Custodial Sentencing (Forensic Psychology) Flashcards
Prison Populations
• 87,869 male prisoners in the UK (March 2023-March 2024)
• 3,635 women prisoners
• it is projected to increase steadily to between 95,700 and 105,200 by March 2029
(Aims of Prison) Deterrence
• threat of an unpleasant experience serves to prevent the behaviour in the future
• Individual deterrence: preventing the offender from committing the same crime in the future
• General deterrence: to deter the rest of the population from committing the same
(Aims of prison) Incapacitation
• while a person is incapacitated they are not free to commit crimes
• some offenders are seen as a danger to the public and this will prevent future victims
• the level of incapacitation will be dependent on the severity of the crime
(Aims of prison) Retribution
• focuses on the feelings of the victim, their family or society generally
• society is enacting revenge for the crime by punishing the offender
• a crime has been committed and should receive a suitable punishment
(Aims of prison) Rehabilitation
• prison should reform prisoners so that upon release they will not reoffend
• counselling and offender programmes are sometimes offered in prison so the offender has the opportunity to learn skills
• they are then in a position to lead a crime-free life upon release
The Psychological effects of custodial sentencing
• prison is designed to act as a punishment- by the principles of operant conditioning- it is supposed to have an effect
• there are other potential psychological effects, such as the offender becoming institutionalised, negative effects on mental health and potentially an increase in aggressive behaviour
(Effects of custodial sentencing) Becoming institutionalised
• prisoners can also become institutionalised due to their background and living conditions that exist on ‘the outside’
• if they are homeless or have a poor standard of living they might like the routine of prison and the fact they have a bed, a roof over their heads, and food available to them. If this is the case, they are more likely to reoffend so they can get back into prison
• the psychological effects of prison for some, then, is positive
• prison is not a punishment but acts more as a positive reinforcement for offending behaviour
Prisonisation:
Dooley (1990) depression and suicide risk in prison
• case notes of 295 of the 300 suicides that happened in prison between 1972 and 1987 were studied
• risk groups: prisoners serving life sentences and those convicted of violent or sexual offends
• association between suicide and guilt
• history of psychiatric problems in about a third of cases
Negative effects of custodial sentencing on mental health
there has been particular focus on the levels of suicide rates in the prison population compared to the outside community (Crighton 2006)
• it also appears that settling into the new environment is an issue
• the risk of suicide among offenders is greater in the first 30 days of incarceration, demonstrating that the adjustment to prison can be extremely distressing
• between 2012-2017: 621 incidents of self harm reported by white prisoners, more than other ethnic groups
• self-harm is also an issue among offenders, and rates of self-harm have been increasing in the UK:
-frustration at being incarcerated
-an attempt to regain control
Crighton and Towl (2006)
number of suicides among offenders in prison have increased as a result of factors such as:
• overcrowding
• low staff-offender ration
• lack of access to medical services and exercise
• increased risk of physical assault
• settling in a new environment e.g. risk of suicide is greater in the first 30 days of incarceration
(Evaluation of Custodial Sentencing) Findings on suicidal effects of prison
Bartol (1995)- ‘Prison can be brutal, demeaning and generally devastating”
• suicide rates of prisoners are around 15* higher than those within the general population (in the last 20 years)
• young, single men in the first 24 hours of confinement are most at risk
• Prison Reform Trust (2014) found that 25% of women and 15% of men reported symptoms indicative of psychosis
(Evaluation of Custodial Sentencing) Snow 2006
• examined characteristics of prisoners who self-harm compared to those who are suicidal. Bother showed psychological effects of being in prison
• she found that the offenders who self-harm are qualitatively different to those who take their lives or attempt suicide, in that the self-harmers display high levels of anger and stress whereas the ones who are suicidal withdraw and show signs of depression
• both are clearly showing signs of the psychological effects of incarceration and a decline in mental health
(Evaluation of Custodial Sentencing) Recidivism rates and mental health
Coid (2007)
• the mental health of prisoners has a direct impact on recidivism rates
• those who received treatment for mental health problems in prison were 60% less likely to reoffend than untreated prison inmates
• they were also 80% less likely to commit violent acts
(Evaluation of Custodial Sentencing) Causation
• difficult to know whether mental health issues are a result of prison or existed before the individual went to prison
• correlation rather than causation
• individual differences between offenders based on length of time in prison, type of prison and type of offence
(Evaluations of Custodial Sentencing) Institutionalisation
Hollin (1992)
• stated that there was evidence to suggest that prisons became ‘home’ to some prisoners
• the fact that they received three meals a day together with a bed and companionship was preferable to them than what they had to deal with outside of prison
