Criminal Justice in the U.S. Trivia Quiz

Answer: Robert Peel

King Hammurabi established the code of Hammurabi in 1750 BC. This code is one of the earliest examples of written law but doesn't involve policing. Alan Pinkerton is credited with creating the first private security force in the US. John Fielding did start the idea of a unified, mobile police force but Robert Peel developed the police structure, which all modern US departments are modeled after. Peel (1788-1850) was a British politician and was Prime Minister briefly in 1834 and then from 1841-46.

In 1820s, as Home Secretary, he persuaded the House of Commons to investigate the existing police force. When the committee told Peel that the existing police force could not be fixed, he established the Metropolitan Police Force in 1829. This may be the reason why some police officers are called "Peelers" or "Bobbies".

Answer: Eighth Amendment

The fourth amendment deals with a person's expectation of privacy and is probably the one an officer would be most concerned with. The fifth deals with due process and self incrimination, which is why officers need to read a suspect their rights before questioning. The eighth deals with court punishments.

Answer: False

If you ever watch any kind of police show such as "Cops" or "Law and Order" you have probably heard somebody being read their rights. Most people can probably remember the first part about "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you ..." However, the case requiring a suspect to be informed of their rights, Miranda v Arizona, only requires this if the suspect is in custody and the officers want to interrogate him. If the officers don't want to ask questions, the rights don't need to be read.

Answer: Executive branch

The legislative branch makes the laws, the judicial branch interprets the laws, and the executive branch enforces the laws. Although you may be tempted to say judicial, that branch only deals with the courts.

Answer: Probable cause

Police need reasonable suspicion to detain a suspect but to arrest somebody, they are held to a higher standard of proof. The other two deal with the proof needed to convict somebody in court.

Answer: Department of the Treasury

Believe it or not the ATF was originally part of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) but is now under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Answer: They are put on probation

Probation means that an offender must obey certain rules and restrictions but still gets to live in his own house and run his normal life. Courts put offenders on probation because it is much less expensive than incarcerating them. If a person violates their probation by not reporting to the probation officer, for example, they could face time behind bars but for the purpose of this quiz, the majority of offenders are initially put on probation.

Answer: No

I'm not saying that you should go out and commit a misdemeanor crime but an officer can only make an arrest on misdemeanors if the crime is committed in the officer's presence, with a few exceptions. However, you can still go to jail if somebody who saw you commit the crime makes a citizen's arrest or if they give a statement and a judge issues an arrest warrant.

Answer: No

The rights granted to you by the constitution and the bill of rights only apply to the government. A store security guard is not acting under the authority of the government so he is not bound by the same rules as a police officer. He does not need to read your rights before questioning nor does he need probable cause to search you.

However, if the guard takes extreme measures to gain evidence like torturing you, the evidence will probably be thrown out at court and the guard can be held liable.

Answer: The title to your old car

The reason is that unless your old car is a 1920s Bentley, it doesn't hold enough value for the court to accept it. However some judges may have you released on your own recognizance. This means that you give your word you will return to face the charges.

This is usually reserved for minor crimes and criminals with little or no record. The court would probably pick this option before taking your beat up old car.