I Got Myself Arrested So I Could Look Inside the Justice System

1. PART A: Which statement best expresses the central idea of the text?
A. The first step in removing the corruption in the justice system is to expose it to
the public.
B. People are charged more severely when they make vocal judgments about law
enforcement and the justice system.
C. Ensuring that all people have equal access to justice begins with law
enforcement remaining unbiased in their policing.
D. The justice system does not provide equally or appropriately fair punishments
and disproportionately mistreats people of color.

PART B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “But in between the important cases, I found myself spending most of my time
prosecuting people of color for things we white kids did with impunity growing
up in the suburbs.” (Paragraph 2)
B. “I walked up to the east entrance of City Hall and tagged the words ‘N. Y.P. D. Get
Your Hands Off Me’ on a gatepost in red paint. The surveillance video shows me
doing this, 20 feet from the police officer manning the gate.” (Paragraph 12)
C. “I went home and blogged about the incident, publicizing what I’d done and
posting pictures, before returning to the guard tower the next day, and the next,
to hand over my license and letter.” (Paragraph 15)
D. “Some time later the door swung open and a CO led three more men into our
cell. Eighteen men were now sitting and lying feet to head, or feet to feet, along
the length of the bench and floor.” (Paragraph 31)

PART A: What connection does the author draw between his appearance and his
experiences with the justice system?
A. The author explains how his professional clothing made him a target for
harassment from the other people locked in the cell.
B. The author attributes his short stature and height as the reasons for the officers’
delayed responses to his criminal behavior.
C. The author describes the officers as more reluctant to confront him, a white
man in a suit, than when they interacted with people of color.
D. The author claims that he received a much lighter sentence for his crimes
because of his young age and status as a lawyer.

PART B: Which TWO details from the text best support the answer to Part A?
A. “The officers grumbled a few choice curse words and then ran down the stairs in
pursuit of the young man. Though I was the one clearly breaking a law, they
went after him.” (Paragraph 10)
B. “I moved closer, within 10 feet of him, and tagged it again. I could see him inside
watching video monitors that corresponded to the different cameras.”
(Paragraph 12)
C. “Each time, the guards saw a young professional in a suit, not the suspect they
had in mind, and each time they handed me back my license and turned me
away.” (Paragraph 15)
D. “‘When will you let me see my attorney? He’s been upstairs waiting to see me for
two hours!’ another man called out in the direction of a group of corrections
officers sitting and talking out of view.” (Paragraph 24)
E. “Around midnight, after 34 hours in custody, I was led to a courtroom upstairs to
be arraigned. The district attorney’s office, responsible for prosecuting
offenders, asked the judge to dismiss my case with three days of community
service.” (Paragraph 34)
F. “After the orientation, I went straight to my probation officer and requested
permission to spend Christmas with my family in Massachusetts. I listened in
disbelief as she denied my request... I knew that regular family contact has been
shown to reduce recidivism.” (Paragraph 45)

Which statement best describes how the author develops his analysis of different people’s
experiences with the justice system?
A. The author explores how his experiences with the justice system improved
when people found out he was an assistant district attorney.
B. The author exposes how the justice system treats people unequally by
comparing his own experiences with his observations of others’.
C. The author contrasts the unfair treatment he experienced with the fair
treatment he provided the people he prosecuted.
D. The author uses his legal expertise to break down his experience with the justice
system and explain why it was so unjust