal laws,norms,or the formal norms of the organization by which one is employed?
A)Denial of responsibility
B)Denial of victim
C)Denial of injury
D)Appeal to higher loyalties
Q2) Condemnation of condemners occurs when we deny responsibility for our wrongdoing,arguing that "they made me do it" or "they deserved it."
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following was NOT discussed in your text as an important source of "sanction" for immoral behavior?
A)The law
B)God (or other divine being)
C)Guilt
D)All of the above WERE discussed as possible sanctions
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Chapter 6: Morality,Human Nature,and Social Cooperation
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28 Verified Questions
28 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41062
Sample Questions
Q1) Altruistic acts are those:
A)Intended to serve our own interests.
B)Undertaken solely for the benefit of others.
C)That punish cheaters.
D)That strengthen social norms.
Q2) To willingly accept some cost to ourselves in order to ensure that those who violate laws and social norms suffer consequences for their behavior is referred to as:
A)Altruistic punishment.
B)Common punishment.
C)Indirect reciprocity.
D)Inclusive fitness.
Q3) Taking what appears to be moral behavior and explaining it instead in terms of self-interest is a strategy known as:
A)Pragmatism
B)Assigning the general to the particular
C)Innatism
D)Reinterpreting motives
Q4) Briefly describe what is meant by the term,"human universal," providing at least two examples.
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Chapter 7: Becoming Ethical: The Development of Morality
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23 Verified Questions
23 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to Kohlberg,civil disobedience is characteristic of the most advanced stage of moral reasoning.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Briefly summarize Kohlberg's three levels of moral development,illustrating your answer where appropriate.
Q3) Carol Gilligan's work utilizing the "Heinz Dilemma" revealed that males tend to resolve moral dilemmas using impartial principles,while females tend to focus on finding alternative solutions that take into account the needs of all people involved.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Perhaps characteristic of those having reached higher stages of moral development,civil disobedience refers to:
A)A vigilante attitude toward those who violate laws and social norms.
B)A peaceful refusal to obey laws that are felt to be unjust.
C)A duty that citizens have to obey democratically-created laws.
D)Refusing to vote because "it doesn't matter anyway".
Q5) Briefly discuss what is meant by a "reversible solution."
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Page 9
Chapter 8: Means and Ends: The Importance of Consequences
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32 Verified Questions
32 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41064
Sample Questions
Q1) Those who utilize the internet (e.g. ,chat rooms)to exploit children for sexual purposes are commonly referred to as:
A)Online predators.
B)Dirty Harries.
C)Finks.
D)Provocateurs.
Q2) Which of the following propositions is not true of utilitarian moral frameworks?
A)Actions are judged right/wrong with reference to their consequences
B)In measuring consequences,what is important is the amount of happiness or unhappiness that is produced
C)No one person's happiness is more important than anyone else's
D)All of the above ARE true of the utilitarian framework
Q3) Consequentialist ethical frameworks argue that our decisions and actions are morally "right" if they are intended and can be reasonably expected to produce the best consequences.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Briefly discuss the importance of the principle of agent neutrality as it appears in utilitarian ethical theory and its application to decisions we make.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Respecting Persons, Respecting Rights: The
Ethics of Duty
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35 Verified Questions
35 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41065
Sample Questions
Q1) According to Kant,by manipulating or deceiving people we are failing to respect their autonomy and rationality.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Deontological ethics would agree that we should allow incarcerated criminals to be released from prison early if they willingly participate in medical experiments that could save the lives of other people.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Briefly describe,providing at least one example,what it means to say that rights and duties are correlative.
Q4) Moral principles or moral rules such as "never kill an innocent human being" might be described as:
A)Virtues.
B)Conditionals.
C)Maxims.
D)Courses of best interest.
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