ac4.1 individualistic theories influence policy

Question 1

how has Freud influenced crime control

Answer 1

-Psychoanalysis treatment (based on freud’s theory)
-Freud saw his patients 5 times a week often for 5 years
-involved bringing the unconscious conflicts and repressed emotions into the conscious mind
-Freud used hypnosis and free association

Question 2

is psychoanalysis treatment effective

Answer 2

-treatment is lengthy
-does not seem very effective
-COST: costly and time consuming, never been used on a large scale for treating criminals
-ABUSE: gives analysts the power to define what is normal or abnormal
eg: Freud regarded homosexuality as abnormal ->rise to abuse

Question 3

which theory is Aichorn in relation to

Answer 3

bowlby maternal depriavtion

Question 4

tell me about aichorn

Answer 4

-applied psychoanalytic ideas to policies for treating young offenders at an institution he supervised
-> children who had failed to develop loving relationships due to uncaring/absent parents
-normal socialisation had not taken place -> not developed a superego
-Aichorn rejected the harsh environment of young offenders institutions at the time and treated the children by providing a happy environment to develop the superego

Question 5

how has operant learning theory influenced crime control

Answer 5

-Skinner states behaviour is learnt through enforcement, it has been applied to offenders via token economies
-> this is a behaviour modification programme used in prison

Question 6

how does the behaviour modification programme (learning theory) work

Answer 6

-institution draw a list of desirable behaviours
-when offender behaves in a desired way they earn a token
-token may be exchanged for rewards

Question 7

is behaviour modification programme (LT) effective

Answer 7

-some studies show an improvement in behaviour but once the reinforcement stops, the good behaviour tends to disappear, however offenders return to crime more slowly compared to those not in the programme
-token economies have made prisoners more manageable

Question 8

how has eysenks pschological theory influenced crime control

Answer 8

-AVERSION THERAPY
-treatment of sex offenders
-Eysenks states criminals are strongly extraverted and neurotic making them harder to condition as they learn through punishment

Question 9

how does aversion theory work

Answer 9

-offenders asked to think of unacceptable sexual fantasy until they are aroused
- a strongly aversive stimulus is then administered (such as an electric shock)
-procedure is repeated until the offender associates the deviant behaviour with the stimulus

Question 10

is aversion therapy effective

Answer 10

-very limited success
-usually only short term
-attempts to “cure” gay people has been criticised
-Eysenk found only 44% of patients treated for neurosis improved as against 72% treated by hospitals/GPS

Question 11

how have cognitive theories influenced policy (4 ways)

Answer 11

-CBT
-Think First
-ART
-“What works”

Question 12

tell me about CBT

Answer 12

-Cognitive behaviour therapy
-examples of CBT: Think First and Aggression replacement training

Question 13

evaluate CBT

Answer 13

CBT has reduced crime
-> a study by the college of policing in 2018 showed a significant reduction in reoffending of 25% among participants who received CBT compared to those who did not

Question 14

what is Think First (cognitive)

Answer 14

-an example of CBT
-programme for repeat offenders on probation
-aims for offenders to control their thoughts by teaching them problem solving, decision making and consequential thinking
-> has been identified that those completing the programme are 30% less likely to be rec-convicted however, the drop out rate is high

Question 15

what is ART (cognitive)

Answer 15

-form of CBT
-Aggression Replacement Training
-programme for violent offenders, involves interpersonal skill development (role play), anger control techniques (to deal with emotions and moral reasoning)

Question 16

is ART effective (cognitive)

Answer 16

re-offending rate is lower following the programme but this could be an improvement of thinking skills rather than behaviour

Question 17

what is the “What works” policy(Congitive)

Answer 17

-to ensure CBT programmes are effective the home office developed a “What works” policy
->programmes which reduce re-offending, works on a set criteria that states the programme must
1.have a clear plan and proven methods to alter behaviour
2.carefully match offenders to the right programme
3.target risk factors leading to re-offending

Question 18

is the “What works” policy effective

Answer 18

CBT has been identified as effective in studies however, the What Works policy aims to ensure that courses are providing the offenders with the skills needed to succeed