11. Dealing with Crimes 1: Prison and Corrections Flashcards

1
Q

What kinds of assessment and case management do psychologists do in prisons?

A
  • Risk of suicide, risk of harm to self/others
  • Risk of harm FROM others
  • Risk of reoffending
  • Mental illness, mental health needs
  • Social and emotional wellbeing (++ Indigenous)
  • Drug and alcohol status
  • Cognitive function/ability
  • Fitness to plead or stand trial
  • Educational/vocational needs
  • Other intervention needs
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2
Q

What is the clinical interview method of assessment?

A

Clinical interviews – structured, semi-structured.
Verbal and nonverbal content.
ADL’s.

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3
Q

What is the standardised assessment method?

A
Standardised assessment tools
Information gathering and assessment: 
Violence Risk Scale - risk at pre-release
Diagnostic
PCL-R (Hare, 1980)
Kits (cognitive testing)
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4
Q

How is psychology in prisons reports?

A

Mental health assessments – submitted to courts
Cognitive assessments – submitted to court
Risk assessments– submitted to courts, parole boards
Pre-sentencing report – court. Bigger picture.
Intervention reports – offender’s participation, progress, effectiveness of treatment
Report writing forms a massive part of any psychologist’s workload (!)

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5
Q

What are the characteristics of treatment/intervention and rehabilitation?

A
  • Individual, not always though due to limited resources
  • Group sessions – therapy, skills, personal development
  • Crisis management – e.g. suicide attempts
  • Drug and alcohol
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6
Q

What are the rates of mental illnesses in prison than in the public?

A

Higher than representative rates of mental illness/intellectual impairment/developmental disorder

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7
Q

What are the statistics of mental illness from the Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing?

A
  • 46% some kind of mental illness. 2.5 x pop.
  • Other studies report more like 80% (Heffernan, Finn, Saunders and Byrne, 2003)
  • Majority – substance abuse.
  • 40% – personality disorder (Butler & Allnutt, 2003). Around 6% in population - ~7x (ABS 1997).
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8
Q

What is psychopathy?

A

Psychopathy – the extreme end of personality disordered social/behavioural problems.

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9
Q

what is psychopathy related to?

A

Associated with an increased risk for antisocial behaviour, violence and crime

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10
Q

What is psychopathy’s category in the ICD/DSM?

A

Its not considered an official diagnostic category. However, it may be a combination of diagnostic criteria from several personality disorders

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11
Q

what is Hare’s clinical model of psychopathy?

A

4 components of psychopathy.

  1. deceitful interpersonal style
  2. affective deficiency
  3. impulsiveness or life- style
  4. antisocial behaviour.
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12
Q

What are the two factors of psychopathy according to Hare

A

Factor 1: Interpersonal/affective

Factor 2: social deviance

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13
Q

What are the facets of factor 1 psychopathy?

A

Interpersonal, affective

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14
Q

What are the facts of factor 2 psychopathy?

A

lifestyle and antisocial

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15
Q

What is involved in the Interpersonal factor of psychopathy?

A

Glibness/superficial charm
Grandiose self-worth
Pathological lying
Conning/manipulative

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16
Q

What is involved in the affective factor of psychopathy?

A

Lack of remorse or guilt
Shallow affect
Callous/lack of empathy
Failure to accept responsibility for actions

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17
Q

What is involved in the lifestyle factor of psychopathy?

A
Need for stimulation - prone to bordem
Parastic lifestyle
lack of realistic long-term goals
impulsitivity
irresponsibility
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18
Q

What is involved in the antisocial factor of psychopathy?

A
poor behavioural control
early behavioural problems
Juvenile delinquency
Revocation of condition -release
Criminal versatility
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19
Q

what does evidence suggest psychopathy is predctive of?

A

recidivism in sexual and violent crimes

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20
Q

What is included in risk assessment and management tools?

A

PCL scales included in many structured and actuarial risk assessment/management tools due to predictive utility.

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21
Q

What treatment options are there for psychopathy?

A

Limited effective treatment options.

22
Q

What is the characteristic of sex offender programs?

A

diffcult, few outcome studies

23
Q

What is the issue with violent offenders/anger management?

A

high recidivism (40%)

24
Q

What are other groups and programs to attempt to overcome psychopathy?

A

Domestic violence
Cognitive skills – little long term evidence
Drug and alcohol programs
Victim awareness

25
Q

Who is the Mental Health Act aimed at?

A

For offenders who are mentally ill, courts can place them under forensic orders under the MHA (2000).

26
Q

what does the Mental Health Act request?

A

Involuntary assessment and treatment.

27
Q

where are perpetrators usually held if they fall under the mental health act and for how long?

A

Usually detained in mental health facility or specialist service e.g. forensic disability.
Usually held for longer under forensic order compared to regular prison sentence.

28
Q

What is the rate of mental illness reoffenders?

A

Despite various types of intervention and rehabilitation, still high rates of reoffending – varies by type of crime & some other factors.

Once person enters CJS, more likely to reoffend –criminogenic factors (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2007)

29
Q

what does reduce reoffending in mentally ill offenders?

A

Move to reduce reoffending. Earlier intervention to divert people away from CJS, rehabilitate and limit exposure to criminogenic factors  reduce reoffending, keep people out of prison.

30
Q

what did the kennedy report provide?

A

Queensland Government-commissioned review of Corrective Services
‘If punishment can be provided in a setting other than prison, and if the person can be adequately supervised outside prison, society should take this option’.

31
Q

what are the ECONOMIC reasons as to why society should follow the Kennedy Report and support out-of-prison corrective services?

A

Cost of imprisonment vs. cost of community corrections, per person per year.
Average cost per prisoner per day in 2009-10 was $240.66, compared to $18.50 per day, per Community Corrections offender (Council of Australian Governments, 2012).
Savings cumulative and long-term.

32
Q

What are some forms of Community Correction?

A
Parole
Intensive correction order
Probation
Community Service Order
Fines
Home detention
33
Q

what happens in a week of a probation and parole officer

A

Supervising a caseload of offenders on community-based Orders
Inducting offenders into their Probation or Parole Order
Conducting Assessments
Contravention Management
Liaising with QPS, Courts, Rehabilitation Service Providers
Preparing reports for the Court or Parole Board
Maintaining concise, accurate offender records & case notes on state-wide database

34
Q

What occurrs in supervising a caseload of offenders on community-based orders?

A

The location of your office and experience in the role dictates the size of your caseload
Senior Case Managers supervise fewer offenders who are high risk vs. Case Managers who supervise higher numbers of low risk offenders

35
Q

What occurrs in Inducting offenders into their Probation or Parole Order?

A

Explaining the offender’s rights while on their Order and the relevant legislation regarding privacy/collection and release of information
Ensuring the offender is aware of all the conditions of their Order and the consequences of failing to comply with these (e.g. return to custody for individuals on Parole)
Collecting offender’s personal data

36
Q

what occurs in conducting assessments?

A

Identifying protective factors and criminogenic needs/risk factors to inform a plan for the offender’s supervision.
This includes recommendations for intervention to reduce their risk of reoffending and promote prosocial behaviour (e.g. Alcohol & Drug Counselling)
Assessment also informs how often the offender will report to you at Probation and Parole; of course risk of reoffending will fluctuate so this is continually monitored and frequency of office visits increased/reduced accordingly

37
Q

What occurrs in contravention management?

A

Taking action if offenders are breaching the conditions of their Orders (e.g. failing to report to you, testing positive for illicit substance, committing a new offence)

38
Q

What occurs in Liaising with QPS, Courts, Rehabilitation Service Providers?

A

Discussing details of any new offences with Police

Confirming offender’s compliance with rehabilitation (e.g. phoning psychologist to confirm attendance at an appointment)

39
Q

what occurs in Summarising an offender’s suitability for community based supervision?

A

Summarising an offender’s suitability for community based supervision based on their previous behaviour on previous Orders. Assessing suitability of home for an individual upon release from custody to Parole

40
Q

What occurs in Maintaining concise, accurate offender records & case notes on state-wide database?

A

Drug testing, breath testing and visiting offenders at their homes

41
Q

What are the problems with community corrective services?

A

Poor social/community image – seen as “soft” option particularly by people who value retribution more over rehabilitation/restoration
Overworked CCO’s, limited funding
Effectively overpopulating CC now
Lacks political support – continued funding cuts

42
Q

who do drug courts target?

A

Targets drug-dependent offenders whose history of crimes sees a result of their drug use – prison doesn’t address rehabilitation needs effectively, so keep reoffending.

43
Q

what drugs are used most?

A

Cannabis, amphetamines, poly-drug use most common.

44
Q

What does the Queensland drug court offer?

A

The Queensland drug court program offers eligible offenders an opportunity to participate in an Intensive Drug Rehabilitation Order (IDRO)

45
Q

What are the results if people who undertake an Intensive Drug Rehabilitation Order?

A

Large decline in their criminal activity

Lower rates of recidivism than non-completers or those who went to prison

46
Q

what other options can youth offenders take other than jail?

A

Can also receive all the prior options – juvenile detention rather than jail, though.

Other options include:
Graffiti removal orders
Community service orders
Supervised release (assisted reintegration)

can also go through things like youth justice conferencing - restorative and youth boot camps

47
Q

What are the Murri Courts?

A

Murri Courts – Magistrate court founded in 2006 in Queensland in response to extreme overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in both prison and juvenile detention.
Also in response to deaths in custody concerns, very high rates of reoffending compared to other Australians.

48
Q

How do Murri Courts address the law and justice and what do they often respond to?

A

Address law and justice in way that Aboriginal communities understand and respond to in accordance with their customs, laws and understanding of what is just and right.

49
Q

what did an evaluation by the Australian Institute of Criminology indicate after 4 years of running the Murri Courts?

A

Improved attendance – less absconding (Adults 4% DNA at Murri Court compared to 12% at mainstream; youth 28% compared to 40%)

Stronger relationships between courts and Indigenous communities

No real improvement in recidivism or violations of court orders – slight but not statistically significant.

50
Q

When did the Murri Courts close and why?

A

Murri Court program closed under Newman government in December 2012 – lack of evidence of effectiveness, to save money (save $36 million over 4 years).

Concern that in long-run will cost more money than what saved in short-term by axing program – was it closed too soon?

51
Q

when were the Murri Courts reintroduced?

A

Reintroduced in Queensland in 2016.