Dealing with Offending Behaviour

Question 1

What is custodial sentencing?

Answer 1

a judicial sentence determined by a court, were the offender in punished by serving time in prison or another type of institution

Question 2

What is recidivism?

Answer 2

reoffending, tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behaviour, in the context of crime - an offender who reoffends, usually repeatedly

Question 3

Outline deterrence and its effect

Answer 3

based on conditioning principles and the unpleasant experience of prison is to put offenders off repeating a crime again (individual deterrence) also to give message to society that crime will not be tolerated (general deterrence)

Question 4

Explain incapacitation

Answer 4

removing an offender from society in order to protect the public from further offending - need of it depends on the severity of the crime

Question 5

Explain retribution

Answer 5

society getting revenge by making the offender suffer (in jail) level should be proportionate to the level/severity of the crime

Question 6

Explain rehabilitation

Answer 6

aims to reform the offender, prison is an opportunity for them to develop new skills and access treatments for addiction for example, and reflect on crime

Question 7

Outline the psychological effects of custodial sentencing

Answer 7

• stress/depression
• institutionalisation
• prisonisation

Question 8

Explain the effect of stress/depression on custodial sentencing

Answer 8

suicide rates/self harm higher in prison than general population

Question 9

Explain the effect of institutionalisation on custodial sentencing

Answer 9

inability to function outside of prison having adapted to the norms/routines of prison life

Question 10

Explain the effect of prisonisation on custodial sentencing

Answer 10

behaviours which are unacceptable outside prison are encouraged via socialisation into ‘inmate code’

Question 11

Explain the problem of recidivism

Answer 11

statistics in 2013 suggested that 57% of UK offenders reoffend within a year of being released
- rates of recidivism lowest in Norway with more ‘open’ penal institutions and greater emphasis on rehabilitation and skills development than in the UK - many however suggest this is a ‘soft option’ that does not punish inmates

Question 12

AO3 custodial sentencing - evidence for negative psychological effects

Answer 12

Bartol: suicide rates 15x higher in prison
24% women and 15% men reported symptoms of psychosis - far from effective in rehabilitating - especially vulnerable convicts

Question 13

AO3 custodial sentencing - individual differences

Answer 13

prison time can be damaging for many and we cannot assume all offenders behave in the same ways as different prisoners have different regimes so its difficult to make general conclusions that apply to all prisoners

Question 14

AO3 custodial sentencing - differential association theory

Answer 14

experienced offenders teach younger ones more about offending - undermine attempts to rehabilitate

Question 15

AO3 custodial sentencing - alternatives

Answer 15

research suggests prison actually does little to rehabilitate offenders and alternatives such as community service allows the family to stay in contact - seen as soft