Criminal - Effect of Imprisonment Flashcards
1
Q
Stats about the effectiveness of prison (Background)
A
- 85000 prisoners behind bars - assumption they won’t reoffend and won’t harm others whilst they are locked up
- Prison may act as a deterrent for reoffence through vicarious reinforcement i.e. seeing someone get discharged and change their life for the better afterwards
- Most prisoners make the determination to not go back to prison
2
Q
Dooley (1990) - Inaffectiveness of prisons (Background)
A
- 442 unnatural deaths recorded in prisons in England and Wales
- Of these deaths 300 were suicide and 52 were consciously self-inflicted injury, 90 for other reasons e.g. murder, illness
- More of the prisoners who had committed suicide were on remand
- Concluded that crowding was a big issue within prisons as it has negative psychological effects such as stress, anxiety and depression due to there being more interactions with others that a prisoner has to deal with
- Also concluded that overcrowding in prisons leads to reduced work and activity programs available for inmates, leaving some inmates with nothing to do which can be a stressor
3
Q
Pakes and Pakes - Negative livelihood affects of prison (Background)
A
- 1/3 of prisoners lose their house whilst in prison
- 2/3 prisoners lose their jobs and 40% lose contact with their families completely
- Prisoners develop mental health issues in prison and can also develop drug addictions
- Prisoners find it difficult to integrate back into society once released
4
Q
Gillis and Nafekh (2005) - (Background)
A
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5
Q
Haney et al. - Aims
A
- To look at the processes which motivate aggressive and submissive behaviour within a ‘total institution’
- To look at the psychological processes involved in aggression
6
Q
Haney et al. - Sample
A
- 24 male college students from a pool of 75 respondents
- Volunteer sample - advert placed in newspaper asking for ‘male college students fr psychological study of prison life’ in return for $15 a day
- Completed a range of self-report measures about family background, physical and mental health
- 22 students participated and 2 were ‘stand-by’
7
Q
Haney et al. - Method/Design
A
- Ps randomly allocated to the role of ‘guard’ or ‘prisoner’
- Mock prison created in basement of Stanford University psychology building with a cot as the only furniture of prisoners’ cells and several rooms used as ‘guards’ quarters’
- ‘Prisoners’ remained in mock prison 24h per day
- ‘Guards’ worked 3-man 8h shifts - assigned task to “maintain reasonable degree of order within the prison necessary for its effective functioning”
- Subjects in each group were administered uniforms including numbered orange jumpsuits for prisoners and army-like police uniforms + sunglasses for the guards
8
Q
Haney et al. - Results
A
- Planned to last for 2 weeks but stopped after 6 days due to negative behaviour
- Deindividuation - loss of sense of self-identity due to roles e.g. prisoners only being referred to by numbers and guards having sunglasses to obstruct view from prisoners and maintain anonymity
- Pathological prisoner syndrome - initial rebellion followed by passivity and obedience; negative emotions shown such as crying, depression, rage and acute anxiety
- Pathology of power - guards used their power and authority to control the prisoners e.g. use of sanctions and punishments; redefined the basic prisoners’ rights as rewards to be earned
- The guards were distressed that the experiment was stopped early in spite of the ps who were chosen supposedly being passive in demeanour
9
Q
Haney et al. - Conclusions
A
- Behaviour of ps is best explained by situational, not dispositional factors
- Some residual differences exist between how people individually manage their social roles
- Being confined in a prison environment van have great negative effects on the mental states and interpersonal processes of both/between guards and prisoners
- Ordinary individuals can play given roles to extremes
- The prison environment locks both guards and prisoners into a ‘symbiotic relationship which is destructive to the human nature of both’
10
Q
Novaco Anger Management (Application)
A
- Total of 26 2hr sessions of CBT
- Stage 1 - Cognitive preparation: identify what makes you angry and describe how that makes you feel
- Stage 2 - Skills acquisition: in which prisoners are taught techniques for relaxation/calming down e.g. meditation, breathing techniques
- Stage 3 - Application practice: role play like scenarios used to associate what makes you anfry with what makes you calm; the more you practice, the more likely a newly conditioned response will occur
11
Q
Sherman and Strang - Restorative Justice (Application)
A
- Perpetrator of crime (prisoner) brought to meet either the victim or the victim’s family/friends
- To see firsthand the consequences of their actions - new emotional contact with this person could potentially introduce empathy
- Acts as a future deterrent from committing a crime again due to either not wanting to feel guilt again or cause more pain to others
- Provides peace of mind for those affected by crimes, especially in reducing PTS for the victim/victim’s family or friends
- Works especially well with petty crimes such as DUI
12
Q
Twinning projects (Application)
A
- Rehabilitation scheme so that criminals upon release have work
- An organisation is connected with a local prison and will help prisoner achieve a qualification to work once out
- E.g. football clubs - teach skills like discipline and teamwork, awarded with a coaching qualification upon completion
- Gives prisoners incentive for not reoffending
13
Q
Mair and May - Probation (Application)
A
- 3299 offenders on probation across probation offices in England and Wales (40% did not show up for study)
- 88% felt that probation was extremely or very useful
- 60% felt that the probation officer would help them sort out their problems
- Having someone independent to talk to seemed to be the most useful function of a probation officer
- HOWEVER did not stop reoffence or the belief that probation was there to stop prisoners from reoffending (not useful)
