dealing with offender profiling Flashcards
what are the 4 ways of dealing with offender behaviour
custodial sentencing
behaviour modification
anger management
restorative justice
what are the 5 aims of custodial sentencing
Protect the public – by removing dangerous and/or violent people from society, they cannot hurt others
Punish and prevent recidivism (reoffending) – by punishing offenders, they are less likely to offend again
Deter others – vicarious punishment for other members of the public, who will not imitate offenders
Retribution – the victim and/or their families feel a sense of justice
Rehabilitate offenders – prisons can be educated and given therapy whilst inside
what are the 4 Psychological effects of custodial sentencing
De-individuation – prisoners lose their sense of self and identity. This could lead to antisocial behaviour
Depression, self-harm and suicide – prisoners feel a sense of hopelessness and helplessness due to loss of control
Overcrowding and lack of privacy – 25% of prisoners in the UK are now in overcrowded accommodation
Effects on the family – parents suffer from guilt and separation anxiety, and their children suffer financially and psychologically (e.g. Maternal Deprivation)
strengths of the aims of custodial sentencing
Existence of therapy programmes – for example, Psychologically Informed Planned Environment (PIPE), which targets men with personality disorders and gives help to avoid re-offending
limitations of aims of custodial sentencing
- Recidivism rates – 46% of adults are reconvicted within a year of release (Prison Reform Trust, 2014), suggesting that prison does not prevent recidivism
- Prisons as a training ground – young prisoners could be taught more sophisticated ways of committing offences from others and be more likely to reoffend (Latessa, 2006)
strengths of psychological effects of custodial sentencing
- Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment - demonstrated the deindividuation in prisoners and guards, which led to aggressive and antisocial behaviours
- Increased risk of suicide – male prisoners are 3.7x more likely to commit suicide than those on the outside (Census, 2021)
limitations of psychological effects of custodial sentencing
- Can’t establish causality – increased rates of some disorders could be the cause of offending behaviour, rather than due to prison
what is involved in behaviour modification
token economies
what do token economies involve
Offenders within prisons are given tokens (e.g. small plastic discs) for desirable behaviour
These tokens can be exchanged for rewards, such as chocolate, cigarettes or extra visiting hours Undesirable behaviours are punished with removal of tokens
Over time, behaviour can be shaped from relatively simple tasks (e.g. making their bed) to more complex behaviours (e.g. empathy)
what is the theoretical basis of behaviour modification
Based on behaviourist principles –
Rewards act as positive reinforcement for desirable behaviours
Removal of tokens is a punishment that decreases the chances of repeating the behaviour
Over time, the tokens switch from a neutral stimulus to a conditioned stimulus once they become associated with rewards
strengths of token economies
- Research support, e.g. Hobbs & Holt
Hobbs & Holt found that pro-social behaviour was increased by 27% in a group of 12-15 year old boys who were given a token economy, compared to no improvement in a control group
BUT May not work on adults, or in reducing offending
behaviour - Based on scientific evidence – since it is based on behaviourist approach ideas, which focus on observable, empirical data and are not reliant on inference
limitations of token economies
- Evidence suggests it lacks long-term impact – Moyes (1985) found that offenders who had experienced a token economy had the same recidivism rates as those who had not
+ On the other hand, the token economy group did have lower physical aggression rates after 2 years - Unethical towards inmates – a token economy treats basic rights as privileges. For example, removing an offender’s visitation rights for bad behaviour could actually increase the risk of recidivism.
what are the aims of anger management
Cognitive restructuring – help the offender become more self-aware
Regulation of arousal –gain better control over their feelings of anger
Behavioural strategies – helping to educate patients on how they can avoid anger
what is the stress inoculation model - CBT (3 stages)
Stage 1 – Cognitive preparation – help the patient identify their triggers to anger and to see them as irrational or distorted.
Stage 2 – Skill acquisition – teach the patient cognitive, behavioural and physiological strategies for reducing the anger. For example, deep breathing, rational thinking, strategic withdrawal.
Stage 3 – Application practice – the therapist and patient roleplay, where the therapist will aim to anger the patient. If they are able to put their skills into practice, they are praised for positive reinforcement.
strengths of anger management
- Research evidence for its efficacy – Taylor & Novaco (2006) reported a 75% improvement rate at reducing anger across 6 meta-analyses
BUT People who don’t show progress are more likely to ‘drop out’ and therefore skew the results - Evidence for its efficacy in reducing recidivism – McGuire (2008) found evidence of reduced re-offending in anger management patients compared to those who were only on probation
limitations of anger management
- Not suitable for everyone, as some score poorly on the Anger Readiness to Change Questionnaire (ARCQ) - CBT requires the patient to fully engage and be willing to change. Some people are not ready and score poorly on the ARCQ
- Many crimes are not related to anger – anger is neither necessary nor sufficient for crime. Some violent crimes are done without anger (e.g. for money) and many crimes involve no anger at all. Loza (1999) found no significant differences in anger between prisoners with violent and non-violent convictions
what are the aims of restorative justice
Restorative justice aims to reduce recidivism more than custodial sentencing, whilst maintaining some level of atonement Provides a balance between high support and high control –
control without support (e.g. custodial sentencing) is punitive and does not allow for true rehabilitation
Support without control (therapy only) is too permissive, so restorative justice aims to maximise atonement
how does restorative justice work
Shift of focus from punishing the offender to trying to repair the harm they caused
Based on communication between victim and offender to give the offender a better sense of the consequences of their actions – with a trained mediator present
Helps to restore the situation back to how it was before the crime
Involves 3 parties: the offender, the victim and the community
May involve community service – for petty crimes such as graffiti, the offender may be forced to clean graffiti from walls
strengths of restorative justice
- Research evidence for its efficacy - Sherman & Strang (2007) found reoffending rates were only 11% in those who went through Restorative Justice, compared to 37% in those who served a short prison sentence.
- Benefits over alternatives, such as prison – recidivism costs a lot of more to society, so restorative justice is cheaper in the long-run. It also avoids exposing young offenders to deviant subcultures in custodial sentencing
limitations of restorative justice
- Not always possible, especially in cases where the offender does not admit guilt - true restorative justice is also not possible in serious crimes, such as murder, as nothing the offender does could restore the situation
- No guarantee that it will work, and could have ethical issues for the victim or offender – if the communication does not work positively, the victim could leave feeling more upset than before the restorative justice began
