Case formulation Flashcards
When is case formulation used?
Its used on offenders after they have been convicted/sentenced.
Why is case formulation used?
- When the offender presents with complex problems and treatment is unclear
- Unusual crimes/lack of awareness of the crime
- Standard treatments have failed in the past so has led to recidivism
What are the 3 stages of case fomulation?
- Offender analysis
- Understanding the function of offending (using psychological theories)
- Application to treatment
What is offender analysis?
It involves collecting information about the offenders relationships, biological and social circumstances in order to give a correct treatment for them.
What is offence paralleling?
Looking at behaviour that relates to the offenders case which helps aid formulation and evaluate the offender in order to look at criminogenic factors,
What is understanding the function of offending?
Offence analysis is used as it reveals the function of offending, and what purpose it serves for the individual. It involved scenario planning which is a process of speculating what might happen in the future in light of a persons violent/criminal history. This is not a prediction of what WILL happen but what might happen which would be the worst case scenario.
What is application?
The end goal is to establish some form of intervention for the offender based on the conclusions drawn from the other stages. The rehabilitation programme should reflect how the offender started, whether they have any mental disorders, the risk of reoffending, commitment to the treatment etc.
Strength - MR C
Mr C was a 28 year old man from New Zealand and had 2o0 convictions, was kicked out of school, was involved in fights and drugs etc. He underwent case formulation and for 14 months he didn’t reoffend. This shows that case formulation is successful.
Strength - Holistic
It looks at all different psychological theories in order to identify criminogenic factors
Weakness - retrospective data
It relies on memory.
Weakness - case study method
Case studies involve looking at offenders with unique cases where the offender has committed an unusual crime. Because its based off one individual, generalisability is decreased.
