Dealing with Crime, Part 1: Psychology in prison/community corrections Flashcards
Assessment–> Mental health assessment
Assessment case management Risk of suicide, risk of harm to self/others Risk of harm FROM others Risk of reoffending Mental illness, mental health needs Social and emotional wellbeing (++ Indigenous) Drug and alcohol status Cognitive function/ability Fitness to plead or stand trial Educational/vocational needs Other intervention needs
Assessment Methods: Clinical Interviews
structured, semi-structured.
Verbal and nonverbal content.
ADL’s.
Assessment Methods: Standardised Assessment Tools
-Information gathering and assessment:
Violence Risk Scale - risk ax pre-release
-Diagnostic
PCL-R (Hare, 1980)
-Kits (cognitive testing)Psychology in Prisons: Reporting
Mental health assessments – submitted to courts
Cognitive assessments – submitted to court
Risk assessments– submitted to courts, parole boards
Pre-sentencing report – court. Bigger picture.
Intervention reports – offender’s participation, progress, effectiveness of treatment
Report writing forms a massive part of any psychologist’s workload (!)
Treatment/Intervention/Rehabilitation
Treatment/Intervention/rehabilitation
-Individual, not always though due to limited resources
-Group sessions – therapy, skills, personal development
-Crisis management – e.g. suicide attempts
-Drug and alcohol
Higher than representative rates of mental illness/intellectual impairment/developmental disorder
Rates of Mental Illness
-Figures vary by study/area
-Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing (2012)
46% some kind of mental illness. 2.5 x pop.
Other studies report more like 80% (Heffernan, Finn, Saunders and Byrne, 2003)
Majority – substance abuse.
40% – personality disorder (Butler & Allnutt, 2003). Around 6% in population - ~7x (ABS 1997)
Psychopathy
-Psychopathy – the extreme end of personality disordered social/behavioural problems.
-Associated with an increased risk for antisocial behaviour, violence and crime
NOT an official diagnostic category in ICD/DSM.
May be a combination of diagnostic criteria from several personality disorders.
-England/Wales (n=496), PCL-R. 7.7% of male prisoners and 1.9% of female.
Hare’s Clinical Model: 4 Components of Psychopathy
- deceitful interpersonal style
- affective deficiency
- impulsiveness or life- style
- antisocial behaviour.
Hare’s Clincial Model: Factor 1: Interpersonal
- Glibness/Superficial Charm
- Grandiose sense of self-worth
- Pathological lying
- Cunning/manipulative
Hare’ clinical model: Factor 2: Affective
- Lack of remorse or guilt
- Shallow affect
- Callous/lack of empathy
- Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
Hare’s Clinical Model: Factor 4:Antisocial
- Poor behavioural controls
- Early behavioural problems
- Juvenile delinquency
- Revocation of conditional release
- Criminal Versatility
Hare’s Clinical Model: Factor 3: Lifestyle
- Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
- Parasitic lifestyle
- Lack of realistic long-term goals
- Impulsivity
- Irresponsibility
Psychopathy in Prisons
Pre-valences are higher than in non-forensic and non-psychiatric community samples.
Evidence that it is predictive for recidivism in sexual/violent crimes.
PCL scales included in many structured and actuarial risk assessment/management tools due to predictive utility.
Limited effective treatment options
Groups and Victims
Sex offender programs – difficult, few outcome studies
Violent offenders/anger management – high recidivism (40%)
Domestic violence
Cognitive skills – little long term evidence
Drug and alcohol programs
Victim awareness
Mental Health Act [MHA] (2000)
For offenders who are mentally ill, courts can place them under forensic orders under the MHA (2000).
Involuntary assessment and treatment.
Usually detained in mental health facility or specialist service e.g. forensic disability.
Usually held for longer under forensic order compared to regular prison sentence.
Treatment and Intervention
Despite various types of intervention and rehabilitation, still high rates of reoffending – varies by type of crime & some other factors.
Once person enters CJS, more likely to reoffend –criminogenic factors (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2007)
Move to reduce reoffending. Earlier intervention to divert people away from CJS, rehabilitate and limit exposure to criminogenic factors reduce reoffending, keep people out of prison.
Community Corrections: Kennedy Report
Kennedy Report (1989)
- Queensland Government-commissioned review of Corrective Services
- ‘If punishment can be provided in a setting other than prison, and if the person can be adequately supervised outside prison, society should take this option’.
Why community corrections: Economics
- Cost of imprisonment vs. cost of community corrections, per person per year.
- Average cost per prisoner per day in 2009-10 was $240.66, compared to $18.50 per day, per Community Corrections offender (Council of Australian Governments, 2012).
- Savings cumulative and long-term.
