CHAPTER 10
Careers in Corrections
TEST BANK
Multiple Choice Questions
1) Which of the following best describes employment in any facility in which state or local government house accused or convicted offenders?
a: institutional corrections
b: community corrections
c: local law enforcement
d: house arrest
2) Institutional correction jobs are located in which of the following?
a: prisons
b: jails
c: houses of correction
d: all of the above
3) Which term describes people starting out who work in secure facilities and are primarily responsible for monitoring the security of the facility and for supervising, escorting, and ensuring the safety of inmates?
a: probation officers
b: correctional officers
c: parole officers
d: wardens
4) Who is the chief administrator of a prison?
a: correctional officer
b: probation officer
c: warden
d: parole officer
5) Who is the chief administrator of a juvenile correctional facility?
a: superintendent
b: warden
c: correctional officer
d: parole officer
6) Which of the following carry out screening and psychological testing to determine the most appropriate security classification and treatment programs for new inmates?
a: warden
b: superintendent
c: correctional counselors
d: correctional officer
7) In the prison, who may be responsible for conducting group and individual counseling sessions on substance abuse or anger management?
a: psychological technicians
b: warden
c: correctional officers
d: superintendent
8) In most institutional settings, who is the person that is responsible for supervising the psychological technicians and for approving all treatment plans?
a: correctional officer
b: clinical psychologist
c: warden
d: correctional counselor
9) Which of the following are roles assumed by Probation/Parole Officers in their day-to-day work?
a: investigator
b: therapist
c: service broker
d: all of the above
10) Which of the following roles of the PPO assumes the responsibility for preparing presentence investigation (PSI) reports and monitoring their clients?
a: investigator
b: therapist
c: service broker
d: law enforcer
11) Which role of the PPO helps released offenders live in the community and refers clients, if needed, for psychological counseling?
a: investigator
b: service broker
c: therapist
d: law enforcer
12) Which role of the PPO assesses their client’s needs, explores the available community services and brings the client together with the services?
a: investigator
b: service broker
c: therapist
d: law enforcer
13) Which role of the PPO enforces the conditions of release and all other applicable laws including reporting any violations of the law to the local law enforcement?
a: investigator
b: service broker
c: therapist
d: law enforcer
14) Which of the following best describes people who lack the educational background of professionals, but who are trained to work alongside professionals?
a: paraprofessionals
b: unprofessional
c: professors
d: PPOs
15) Which of the following is the commission of official misconduct prohibited under any circumstance?
a: misfeasance
b: malfeasance
c: nonfeasance
d: all of the above
16) Which of the following is the improper performance of an act that is within the scope of the worker’s authority?
a: misfeasance
b: malfeasance
c: nonfeasance
d: all of the above
17) Which of the following describes the failure to act in a situation where one should act?
a: misfeasance
b: malfeasance
c: nonfeasance
d: all of the above
18) What types of courses are offered as an elective or as part of the required curriculum to expose students to the actual demands and expectations of various careers?
a: prerequisites
b: capstone
c: thesis
d: internship
19) Which term is a value-neutral term that however, can lead to discrimination and work to the detriment of some inmates or clients relative to others?
a: discretion
b: corruption
c: unethical behavior
d: ethics
20) Of the following, which are types of corruption committed by unethical correctional officers?
a: theft of items from inmates
b: trafficking in contraband
c: misuse of authority
d: all of the above
21) Which individual might normally be responsible for theft of items from inmates?
a: warden
b: correctional officers
c: correctional counselors
d: probation officers
22) What term best describes when staff members at various levels in prisons traffic in drugs, alcohol, money or weapons?
a: theft of items from inmates
b: embezzlement
c: trafficking in contraband
d: misuse of authority
23) Which of the following are types of contraband in a prison?
a: alcohol
b: drugs
c: weapons
d: all of the above
24) What term describes when prison employees convert money or materials from government accounts and supplies to their use?
a: trafficking in contraband
b: embezzlement
c: misuse of authority
d: theft of items from inmates
25) What percentage of all state and local corrections worked in the United States is employed in correctional institutions?
a: 60 percent
b: 50 percent
c: 25 percent
d: 78 percent
26) What types of educational classes are generally held in most correctional settings?
a: General Educational Development (GED)
b: Graduate School
c: CPR Training
d: Olympic Training
27) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a CO’s median 2010 annual earnings was?
a: $100,000
b: $25,000
c: $39,040
d: $29,040
28) What are the minimum educational requirements for a Correctional Officer?
a: High School diploma or GED
b: associate’s degree
c: bachelor’s degree
d: master’s degree
29) What are the minimum educations requirements for a correctional counselor?
a: High School diploma or GED
b: associate’s degree
c: bachelor’s degree
d: master’s degree
30) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012), in 2010 PPOs had median earnings of how much annually?
a: $37,200
b: $57,200
c: $25,200
d: $47, 200
True/False Statements
Decide whether the following statements are true or false
1) Most people who work in secure facilities start in the position of a counselor.
2) The workload of institutional counselors and psychologists is consistent from facility to facility.
3) In the career field of correction titles for probation and parole officers may vary from state to state.
4) Probationers generally are first-time offenders, and their offenses tend to be minor.
5) One of the benefits of working as a correctional counselor is the opportunity for advancement.
6) Institutional work is one of the major employment areas in corrections.
7) At the state level, correctional employees can expect to earn more than those at the federal level.
8) The easiest way to think about the institutional workplace is to think of a jail, detention center, prison, or any institutional facility as a small city because a correctional facility must provide for its inmates every service that a city must provide its residents.
9) Education is a major factor in most contemporary prisons and even in some local detention facilities..
10) Most of the food for inmates within the correctional facilities is grown and harvested within the prison.
11) The pay range for correctional officers is consistent from federal to state to local governments.
12) More than other institutional corrections employees, corrections officers have the greatest impact on inmates’ lives.
13) Direct contact with the inmates is considered both positive and negative for correctional officers.
14) Hiring correctional officers at the lowest possible level of qualifications works well as this position has the least contact with inmates.
15) In general, correctional officers have to meet the same physical requirements, or perform at the same level, as police officers do.
16) Background checks and polygraph examinations are completed on applicants applying for correctional officer positions.
17) Clinical psychologists who work in corrections need high functioning interpersonal skills, which are important for working with a culturally and racially diverse population with multiple problems.
18) Correctional officer salaries are generally higher than most probation/parole officers.
19) Clinical psychologists are among the highest-paid prison workers, although they tend to make less than equivalently trained individuals in the private practice.
20) Probation and parole officers act as service brokers and assess their clients’ needs, explore the available community services, and bring clients and services together.
Fill in the Blanks
1) PPOs act as a______as they must enforce the conditions of release and all other applicable laws.
2) ______-______is sometimes overtly discouraged, but at other times the organizational culture subtly conveys the message that being a “rat” or a “snitch” is disloyal.
3) The ______expects of its members unfailing honesty, respect for the dignity and individuality of human beings and a commitment to professional and compassionate service.
4) ______is a large and growing field of employment.
5) ______identified four specific types of corruption in prisons including trafficking in contraband.
6) Many criminal justice academic programs offer ______courses either as an elective or as part of the required curriculum.
7) A good rule of thumb for most criminal justice positions is that the application, testing, interview process, and background check take ______to ______months.
8) ______/ ______salaries are generally better than are those of front-line correctional officers, and they are about the same or slightly less than those of correctional counselors.
9) Accreditation and certification by professional organizations such as the American Correctional Association and the ______have further strengthened the professionalization movement.
10) ______is the improper performance of an act that is within the scope of the worker’s authority.
11) Private organizations fund and operate many ______-______programs many others blend public and private financing.
12) Community programs may turn to ______people who lack the educational background of professionals but who are trained to work alongside professionals.
13 ______and ______work can be emotionally intense. When PPOs get involved in their clients' lives and problems, they find it difficult to leave their work in the office.
14) PPOs take on the role of ______as they help released offenders live in the community.
15) ______are among the highest-paid prison workers, although they tend to make less than equivalently trained individuals in the private practice.
16) In some state corrections departments, psychological technicians or treatment specialists are called ______.
17) The chief administrator of an adult correctional facility is the position of ______.
18) ______also make rounds to check on inmate activities, and they have primary responsibility for issuing disciplinary reports when inmates break a rule.
19) Correctional institutions employed roughly ______percent of all state and local corrections workers in the United States.
20) ______involves employment in any facility in which state or local government house accused or convicted offenders.
Matching
Match a word from the list to one of the following statements:
A) correctional officers; B) psychological technicians; C) reintegration; D) superintendent; E) correctional counselors; F) investigator; G) bona fide occupational qualifications; H) nonfeasance; I) community-based programs; J) malfeasance
______1) The chief administrator in a juvenile correctional facility.
______2) Physical and other requirements of applicants from correctional facilities essential to performing the job.
______3) Completes screening and psychological testing to determine the most appropriate security classification and treatment programs for new inmates.
______4) PPOs act in this role when they prepare presentence investigation (PSI) reports and in monitoring their clients.
______5) This process involves locating housing for releasees, finding appropriate job training programs or job placements, and trying to smooth the transition back into their family lives.
______6) Applicants for this position must take a battery of written tests.
______7) The act of taking the life of a prisoner who failed to return to his or her cell in a timely manner.
______8)These may hire ex-offenders for paraprofessional positions, people who would have a difficult time finding work in an institutional setting.
______9) May be responsible for conducting group and individual counseling sessions on substance abuse or anger management.
______10) This is the failure to act in a situation where one should act.