AC 4.1- biological theories in policy development

Question 1

why are drug treatments given

Answer 1

drug addiction often encourages criminals to commit further offences to feed their habit

Question 2

what type of policy are drug treatments

Answer 2

-informal policy + crime control

Question 3

drug treatments
how can alcoholism increase criminal behaviour

Answer 3

triggers violent behaviour which can cause people to commit crimes

Question 4

drug treatments
how to drug-treat alcoholism (2)

Answer 4

-antabuse used to avert+ treat alcoholism
-it prevents body from breaking down alcohol and gives hangover symptoms which are unpleasant- prevents the want to drink

Question 5

drug treatments
why is chemical castration carried out

Answer 5

-genetic theories- people are born inherently criminal

Question 6

drug treatments
how to carry out chemical castration (3)

Answer 6

-stilbestrol is given to offenders
-suppresses testosterone levels in men+reduces sex drive
-reduces aggression levels+sexual violence

Question 7

drug treatments evaluation
chemical castration- 2 limitations

Answer 7

-stilbestrol= female hormone- can lead to serious side effects eg. psychiatric disorders, developing female physical features
-unethical for homosexual treatment- alan turing was chemically castrated and committed suicide 2 years later

Question 8

drug treatments evaluation
chemical castration- 2 strengths

Answer 8

-prisoners volunteered for treatment and received a pill containing testosterone suppression- results were positive + deemed a successful intervention in reducing hypersexuality
-research in Scandinavia- reduction in reoffending rates from 40% to below 5%

Question 9

diet modification
why is diet modification used to treat criminality (3)

Answer 9

-controlled diets can reduces aggression+criminal behaviour
-vitamins, minerals, fatty acids reduce criminal behaviour
-foods with seratonin increases seratonin levels and reduces violence

Question 10

diet modification evaluation
prison diets+blood sugar levels- 2 strengths

Answer 10

-supplementing prisoners with better diets- up to 37% reduced violence
-reducing sugar intake to regulate blood sugar levels reduced criminal behaviour by 48%

Question 11

diet modification evaluation
unable to access good diets- limitation

Answer 11

-can be other factors determining what people eat
-people in poverty cant afford good food

Question 12

surgery
why is surgical castration used

Answer 12

-to change offending behaviour for sexual offenders by physically removing the ability to reoffend- irreversible procedure

Question 13

what type of policy are surgeries

Answer 13

informal policy
crime control

Question 14

surgery evaluation
surgical castration- strength

Answer 14

-effective punishment for sexual crimes
-85 people in czech republic underwent it within a decade

Question 15

surgery
what is a lobotomy used for (2)

Answer 15

-historically to treat psychiatric disorders+motivations for violent offenders
-involves severing connection between frontal lobe+thalamus

Question 16

surgery evaluation
lobotomy- strength

Answer 16

-seen as miracle cure in 1940s and became mainstream part of psychiatry- over 1000 procedures within a year

Question 17

surgery evaluation
lobotomy- 2 limitations

Answer 17

-follow up research on a few hundred lobotomy patients- 1/3 benefited, 1/3 unaffected, 1/3 worse off
-serious side effects (coma, movement disorders, death)

Question 18

what type of policy are genetic approaches

Answer 18

formal policy
state punishment

Question 19

genetic approaches
why are genetic approaches carried out (2)

Answer 19

-belief that criminality is inherited
-eugenics believe criminals should be removed to reduce the breeding of degenerative criminal genes

Question 20

genetic approaches
why is compulsory sterilisation carried out (3)

Answer 20

-linked with physiological theories
-to physically prevent those who are ‘genetically unfit’ from having children
-targets criminals+people with mental illnesses to prevent hereditary criminality

Question 21

genetic approaches
why is death penalty carried out (2)

Answer 21

-for crimes that are so serious that no other punishment would suffice
-offender is unlikely to ever be rehabilitated- born criminal

Question 22

genetic approaches
why is genocide/ racial purity carried out (2)

Answer 22

-purifying by a ‘superior race’ to remove those who are unfit/too inferior to exist
-holocaust 6 million jews killed by nazis as they were seen as inferior

Question 23

genetic approaches evaluation
compulsory sterilisation and genocide- same limitation

Answer 23

-many oppose it due to breaches of human rights

Question 24

genetic approaches evaluation
death penalty- 2 limitations

Answer 24

-UK abolished it in 1969 as murder rates stayed consistent during 1965-1969 despite the death penalty not being enforced
-US still uses it even though there is a 25% higher murder rate in states which enforce it