Dealing with Offending Behavior: Custodial Sentencing Flashcards
custodial sentencing invlves a convicted offender
spending time in prison, hospital or young offenders institution
deterrence is based on
conditioning principles
what are the conditioning principles
the unplesent experience of prison
knowing crime will not be tollerated
custodial sentencing ensures that the offender is
taken out of society which protects the public from further offending
the need for incarciration depends on
the severty of the crime
deterence
putting people off committing crimes
incapacitation
protecting the public by removing criminals
retribution
revenge against the offender
Society enacting revenge by making the offender
Suffer
Level of suffering should be
Proportionate to the severity of the crime
Rehabilitation
Reform the offender
Prison should provide an opportunity to develop
Skills, access addiction treatment and reflect on crime
Psychological effects of custodial sentencing
Stress
Depression
Institutionalisation
Prisonisation
Stress and depression
Suicide rates and self harm are higher in prison than in the general population
Institutionalisation
Inability to function outside of prison having adapted to the norms and routines of prison life
Prisonisation
Behaviours unacceptable outside prison are encouraged via socialisation into an “inmate code”
What percentage of UK offenders reoffend within a year of being released?
57%
Recidivism refers to
Reoffending
Rates vary according to
The type of offence committed
UK and US recidivism rates are among
The highest in the world
One of the countries with the lowest rates is
Norway where there is more emphasis on rehabilitation
The Norwegian model of rehabilitation is criticised as being
Soft
Bartol Date
1995
Bartol suggested prison can be
Brutal and devastating
Suicide rates among offenders are about
15 times higher than in the general population
Who are most at risk of committing suicide?
Young men in the first 24 hours of confinement
The prison reform found that
24% of women and 15% of men report symptoms of psychosis
The findings of the Prison Reform Trust and Bartol suggest that custodial sentencing is
Far from effective in rehabilitating the individual, particularly those who are vulnerable
Prison time is damaging for many but we cannot assume
All offenders will react the same way. Different prisons have different regimes so experiences vary
Factors that affect an inmates reaction include
The length of the sentence.
Reason for incarnation.
Previous prison experience.
Some inmates may have preexisting
Vulnerabilities
It is very difficult to make a general assumption of people’s reactions because
There are many different factors that can affect someone
The rehabilitation model argues offenders may
Become better people in prison and less likely to reoffend - in prison, inmates have access to education, training and anger management schemes
Having access to life changing schemes means that prison could be
a worthwhile experience assuming offenders are able to access these programmes
The evidence of the long-term benefits of prison schemes are
Inconclusive
The potential benefits of rehabilitation are a strength but
The lack of evidence undermines the argument
Alongside the legitimate skills that offenders may acquire during their time in prison
They may also undergo a more dubious education
Differential association theory suggests time spent with hardened criminals may
Give younger inmates the chance to learn ‘tricks of the trade’ from more experienced offenders
Davies and Raymond date
2000
Davies and Raymond in a review of custodial sentencing concluded that
Government ministers often exaggerate the benefits of prison in a bit to appear tough on crime
Davies and Raymond’s research suggests prison does little to
Rehabilitate offenders or deter them
