Anger Managment Forensics

Question 1

Theory behind anger management novaco 1975

Answer 1

Cognitive factors ——> emotional arousal (anger) ———> aggressive acts

Becoming angry is reinforced because the individual feels control in the situation when they become angry.
• Anger management is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy.

Question 2

Aims of anger management

Answer 2

Recognise anger triggers
Dev techniques to bring about conflict resolution without the need for violence

Anger management can be used as part of the custodial sentence and outside of prison (e.g. as part of the probation period).
• It’s conducted in small groups that last around 10 sessions.
• It’s based on the stress inoculation approach which aims to provide a kind of vaccination against future ‘infections.’

Question 3

1st stage of anger management

Answer 3

Cognitive preparation
Offender recognises their triggers for anger
The therapist can also carefully challenge irrational interpretations of events that trigger anger

Question 4

2nd stage of anger management

Answer 4

Skill acquisition
Techniques and skills are learned to deal with the anger-provoking situations more rationally and effectively. E.g. positive self-talk, assertiveness training in how to communicate more effectively, relaxation methods and/or meditation.

Question 5

3rd stage of anger management

Answer 5

Application practice
The offender applies new skills in role play situations.
Successful negotiation is met by positive reinforcement from the therapist. Later, offenders can try out their skills in real-world settings. This should facilitate rehabilitation and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.

Question 6

Electic approach - strength

Answer 6

• It includes cognitive preparation to identify anger
• Behaviourist perceptive when developing techniques to deal with anger
• Social approach when required to demonstrate what they have learnt through role play
• This multidisciplinary approach acknowledges offending is a complex social and psychological activity

Question 7

Comparison with behaviour modification (strength

Answer 7

Anger management tries to tackle one of the causes of offending, unlike behaviour modification
Rather than focusing on superficial surface behaviour, it attempts to address the thought process that underlie offending behaviour
It can give offenders new insight into the cause of their crimes and manage themselves outside prison life
You would expect anger management to lead to lower rates of recidivism compared to behaviour modification

Question 8

Limited long term effectivness

Answer 8

Little evidence to suggest it reduces reoffendihg in the long term
This could be because the application stage is based on role plays and not reflect all possible triggers in real life

Question 9

Anger may not cause offending

Answer 9

Crimes such as fraud/ financial crimes are not motivated by anger
Do you give offenders a justification for their crimes by suggesting its due to
anger?
When violent and non violent offenders completed some psychometric measures they found no differences in the levels of anger within the groups

Question 10

Expensive and requires comimitmemt

Answer 10

They are very expensive to run and require highly trained specialists who are used to dealing with violent offenders
Many prisons don’t have the resources to run them so it’s a bit pot luck if you get on one
Success of anger management requires commitment this is an issue as some offenders are
uncooperative and apathetic