crime - effects of imprisonment Flashcards
4 types of punishments for criminals
fines
community service
imprisonment
probation
fines
paying a set sum of money
does not punish equally
lacks rehabilitation of criminal
community service
unpaid service to the community
takes away free time and embarrassment if wearing a hi vis vest
partially rehabilitates as it instills structure
imprisonment
put in an institution with freedom taken away
structure is set for inmates
prisoners are given qualifications but may lead to institulisation
probation
monitored by probation officer
monitored weekly - taking away free time
partial rehabilitation as a support system is in place.
levels of prisons in the UK
A - if they escape they would be highly dangerous to the public
B - prisoners who dont require maxium security but whose escape needs to be prevented
C - prisoners who cant be trusted in the open community but are unlikely to escape
D - trusted prisoners who can wander around freely within the prison
Dooley (1990)
Prisons have a detrimental effect on prisoners
Many have suicidal thoughts
Suicidal rates of prisoners is 4 times higher than the general population
Young offenders and those in remand are at particular risk due to stress
Pakes (2009)
Prisons may have made things worse for inmates
1/3 lose houses, 2/3 lose jobs and 40% lose contact with family
Prisoners may have mental health problems or develop drug problems whilst in prison
The government social exclusion unit suggest prisoners are:
13 times more likely to have been in care
10 times more likely to have been truanted from school
poorly educated and lack basic numeracy and literacy skills
Gillis (A+pr)
A: to investigate the effect on recidivism rates of a community based employment scheme
Pr: content analysis on canadas offender management system on 23525 individuals. With matched pairs in many factors which lead to recidivism e.g. gender, risk level and sentence length.
the 2 groups are:
Employed prior release and those unemployed.
Gillis (R)
Those in the scheme were less likely to return to prison
70% on the scheme remained out of prison, compared to only 55% of the unemployed group
The employed group would stay out of prison for longer, 37 months compared to 11 months of the unemployed group
Gillis (C)
Employment based programs play an important role in the last months of a prison sentence, giving them skills they need to integrate into the community
By planning the return the community addresses points raised in Azjens model and increases likelihood of success
Haney - aim-
to look at the processes which motivate aggressive and submissive behaviour within an institution
to examine the psychological processes involved in aggression
haney - pps and method and design-
24 male college students from a pool of 75 participants.
self selected - newspaper advert, $15 a day for 2 weeks.
completed self-report measures about family background and mental health.
randomly allocated role of guard or prisoner.
middle class and caucasians
lab experiment and independent measures
haney - procedure, description of setting and roles-
35 foot section of the basement of Yale psychology building.
3 small cells - 3 prisoners in each- a bed was the only furniture given.
the guards worked 8 hour shifts and then would go home.
pps signed a contract guaranteeing a minimally adequate diet, clothing and housing.
the guards were told to maintain a reasonable degree of order without use of physical punishment or physical aggression.
the guards assisted in putting the beds in cells and signs on walls
haney - procedure uniform-
prisoners wore loose fitting muslin smocks with identification numbers on the front and back.
they had no underwear, only rubber sandals and a lock and chain around one ankle.
the guards wore a khaki uniform with a whistle, baton and reflective sunglasses.
haney - induction procedure-
prisoners were unexpectedly arrested from their homes the day before the study was due to start. they were charged with suspicion of burglary or armed robbery and took to a police station. each prisoner was blindfolded and took to the mock prison.
they were then stripped and deloused.
haney - procedure-
when all cells were occupied they were greeted by the warden.
they were made to memorise the rules and were only referred to by their identification number.
they were given 3 bland meals a day, 3 supervised toilet visits and 2 hours for reading/writing.
they had to line up 3 times a day for count, where they were tested on the rules.
haney - results-
the experiment stopped after 6 days due to pathological reactions of pps.
pps became more hostile and expressed intention to do harm.
pathalogical prisoner syndrome - initial rebellion followed by obedience, a range of negative emotions e.g. crying, depression, rage and anxiety.
pathology of power - the guards used their power and authority to control prisoners
haney - conclusions-
pps behaviour changed due to assigned roles.
being confined within a prison can have a negative effect on mental state.
there are individual differences in the way people cope in novel experiences.
Application - restorative justice-
RJ aims to provide an opportunity to explain impact of crime, acknowledgment of harm caused, and a time to ask questions.
Sherman and strang:
A: to look at restorative justice in practise and measure its effectiveness in terms of re-offending.
P: content analysis on 24 academic papers on RJ
R: RJ is more effective when there is a personal victim and works for violent and property crime. But is not effective in all cases.
Application - anger management-
CALM - cognitive behavioural programme aimed at prisoners who have problems managing emotions.
1. Enhance prisoners motivation
2. Introduce concept of physiological arousal, where they practise techniques to use when they feel angry.
3. Provides a framework for applying skills learnt so far.
Ireland
A: to assess whether anger management programmes work with young male offenders.
P: 50 pps who completed CALM and 37 who were assessed as suitable but not taken the course.
1. Cognitive behavioural interview - prisoners-
2. Wing behavioural checklist - guards- rating anger behaviour
3. Self report questionnaire - prisoners-
R: prisoners completing CALM rated themselves lower on the questionnaire + guards. 92% showed improvement on at least one measure of anger.
