Criminal Justice Practice Exam

Which of the following is NOT a common goal of the criminal justice system?

1. Rehabilitation

2. Prediction of future crimes

3. Restitution to victims

4. Deterrence

The correct answer is: Prediction of future crimes

The identification of prediction of future crimes as not being a common goal of the criminal justice system highlights a fundamental distinction in the purposes of criminal justice. The primary goals of the criminal justice system center around managing and responding to crime after it has occurred rather than forecasting criminal activity. Rehabilitation focuses on reforming offenders through various interventions to reduce recidivism, aiding reintegration into society. Restitution aims to compensate victims for their losses and restore them to their status prior to the crime, strengthening the victim's role in the justice process. Deterrence seeks to discourage criminal behavior by establishing consequences for actions, thereby maintaining public order. In contrast, while there are assessments and predictive policing methods used by some law enforcement agencies to anticipate potential criminal activity, these are not central goals of the broader criminal justice system. Rather, prediction often serves as a tool for preventing crime rather than a foundational objective of justice itself, which is primarily concerned with enforcement, punishment, rehabilitation, and protection of society.