Dealing with offending behaviour - Psychological effects of custodial sentencing Flashcards
Why do some prisoners become institutionalised?
The setting influences their behaviour or their home life is poorer than incarceration, e.g. homeless people
What did Crighton and Towl find?
Numbers of suicide in UK prisons have increased lately
What factors have led to an increase in prison suicide?
Overcrowding, a poor staff-to-offender ratio, poor access to mental health support and physical exercise, and settling in to a new environment
When are prisoners most at risk for suicide and why?
Their first 30 days of incarceration; they may have trouble settling in
What other dangerous behaviour is increasing in prisons and why does it occur?
Self harm; frustration at their incarceration or trying to regain control
What prominent piece of research can be used to see the effects of incarceration?
Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment
What did Snow find in suicidal offenders?
They withdrew and had symptoms of depression
What did Snow find in self-harming offenders?
They displayed high levels of stress and anger
What is the problem with assessing mental illness in prisons?
It is difficult to know whether the mental health issues within the prison are due to the context or whether they were already part of the individual. It could be that the offender committed a crime because of his mental illness, and therefore it would be an error to attribute the illness with the prison setting
