evaluate hormone therapy as a treatment for criminal behaviour (16)

Question 1

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Answer 1

AO1
-what is the rationale behind hormone therapy?
-the belief is that the cause of crim beh is biological (hormones)
-testosterone is a hormone found in both men and women, but in greater lvls in men. It plays a key role in the development of the male reproductive tissues and is required to maintain muscle strength and bone density
-elevated testosterone lvls have been documented among individuals with a history of aggression
-the rationale is that decreasing testosterone will reduce criminal behaviour

AO3 - DIFFERENT TREATMENT (weakness)
-anger management is another treatment for crim beh
-it involves CBT techniques to challenge thought processesand role play to change behaviour

AO3 - ETHICS (strength)
-hormone therapy is an ethical treatment for criminality
-social control is a term given to the regulation of people’s behaviour for societal purposes
-this treatment may benefit society as a whole by modifying the individual’s behaviour so they can become a productive member of society

Question 2

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Answer 2

AO1
-why is it used?
-hormone therapy is used to treat violent offenders and sex offenders/people with deviant sexual desires
-it is used to lower their T lvls, which leads to the decrease of deviant and non deviant sexual urges
-it achieves the same result as surgical castration but not as invasive
-anti-androgenic medication does not require surgical intervention and is entirely reversible through the withdrawal of drugs involved.

AO3- SUPPORTING RESEARCH (strength)
- Maletsky provides research to support hormone therapy as a treatment
-this study demonstrates the effectiveness of MPA as it led to lower recidivism lvls and decreased sexual arousal

AO3 - SIDE EFFECTS (weakness)
-one problem of hormone treatment is the side effects
-eg. the side effects of CPA are liver damage and the side effects of MPA are breast enlargement, osteoporosis, and depression.
-this puts people off hormone therapy as a treatment and also comprimises the health of those who choose to use them.

Question 3

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Answer 3

AO1
-what are anti-androgens?
-anti-androgenic pharmacotherapy is the use of medication to lower T lvls, which leads to a decrease in dev and non dev sexual desires
-provides a more ethical/non surgical alternative to castration, achieving the same results.

AO3 - EXPENSE (weakness)
-if a treatment is available on the NHS it means it is accessible to all
-although hormone treatments are available on the NHS, Maletsky’s study found that 41% of ppl recommended for the treatment did NOT receive it
-this suggest =s that there may be funding issues or reasons why it is not offered in all areas.

AO3 - REASON OR MASK (weakness)
-hormone treatments do NOT tackle the underlying reason for the behaviour, and instead simply masks the symptoms
-it does not tackle morality issues nor do they attempt to change deviant thoughts
-therefore, if treatment stops, their crim beh will reoccur.

Question 4

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Answer 4

AO1
-how is it conducted?
-MPA is usually administered in the form of an injection (300-400mg) intramuscularly every 7-10 days. Once their behaviur decreases, the dosage is reassessed
-examples of drugs used include: anti androgenic meds, CPA, and MPA.

AO3 - TIME (strength)
-the drugs administered for hormone therapy should have a fairly quick response rate
-eg. MPA begins the breakdown of T as soon as it’s administered
-therefore, quicker than behavioural techniques

AO3- APPLICATION (strength)
-it was found that MPA did reduce sexual drive
-when criminals reoffendedit was not of a sexual nature, and it appears to reduce recidivism among those who used MPA.
-therefore we know it works to reduce T levels in sexual offenders.