Dealing With Offending Behaviour - Custodia Sentencing Flashcards
What is custodial sentencing
Custodial sentencing is where an offender spends time in a prison or other institution as a punishment for their crime.
What are the purposes of custodial sentencing
1- deterrence
2-incapacitation
3-retribution
4-rehabilitation
What does deterrence mean
Act as a deterrent as its unpleasant so people don’t want to go back and stops others from wanting to go.
What does incapitation mean
Taking dangerous criminals off the streets to stop them from offending and keeping society safer.
What does retribution mean
Making the criminal pay for what they have done eg by taking their freedom away.
What does rehabilitation mean
Idea that prison can reform prisoners through training, education and therapy etc so they leave prison a better person
Evaluation of reasons for custodial sentecning
❌ prison population is rising to show it’s not an effective deterrent just because it’s an unpleasant place
❌-rehabilitation isn’t effective as reoffending rates are still high.2022- 39% of offenders will reoffend in the first year
✅-incapicitaion- takes dangerous people off the streets potentially saving people from becoming victims.
✅Retribution - also gives justice to victims and their families.
What are the psychological effects of custodial sentencing
Mental health problems
Institutionalization
What are the mental health effects of custodial sentencing
Prison is a devastating, brutal environment
Bartol-Suicide rate is 15% higher in prison compared to the general population
anxiety and depression levels are much higher within prison potentially because of the stress of no privacy or freedom.
Depression can be caused by hopelessness
10,000 incidents of self-harm
Shows facilities in place are not effective.
What are the effects of institutionalization
They adopt the norms of prison life and become dependent on prison for their routine eg when to eat, sleep, wake up. This makes it difficult for them to cope with real life when they’re released.
Evaluation of psychological effects of custodial sentencing
✅- effects of institutionalization showed in Zimbardo’s prison study where prisoners quickly changed behaviour due to being locked up and showed mental health effects as my prisoners left due to anxiety and depression.
✅high rates of suicide and depression amounts younger people in prison
❌- no cause and effect - psychological effects may not be due to just prison could be effected by extra nous variables.
