ac 4.1 - policy development for biological theories

Question 1

what are the three policy’s for biological theories?

Answer 1

• MPA drugs for sex offenders
• surgery for sex offenders
• eugenics

Question 2

MPA drugs for sex offenders

Answer 2

• Bradbury and Kaye (1999) suggest that the use of drugs for sexual deviancy assumes that such behaviour comes from biological drives. by suppressing he sexual drive, deviant behaviour will be reduced
• drugs can be used to treat sex offenders, e.g. anti-androgen drugs like MPA block the effects of male hormones, such as testosterone
• a 2012 UK pilot scheme at HMP Whatton found that voluntary castration was welcomed by sex offenders

Question 3

MPA drugs - weaknesses

Answer 3

• effectiveness is debatable. while reduced testosterone might decrease sexual urges, it does not address the psychological and social factors contributing to offending. many sex crimes are linked to power, control or stem from deep-rooted trauma. therefore, this questions whether MPA treatment is worth the risks that come with it.
• low ethics. side effects include weight gain, breast development, decreased sperm production, etc, as it consists of a female hormone (progesterone). this my cause psychological harm to those that use it due to the changed occurring and so it raises the question of whether it’s really worth it.

Question 4

MPA drugs - strengths

Answer 4

• reducing testosterone in males controls impulses and makes men less likely to reoffend (lowers recidivism rates) and does so using a non-permanent method which means that, if there are negative side effects or no improvement are shown, treatment can be stopped. therefore, if offender agree to this treatment it can reduce the amount of repeat offenders and can also be easily stopped.

Question 5

surgical castration for sex offenders

Answer 5

• a medical procedure where a males testicles are removed to eliminate testosterone production and with the aim to reduce sex drive and aggression in males
• in 2012, Germany and the Czech Republic were still practicing surgical castration

Question 6

surgical castration - weaknesses

Answer 6

• it is unethical. the European committee for the prevention of torture (CPT) opposes castration, saying that it is irreversible and degrading. therefore, surgical castration may otherwise be the best policy for reducing criminality.
• it fails to address underlying psychological factors that may influence criminal behaviours. not all offenders are deterred by surgical castration, suggesting further factors like deep rooted emotional or mental health that castration does not address. therefore, offenders may not be deterred by others being castrated and those who have been castrated may find alternative methods to release aggression.

Question 7

surgical castration - strengths

Answer 7

• there is support from a 1977 study in the czech republic. results showed that the reoffending rate of sexual offenders who has undergone surgical castration was 3% whereas this was 46% for the control group. therefore, this supports the effectiveness of surgical castration as a biological policy for criminality.
• it can act as a deterrent for other offenders. Louisiana has implemented a law where people who commit sex crimes against those 13 and under are to be surgically castrated. therefore, this may stop people from committing sex crimes, showing the effectiveness of this policy.

Question 8

eugenics for criminals

Answer 8

• early biological theories, such as those from the 20th century, suggested that criminality was inherited, leading to policies like forces sterilisation
• eugenics argues that criminals and the ‘genetically unfit’ should be prevented from reproducing so that they can’t pass down their ‘criminal genes’
• the Nazis used extreme eugenic policies, whereas the UK has allowed sterilisation in rare cases, e.g. in a 2015 ruling for a mother with learning difficulties

Question 9

eugenics - weaknesses

Answer 9

• it is unethical. it violates human rights and disproportionately targets marginalised groups which may encourage discrimination. therefore, this policy may not be acceptable to use to help prevent criminality.
• limited policy for helping to stop criminality. overlooks social and environmental factors of criminality, only focusing on genetics even though criminality isn’t purely biological. therefore, the effectiveness of this policy can be questioned.

Question 10

eugenics - strengths

Answer 10

• a strength is that research from Osborn and West supports. this study suggests a link between parental and child offending, found that 40% of boys whose fathers had criminal records had records themselves, this was only 12% for controls. therefore, this supports the idea of inherited criminality, suggesting this is a good policy.