Criminal Psychology Flashcards
What is prison?
An offender is placed in prison and denied civil liberties for a period determined by the court.
What principle does prison operate on?
Operant conditioning
What type of punishment does prison represent?
Positive punishment
How does prison act as a form of negative reinforcement?
People avoid prison by abiding by the law.
What is the recidivism rate in the UK?
Around 25%
What might motivate some individuals to commit crimes?
To find stability, routine, and friendship in prison.
What is a potential negative effect of being exposed to criminal role models in prison?
Prisoners may be reinforced for committing crime.
What is community sentencing?
Punishment through activities carried out in the community.
What type of offenses is community sentencing more common for?
Minor offenses or first offenses.
What is a strength of community sentencing?
High satisfaction rate of around 85% for victims.
What is a weakness of community sentencing?
Recidivism rate after community sentencing is over 30%.
What is restorative justice?
Involves the offender meeting or communicating with the victim.
What is a benefit of restorative justice?
Helps offenders understand the impact of their actions on victims.
What is a limitation of restorative justice?
Not suitable for all crimes or all victims.
What are token economy programmes designed to do?
Reduce antisocial behaviour and increase prosocial behaviour.
What are tokens in a token economy programme?
Secondary reinforcers exchanged for rewards.
What is the first stage of anger management programmes?
Cognitive preparation
What is the second stage of anger management programmes?
Skills acquisition
What is the third stage of anger management programmes?
Application practice
What did Hobbs and Holt (1976) find about token economies?
Significant increase in prosocial behaviour.
What is a potential weakness of token economy programmes?
Effects may not last outside the prison environment.
What is a risk of anger management programmes for psychopathic offenders?
They may become more dangerous by manipulating others.
What is recidivism?
When an offender commits another crime after being punished.
What does rehabilitate mean?
A programme designed to help offenders rather than punish them.
