Criminal Justice Final Exam Short response Questions

B  *ESSAY SECTION: Answer all 5 questions thoroughly USING FACTS to receive full credit: Each question is worth 10 points:
 
1. While the incarceration rate has risen dramatically in the past 20 years, the number of people executed has declined. Identify two factors that explain this decrease in the execution rate. Does this signal a change in punishment philosophy in the United States? Explain, using facts, why or why not.
 2. Describe the current constitutional rights afforded to prisoners.  Do you think that prisoners have too many or too few rights?  Discuss the ways in which this has affected the correctional system, and whether you believe the net impact has been positive or negative. 
3. Explain various situations in which correctional officers are to use force inside a prison.  When is force legally accepted?  Is it possible for correctional officers to defuse hostility yet uphold rules? 
4. Why is there generally little support for community corrections?  What evidence about their effectiveness might be helpful to encourage the public to give these programs a chance?
5. How has public opinion affected the release of offenders back into the community?  Have these changes helped    offenders to reduce recidivism?  Explain your answer using facts.