4.1 Flashcards
what is a social policy
course of action created typically by a government in response to real world problems
what is a crime control policy
laws, regulations and other governmental actions that are designed to reduce criminal acts and protect human welfare
what is a formal policy
governmental policies made by authority figures which go through parliament
what is an informal policy
policies by less authoratative figures and not enforced nationally
3 policies informed by sociological theories
prison, target hardening, restorative justice
3 policies informed by individualistic theories
psychoanalysis, behaviour modification-token economy, anger management
4 policies informed by biological theories
death penalty, eugenics, diminished responsibility, neurochemicals
what is the psychoanalysis policy
offender talks through thoughts and feeling which brings trauma to conscious mind from the unconscious to be dealt with
why is psychoanalysis least favoured
very time consuming (4 years) and won’t provide quick answers- patient could just be getting better on their own
why could psychoanalysis be an ethical issue
a patient could discover traumatic memories that were deliberately repressed
who pointed out there were very few positive evaluations of psychoanalysis
Blackburn
who else commented negatively on psychoanalysis
Andrews et al
what did andrews at al say about psychoanalysis
traditional psychodynamic therapies are to be avoided within general samples of offenders
what is the final weakness of psychoanalysis
psychoanalysis doesn’t always lead to long term changes in behaviour
who’s research supported psychoanalysis
Aicchorn
how did aichhorns research support psychoanalysis
his research influenced the way young offenders are treated- care and nurture rather than harsh punishment in order to reform long term
why is psychoanalysis a good policy
it gets to basic cause of problem rather than simply addressing its symptoms
how do we know psychoanalysis works
a study in 2010 concluded works as well as any other psychotherapy treatments and is still used today
what is behaviour modification
aims to eradicate undesirable behaviours and promote desirable ones through token economy
who showed strengths and weaknesses of behaviour modification
Fo and O’Donell (1975)
Allyon and Milan (1979)
what did Fo and O’Donell find when researching behaviour modification
found a buddy system where adult volunteers reinforced socially acceptable behaviour to young offenders
did fo and o’donell research work
improved behaviour of serious offenders but less effective for non-serious offenders
what did Allyon and Milan find
evidence suggests token economies work in short term but the improvements do not last once that criminal leaves prison
1st weakness of behaviour modification
limited success with violent criminals
2nd weakness of behaviour modification
may not have any long term effects on behaviour as it doesn’t rehabilitate prisoners or prepare them for life outside
final weakness of behaviour modification
question whether or not removing perks will encourage good behaviour- may do reverse
who commented positively on behaviour modification
Hobbs and Holt
what did Hobbs and Holt say- their study
behaviour modification is effective at reducing aggression- used token economies on 127 young offenders
positives of behaviour modification
easy
reduces disobediant behaviour
works for everyone
no specialist training needed-cheap
sees as fair so inmates comply
what are the 3 stages to anger management policies
cognitive preparation-analyse when get angry
skills acquisition-offender learns how to manage anger
application practise-offenders try new skills in controlled environment
who commented positively on anger management
Fiendler et al
what did fiendler et al find
anger management policy led to improved self control, better problem solving and reduced offending in young men
who commented negatively on anger management policy
Ainsworth
Howitt
what did ainsworth say about anger management
only effective if programme managed correctly, given appropriate resources and targetting right offenders- those whose crime resulted in inability to control anger- won’t work for everyone
what did howitt say about anger management policy
it wouldn’t work when a crime was committed to achieve a specific goal, rather than due to poor anger management
what is eugenics
claims traits that lead to success or failure in life are transmitted form generation to generation in genes
eugenics reinforced biological determinism- what is it
idea persons personality or behaviour is caused by inherited genes not social/cultural factors
what is a positive of eugenics
prevents future criminality according to lombroso
who supports eugenics with research
Osborn and west
what did osborn and west say about eugenics
criminal fathers more likely to have criminal children than non-criminal fathers
what did lombrosos theory and eugenics lead to
attempts at solving crime by eliminating reproductive opportunities for criminals through sterilisation and prisons
1st negative of eugenics
‘born criminals’ were confined and treated in early 20th century to stop passing on genes
2nd negative of eugenics
nazi’s advocated for sterilisation for people with less desirable traits- led to haulocaust
final negative of eugenics
prevent incarcarated criminals giving birth to ‘criminal’ offspring by sterilisation laws
what can support death penalty as a policy
gives closure to victims family
2nd support of death penalty
forensics more advanced so no wrongful execution
when was capital punishment abolished in UK
1969
1st weakness of death penalty policy
evidence to suggest doesn’t act as deterrent- murder rate higher in states with it than without
2nd weakness of death penalty policy
after temporary abolition in 1965 in uk, murder rates didn’t increase to was abolished
final weakness of death penalty policy
creates sympathy for perpetrators of horrible crimes
what is diminished responsibilty
an unbalances mental state that is considered to make a person less answerable for a crime and grounds for a reduced charge
support of diminished responsibility policy
if have brain abnormality they can’t help it- more medical approach
1st weakness of diminished responsibility
too leniant as they still committed the crime
2nd weakness of diminished responsibility
no justice for victims and their familes eg Valdo Calocane who stabbed 3 to death
final weakness of diminished responsibility
too subjective
what is neurochemicals policy
use of diet to positively affect aggressive behaviour which in turn may result in less crime
who supported neurochemicals policy
Vikkenen et al, Schoenthaler, Gesch et al
what did Vikkenen et al find
lower serotonin levels found in violent offenders- serotonin diet may reduce crime
what did schoenthaler find
reduced sugar diet redcued antisocial behaviour
what did gesch et al find
research involving taking vitamin pills by young male prisoners showed reduction in disciplinary incidents
1st support of prisons
increasingly used policy- england and wales have highest imprisonment rates in western europe
2nd support of prisons from functionalism view
positive functions of prison is it acts as detterent and reinforcement for social regulation
3rd support of prisons
crime rates decreasing
final support of prison from right realism view
thinks crime needs tougher policing and crack down on individuals so promotes prison
1st weakness of prisons
short prison sentance less effective then community service at reoffending
2nd weakness of prison
adults who served less than 12 months have reoffending rate of 53.9%- reduced figure for longer term
final weakness of prisons
overcrowding is major issue however between 2010 and 2014 budgets were reduced by 20%
what is restorative justice
voluntary process by facilitators involving person who suffered + person who committed to talk about what happened and how to repair the harm
1st weakness of restorative justice
it is volunteering
2nd weakness of restorative justice
can bring back trauma
final weakness of restorative justice
people murdered can’t do it- doesn’t work for everyone
1st strength of restorative justice
reduces reoffending rates by 14% and improves victim satisifaction
2nd strength of restorative justice
can reduce PTSD in victims and motivate offenders to turn away from life of crime
final strength of restorative justice
gives victim a voice in criminal justice system and makes offenders accountable for actions by taking responsibility
strength and weakness of target hardening
more effective when directed at reducing theft of and from vehicles but no impact on violent crime
1st strength of target hardening
college of policing 2013- can make small but statistically significant reduction in crime
2nd strength of target hardening
individuals can be identified on CCTV- supported by right realism as its evidence to punish
3rd strength of target hardening
detterent
what case supports target hardening
Jamie Bulger murderers spooted on CCTV
1st weakness of target hardening
crime will still occur but just moved- crime displacement
2nd weakness of target hardening
some cctv poor qualirt to cant identify
final weakness of tagret hardening from marxism view
will focus on proletariats
