Dealing with offending behaviour: Custodial sentencing and recidivism Flashcards
What is a custodial sentence?
When the court decides an offender must serve time for their crime in prison, or a confined/closed institution like a psychiatric hospital.
What is meant by recidivism?
This is when a person reoffends after receiving some form of punishment for previous offences
What are the 5 aims of custodial sentencing
- Protect the public: incapacitation
- Punish the offender and prevent recidivism
- To deter others
- To atone for wrongdoing: retribution
- To rehabilitate offenders.
How does custodial sentencing protect the public?
Putting criminals in prison is necessary in the case of violent offenders or psychopaths who may not be capable of controlling their behaviour, and the public needs to be protected.
Why does custodial sentencing punish an offender and prevent recidivism?
Behaviourist approach to dealing with offending behaviour - punishment decreases the likelihood of behaviour being repeated.
How does custodial sentencing deter others?
People giving prison sentencing should discourage the general population from committing crimes. If the punishment was seen as less serious, people may be willing to take the risk and break the law.
This is social learning - indirect reinforcement.
How does custodial sentencing atone for wrongdoing?
The victim and their friends/family wish to feel a sense of justice being done. The offender should be seen to pay in some way for the crime they committed.
How does custodial sentencing rehabilitate others?
The only way to prevent criminal behaviour is through education/therapy.
Having a person in prison may offer the best opportunity for therapy as they have fewer distractions and there may be incentives for participation.
What are the 4 psychological effects of custodial sentencing?
De-individuation
Depression, self-harm and suicide
Overcrowding and lack of privacy
Effects on the family
How does custodial sentencing lead to de-individuation?
Stanford prison experiment - prison + guard uniforms lead to a loss of individual identity (de-individuation).
This is associated with increased aggression and treating people in inhuman ways.
How does custodial sentencing lead depression, self-harm and suicide?
Depression comes from hopelessness - prisoners feel anxious about the new and frightening environment, hopeless about their future and lacking control (helplessness).
Self-harm can result from this but can also be a form of conformity as its part of inmate culture.
Suicide is an outcome of depression - greatest risk group is single young men in first 24 hrs.
How does custodial sentencing lead to overcrowding and lack of privacy?
There’s a growing prison population in the UK which has not been matched by an increase in the number of prisons.
This leads to increased aggression as well as hypersexuality, stress and increased physical illness.
What are the effects on the family from custodial sentencing?
Parents in prison may feel guilt and also separation anxiety.
Children with a mother or father in prison are deeply affected financially and psychologically.
Outline the evaluation points for custodial sentencing
Universities for crime
Other benefits of custodial sentencing
Individual differences in recidivism
