AC 4.1 Policy Development

Question 1

Define informal policy making

Answer 1

• informal policy are not made by government agencies such as the police. the rules are not formally written down and are perhaps ‘unspoken’. When someone breaks these rules others show their disapproval.

Question 2

Define formal policy making

Answer 2

• formal policies are policies made by official government agencies such as the police and courts like laws and rules. There are punishments for breaking these policies, for example courts may fine offenders for theft

Question 3

Define token economies - individualistic policies

Answer 3

• based off the social learning theory
• token economies are normally used in prison
• in prison if an inmate has ‘desirable behaviour’ they are given a token - they can use this to buy things such as phone calls and sweets
• this gives them an incentive to have good behaviour
• focuses on behaviour that can be changed - behaviour modification

Strengths -

• provides people with an incentive, a reason to behave better
• helps change behaviour

Limitations -

• not a long term solution, when inmates leave prison they no longer get rewards so they lose the incentive to get better
• have to earn basic privileges

Question 4

Aversion therapy - individualistic policies

Answer 4

• aversion therapy uses a system of punishments and reward to change their behaviour
• to associate the things they associated with pleasure to associate it with pain
• this can be done using electric shocks or nausea inducing drugs

Limitations

• not ethical - causes physical harm to people
• no long term effects

Linked to criminal personality theory - conditioning - reward and punishment

Question 5

Psychoanalysis - individualistic policy

Answer 5

• based on Freuds theory of personality
• Aichhorn (1925)
• treated young offenders who had uncaring/ absent parents- had no loving relationships so they had no superego
• made them go to happy and pleasant places where superego can develop

Effective -
- psychoanalysis does not seem effective - only 44% of psychoanalysis patients treated showed improvement

Strengths

• focuses on the effects of childhood experiences
• more ethical than lobotomies and aversion therapy
• reform criminality - makes people change

Limitations

• not eneough scientific methods used
• outdated
• time consuming, expensive
• no real evidence of it helping - can’t look in to the unconscious mind