Dealing With Offending Behaviour: Custodial Sentencing And Recidivism Flashcards
The effectiveness of punishment: Amnesty International (2015)
the high rates of recidivism suggests that for at least 50% of the prison population, punishment doesn’t work
behaviourists argue that punishment is most effective when it’s issued straight away (not the case with sentences)
offenders may see it as punishment for being caught rather than offending
AI: showed that murder rates aren’t lower in states where there’s the death penalty, even though it should act as a deterrent
Other benefits of custodial sentencing:
one benefit is INCAPACITATION, but it’s only relevant to dangerous prisoners and doesn’t reduce recidivism
another benefit is RETRIBUTION; which can be achieved without a sentence through Restorative Justice (offers a change in attitudes)
a final benefit is REHABILITATION; engaging in programmes - although it may be superficial involvement due to merely wishing to reduce their sentence
Prisons as a training ground for crime:
Latessa and Lowenkamp (2006)
being in prison may increase the likelihood of reoffending
according to the Differential Association Theory, this may be due to offending behaviour being the consequence of increasing association with people with pro-criminal attitudes
(learning how to be more successful)
L&L: concluded that placing low-risk offenders with high-risk offenders made it more likely that they will re-offend
Individual differences in recidivism:
Walker et. al (1981)
a custodial sentence may be more effective with certain individuals
W: found that the length of the sentence made little difference to habitual offenders who were likely to reoffend regardless of their sentence
rates of recidivism also vary with age and crimes:
younger people are more likely to reoffend
those who commit smaller crimes are twice as likely to reoffend than with severe crime
thus, sentencing should be targeted in different ways for different groups
