MIDTERM CJ 320 BOWMAN SDSU TEST PAPER
2026 COMPLETE RESPONSES GRADED A+
◉ Courts. Answer: One of the three major systems of the criminal
justice system. The courts are responsible for determining whether
an offender should be charged with a crime and also manage the
process to determine whether the offender should be held
criminally responsible for the crime.
◉ Crime control model. Answer: Model of criminal justice that
advocates for the suppression and control of criminal behavior as a
function of public order in society.
◉ Defendant. Answer: Someone who has criminal charges filed
against her or him.
◉ Discretion. Answer: Refers to the power to make decisions by
criminal justice officials.
◉ Due process model. Answer: Model of criminal justice that
believes that the protection of individual rights and freedoms is the
most important function of the system.
,◉ Ethics. Answer: Refers to the understanding of what constitutes
good or bad behavior.
◉ Felony. Answer: Serious crimes that can be punished by more than
one year in prison.
◉ Misdemeanors. Answer: Lower level crimes that are punished by
less than one year in jail. Punishments can also involve community-
based sanctions, such as probation.
◉ Police. Answer: One of the three major components of the
criminal justice system. Police are tasked with investigating crime
and apprehending offenders.
◉ Wedding cake model. Answer: Model that demonstrates how
cases are treated differently by the criminal justice process. Top
layer: celebrated cases, Next layer: serious felonies, Next layer:
lesser felonies, Bottom layer: Misdemeanors
◉ Actus reus. Answer: Latin for "evil act." One of the four required
components of a criminal act.
◉ Administrative law. Answer: Body of law that governs the creation
and function of state and federal government agencies.
, ◉ American Law Institute standard. Answer: Combines the features
of the M'Naghten rule and the irresistible impulse test to establish
that a defendant can be found criminally insane if, as a result of a
mental disease or defect, he or she is unable to understand the
difference between right and wrong or to control his or her behavior.
◉ Attendant circumstances. Answer: The relationship between
mens rea and actus reus. Refers to what happens within the context
of the act that makes it a crime.
◉ Beyond a reasonable doubt. Answer: In order to convict a
defendant of a crime, the court must find that there is little doubt
according to the reasonable-person standard.
◉ Case law. Answer: Law that is created as a result of legal decisions
by the court.
◉ Civil law. Answer: Law that governs disputes between individuals
or private parties and generally involves the violation of private acts.
◉ Concurrence. Answer: One of the four required components of a
criminal act. Occurs when the mens rea and actus reus join together
in a crime.
2026 COMPLETE RESPONSES GRADED A+
◉ Courts. Answer: One of the three major systems of the criminal
justice system. The courts are responsible for determining whether
an offender should be charged with a crime and also manage the
process to determine whether the offender should be held
criminally responsible for the crime.
◉ Crime control model. Answer: Model of criminal justice that
advocates for the suppression and control of criminal behavior as a
function of public order in society.
◉ Defendant. Answer: Someone who has criminal charges filed
against her or him.
◉ Discretion. Answer: Refers to the power to make decisions by
criminal justice officials.
◉ Due process model. Answer: Model of criminal justice that
believes that the protection of individual rights and freedoms is the
most important function of the system.
,◉ Ethics. Answer: Refers to the understanding of what constitutes
good or bad behavior.
◉ Felony. Answer: Serious crimes that can be punished by more than
one year in prison.
◉ Misdemeanors. Answer: Lower level crimes that are punished by
less than one year in jail. Punishments can also involve community-
based sanctions, such as probation.
◉ Police. Answer: One of the three major components of the
criminal justice system. Police are tasked with investigating crime
and apprehending offenders.
◉ Wedding cake model. Answer: Model that demonstrates how
cases are treated differently by the criminal justice process. Top
layer: celebrated cases, Next layer: serious felonies, Next layer:
lesser felonies, Bottom layer: Misdemeanors
◉ Actus reus. Answer: Latin for "evil act." One of the four required
components of a criminal act.
◉ Administrative law. Answer: Body of law that governs the creation
and function of state and federal government agencies.
, ◉ American Law Institute standard. Answer: Combines the features
of the M'Naghten rule and the irresistible impulse test to establish
that a defendant can be found criminally insane if, as a result of a
mental disease or defect, he or she is unable to understand the
difference between right and wrong or to control his or her behavior.
◉ Attendant circumstances. Answer: The relationship between
mens rea and actus reus. Refers to what happens within the context
of the act that makes it a crime.
◉ Beyond a reasonable doubt. Answer: In order to convict a
defendant of a crime, the court must find that there is little doubt
according to the reasonable-person standard.
◉ Case law. Answer: Law that is created as a result of legal decisions
by the court.
◉ Civil law. Answer: Law that governs disputes between individuals
or private parties and generally involves the violation of private acts.
◉ Concurrence. Answer: One of the four required components of a
criminal act. Occurs when the mens rea and actus reus join together
in a crime.
