Free DSST Criminal Justice Practice Test (2026)

Question 1

Herbert Packer described a model of criminal justice that works like an 'obstacle course,' stressing the rights of the accused and limits on government power. This is the

Accepted Answer

due process model

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crime control model

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medical model

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restorative justice model

Question 2

Which of the following best describes a felony in most US jurisdictions?

Accepted Answer

A serious crime punishable by more than one year in prison

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A minor offense punishable only by a fine

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Any crime committed by a person under 18

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A civil wrong that is settled with money damages

Question 3

The Auburn system of prison discipline, developed in New York in the 1820s, was known for

Accepted Answer

inmates working together in silence by day and sleeping in separate cells at night

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inmates living in total solitary confinement day and night

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allowing inmates to earn early release through a marks system

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housing inmates in open dormitories with no work required

Question 4

Sir Robert Peel is known as the father of modern policing because in 1829 he

Accepted Answer

created the London Metropolitan Police, a full-time, uniformed public force

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founded the Federal Bureau of Investigation

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organized the first slave patrols in the American South

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invented the two-way police radio

Question 5

Before a jury is seated, lawyers and the judge question possible jurors to find any bias. This process is called

Accepted Answer

voir dire

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arraignment

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discovery

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an indictment

Question 6

Unlike the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, the National Crime Victimization Survey

Accepted Answer

includes crimes that were never reported to the police

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counts only crimes that led to an arrest

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is based entirely on police department records

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covers only homicides and other violent crimes

Question 7

In Mapp v. Ohio (1961), the Supreme Court applied the exclusionary rule to the states. This rule means that

Accepted Answer

evidence obtained through an illegal search cannot be used at trial

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a suspect must be told of the right to remain silent

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a defendant who cannot afford a lawyer must be given one

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no one can be tried twice for the same crime

Question 8

A judge sentences an offender to prison mainly to keep him from committing new crimes against the public while he is locked up. This goal of punishment is

Accepted Answer

incapacitation

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retribution

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general deterrence

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rehabilitation

Question 9

The US Supreme Court agrees to hear a case when at least how many of its nine justices vote to grant a writ of certiorari?

Accepted Answer

Four

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Five

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Six

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Nine

Question 10

Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory holds that criminal behavior is

Accepted Answer

learned through close interaction with others who favor breaking the law

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inherited through physical and genetic traits

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the result of a gap between cultural goals and legal means

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a free, rational choice made after weighing costs and benefits

Question 11

A county sheriff in most US states is

Accepted Answer

usually elected and typically runs the county jail as well as patrol duties

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appointed by the governor to command the state highway patrol

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a federal officer who protects federal judges and transports prisoners

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a city official who reports directly to the mayor

Question 12

The difference between substantive and procedural criminal law is that substantive law

Accepted Answer

defines crimes and their punishments, while procedural law sets the steps for enforcing them

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applies only to federal crimes, while procedural law applies to state crimes

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is written by judges, while procedural law is passed by legislatures

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covers juveniles, while procedural law covers adults

Question 13

Restorative justice programs, such as victim-offender mediation, aim mainly to

Accepted Answer

repair the harm caused by the crime and involve the victim and community

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make sentences longer and harsher for repeat offenders

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keep offenders isolated from the community they harmed

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replace all prison sentences with fines paid to the state

Question 14

The main legal purpose of bail is to

Accepted Answer

make sure the defendant returns for court while allowing release before trial

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punish the defendant before guilt is decided

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pay the victim for losses caused by the crime

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cover the cost of the defendant's court-appointed lawyer

Question 15

Robert Merton's strain (anomie) theory explains crime as

Accepted Answer

a response to the gap between culturally valued goals and legitimate means to reach them

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behavior learned from friends and family who approve of breaking the law

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the result of weak social bonds to family, school and community

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the outcome of being publicly labeled a criminal

Question 16

Under the legal principle of stare decisis, courts generally

Accepted Answer

follow precedents set by earlier decisions in similar cases

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refuse to hear cases that are already in another court

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let juries decide what the law means

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base rulings only on written statutes passed by legislatures

Question 17

Problem-oriented policing often uses the SARA model. SARA stands for

Accepted Answer

Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment

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Search, Arrest, Report, Adjudicate

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Stop, Assess, Restrain, Arrest

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Surveillance, Apprehension, Reporting, Accountability

Question 18

In Gregg v. Georgia (1976), the Supreme Court

Accepted Answer

upheld new death penalty laws that guided jurors' discretion with a separate sentencing phase

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ruled that the death penalty is always cruel and unusual punishment

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banned the execution of people under 18 at the time of their crime

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required that all executions be carried out by lethal injection

Question 19

Most criminal convictions in the United States are obtained through

Accepted Answer

guilty pleas, usually after plea bargaining

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jury trials

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bench trials before a judge alone

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appeals to higher courts

Question 20

In Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), the Supreme Court held that

Accepted Answer

states must provide a lawyer to felony defendants who cannot afford one

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police must warn suspects of their rights before questioning

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illegally obtained evidence must be excluded from state trials

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juveniles have the right to a jury trial

Question 21

Routine activities theory says a crime is most likely when three things come together in time and place. Which set is correct?

Accepted Answer

A motivated offender, a suitable target and no capable guardian

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Poverty, long-term unemployment and a broken home

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A weapon, a willing accomplice and a getaway vehicle

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Peer pressure, heavy drug use and low self-control

Question 22

Many police departments now train Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT). These teams are designed mainly to

Accepted Answer

help people in a mental health crisis get treatment instead of jail

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negotiate with hostage takers during armed standoffs and sieges

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investigate citizen complaints of misconduct by other officers

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patrol middle and high schools to prevent student drug use

Question 23

Under an indeterminate sentence, a judge sets

Accepted Answer

a minimum and maximum term, and a parole board sets the release date

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one fixed term that the offender must serve in full, with no parole

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a sentence that can only be served on probation in the community

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a term that only the governor can later shorten through a pardon

Question 24

In Estelle v. Gamble (1976), the Supreme Court ruled that prison officials violate the Eighth Amendment when they

Accepted Answer

show deliberate indifference to an inmate's serious medical needs

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read inmates' incoming mail for security reasons

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require inmates to work while in prison

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deny inmates access to cable television

Question 25

When a crime violates both a state law and a federal law, which statement is correct?

Accepted Answer

Both the state and the federal government may prosecute, because they are separate sovereigns

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Only the federal government may prosecute, because federal law is supreme

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Only the state may prosecute, because it has the main police power

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The defendant may choose which government prosecutes

Free DSST Criminal Justice Practice Test (2026)

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