Criminal Psychology- Social Flashcards
Topic 5- Crime Prevention
What does the concept of defensible space mean?
Space can be more easily protected if it clearly belongs to a particular individual/ small group of people
Topic 5- Crime Prevention
Why are high rise flats seen to be an issue in terms of failing to be a ‘defensible space’?
Why might they be an issue when identifying a criminal?
Stairs, landings and gardens are shared by lots of people- personal responsibility to maintain is diminished
Too many suspects- less chance of being caught
Topic 5- Crime Prevention
What type of correlation did Newman and Frank find between building size and fear/ experience of criminal activity?
Positive
Topic 5- Crime Prevention
What are zero-tolerance policies?
ALL types of crime are challenged:
* Address all types of crime
* Police should be confident to tackle any crime
* Low level crim ecan be tackled to maintain a sturdy environment to reduce likelihood of commiting bigger crimes
Topic 5- Crime Prevention
How can zero-tolerance policies be criticised?
- Police time could be better spent on violent crimes
Topic 5- Crime Prevention
What is the broken windows theory?
What happens to crime rates in the area in regards to this theory?
Principle that when one window is broken on a house and left unrepaired, police expect other windows on house to be broken- original broken window sends a message to others that no one cares about property so no consequence for damaging it further?
They increase
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What was the aim of their study into policing and neighbourhood safety?
To challenge exisiting beliefs about fears of crime and the role of police- explored links between disorder and incivility to frequent occurances of serious crime
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What method and sample (briefly) was used?
- Article is a discussion piece proposing a theory of neighbourhood safety (so no specific sample)
- Reference to Newark Foot Patrol Experiment in New Jersey- took part in ‘Safe and Clean Neighbourhood Programme’ in 1970s
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What was the design used and the procedure?
- Cade study given the focus of one group in depth- naturalistic participant observation of police officers
- Kelling accompanied different officers on foot patrol over many hours and observed interactions with the community
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What did authors report about existing attitudes to foot patrol?
They were negative- it reduced the mobility of officers and was arguably seen as a punishment because it was deemed ‘hard work’
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What did the evaluation of the article find about attitudes from the study?
- Residents reported feeling as though crime had been reduced and were taking fewer behavioural precautions like locking doors
- Officers had higher morale and job satisfaction and improved relations with the community
- Officers prevented crime through maintaining public order
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
How was the idea of ‘order maintenance’ implemented on drunks/ derelicts?
- Informal rules like ‘drunks can sit but not lie on steps’ were put in place
- The rules were established with residents who then felt more confident to report disorder
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
How does the broken window theory change residents’ attitudes?
They become ‘atomised’, isolated and unbothered about what goes on in their community
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What did the authors suggest about the role of patrol officers in the community?
Foot patrol officers have a key role in building community relations and collaborating with residents in preventing crime- this would be difficult for a police in a patrol car
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
How is discrimination and bigotry prevented through the authors’ propositions?
- Authors propose appropriate selection, training and supervision of officers to fairly maintain public order- they see roles for organised citizen patrols (volunteering residents who want to patrol and challenge disorder)
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What do Wilson and Kelling advise in their article about prioritising neighbourhoods?
They should identify those at ‘tipping point’ that are still reclaimable by the community
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Wilson and Kelling
What was concluded from the article? (2 points)
- The relationship between low level and serious crime can be understood by using broken windows metaphor
- Public order should be created and maintained collaboratively by police and the community
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Application
What is Target Hardening and how can it be implemented in real life?
- Makes target of crime harder, more difficult and less attractive to the offender
- Encourage use of bike locks, security tags etc (preventatives)
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Application
What is an issue with target hardening?
- Serious offenders may be undeterred by methods
- They may switch the nature of their crime for new targets
Topic 5- Crime Prevention- Application
What is Risk of Detention and how can it be implemented in real life?
- Amount of surveillance increases in an area to increase likelihood of crime being reported
- Install CCTV and put up signs signalling to criminals so they know risk of being caught is increased/ create neighbourhood watch scheme
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation
How do prisons work (in a nutshell)?
- They act as a deterrant- lock criminals up away from those they know and love, removing personal items and limiting movements
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation
How can operant conditioning be applied to prisons in terms of prisoners?
- Don’t follow rules- extra days added to sentence/ solitary confinement
- Compliance- privaleges awarded
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation
How can the social learning theory be applied to prisons and prisoners?
Lack of freedom and poor conditions may be seen publicly like on TV, acting as vicarious reinforcement, deterring future crime
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation
Why does prison not always reduce reoffending rates?
- Inmates may return to the life that started the criminal behaviours
- Personal circumstances at home may have changed
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation
What are Offender Behaviour Programmes (OBPs) and what are some examples of these?
Help offenders develop meaningful life goals and practice new thinking:
* ARV (alcohol related)- cognitive behavioural programme for hazardous drinkers, thinking about drinking and violence is challenged
* Sex offenders- helps develop understanding of why and how they’ve committed assault
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
What was the aim of the research?
Investigate effect on individual behaviour assigned to different roles (guard/prisoner)
* Situational/ dispositional impact?
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
What was the method and design of the research?
- Lab experiment- prison was artificial
- Independent measures- IV (priosner or guard), DV (behaviours displayed)
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
What was the sample used?
- 24 male volunteers- payed $15 p/ day
- All white bar one (oriental)- middle class college students
- 11 guards+ 10 prisoners used
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
How was the prison environment made realistic in the procedure?
- Specially designed mock-prison in basement of Stanford uni psychology building
- 3 small cells, ‘guards quarters’, interview room
- video recording equipment behind observation screen
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
How were clothing and uniforms made to add to the realism of the prison simulation?
Uniforms were identical to specific role to enhance group identity:
* guards- khaki shirt, whistle, night stick
* prisoners- loose smocks
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
How were role instructions told to be as ethical but as realistic as possible in the procedure?
- Basic needs would be met but some human rights would be removed
- Minimal guidelines about guard role but instructed against physicsl violence
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
What did day 1 consist of for the participants?
- Arrested at their homes by real police and had fingerprints and mugshots taken of them
- Held in a real cell before going to the mock prison, stripped naked and referred to by a number
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
What results arose from the experiment, given the fact it did not remain fully ethical and roles were not fully adhered to?
- Physical and mental deterioration of participants caused study to stop after 6 days- over half of prisoners affected
- 5 released early due to extreme emotional depression (pathological prisoner syndrome)
- Guards were verbally abusive, hostile and cruel (pathology of power)
- Basic rights were made into privaleges (eating, sleeping on a bed)
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
What was concluded about whether the situational or dispositional hypothesis could be supported?
Social roles influence behaviour supporting the situational hypothesis
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Haney and Zimbardo
What was concluded about environmental effects of the prison?
They were negative on affective state of guards and prisoners
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Application
What are employment schemes and how can they be implemented?
- Giving jobs help ex-convicts have daily structure and financial security so that they no longer have to rely on the benefits of crime (they can control the types of people they’re around- SLT)
- Reach out to prospective employers and set up relationships that provide opportunities, provide classes within the prison where they learn how to apply, write CV’s etc.
Topic 6- Punishment and Rehabilitation- Application
What is Anger Management (CBT)- C.A.L.M and how can it be implemented?
(Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage)
- Based on theory that criminals cannot control emotional expression and end up releasing this on innocent people- they should be taught how to control it so it isn’t repeated
- Based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Stage1- Prisoners taught to identify anger triggers and signs of anger in own behaviour
Stage2- Learn relaxation techniques/ personal communication skills
Stage3- practices this through roleplay scenarios typically led by therapist
