Forensic - Area 6

Question 1

What are non custodial punishments ?

Answer 1

Usually smaller crimes resulting in fines, community sentencing or probation.

Question 2

What are fines ?

Answer 2

They act as a deterrent and are the most common criminal sentence for less serious crimes.

Question 3

What is community sentencing ?

Answer 3

Place requirements on offenders that they must meet while serving their sentences like community payback.

Question 4

What is probation ?

Answer 4

Period of time when the offender has to report frequently to their probation officer. They are put under supervision of the probation service, when a judge imposes a community sentence or where they cannot break the rules.

Question 5

What is an absolute discharge ?

Answer 5

Means that no more action can be taken when someone has been found as guilty.

Question 6

What is a conditional discharge ?

Answer 6

Even when the court decides someone is guilty, this means that the offender will not be punished unless they commit another offence within a set period of time.

Question 7

What is custodial sentencing ?

Answer 7

This involves the offender being put in the prison or a secure hospital for the term of their sentence, or residential centres if they are young offenders.

Question 8

When are prison sentences given out ?

Answer 8

They are only given when an offence is so serious that it is the only suitable punishment. The majority of the prison population in the UK consists of males. Designed as a way to punish offenders by taking away their freedom and to protect the public.

Question 9

Why do prison sentencing help with retribution ?

Answer 9

This is related to the just world hypothesis where the victim feels that justice has been served when the offender receives a custodial sentence.

Question 10

What did Hebenton and Pease believe about punishment ?

Answer 10

They believed that punishment serves to reduce the crime rate either by acting as a deterrent that makes people think before committing crimes, or have a reforming effect.

Question 11

What is the concept of deterrence based off ?

Answer 11

Based of operant conditioning that people will avoid behaviour for which they have been punished for in the past.

Question 12

What did Dooley et al investigate within prisons ?

Answer 12

Aimed to investigate all unnatural deaths that occurred in England and Wales. Found that 300 of the 442 unnatural deaths were suicides. He attributed the suicides and unnatural deaths to overcrowding and prisoner stress.

Question 13

What is the rate of recidivism in the UK prisons ?

Answer 13

25% of prisoners go on to reoffend after their punishment.

Question 14

Why might prison not be effective ?

Answer 14

-Doesnt work for everyone.
-Difficult for prisoners to not reoffend.
-Difficult for prisoners ro reintegrate into society.

Question 15

What did Ireland investigate in terms of anger management ?

Answer 15

Investigate whether anger management programmes work. Studied a natural experiment of 50 prisoners who completed the CALM course. Prisoners who completed the course rated themselves lower on anger questionnaire and were rated lower by prison officers. 92% showed improvements on at least 1 measurement of aggression and anger.

Question 16

What did Gillis et al look at ?

Answer 16

Looked at the relationship between employment status and community outcomes of offenders. Results showed that both employed men and women were less likely to return to prison. Being in planned employment can be a means to reform offenders to integrate them back into society.

Question 17

What is the background to Haney et al ?

Answer 17

The prison system in America was falling and recidivism rates were up by 75%. Failure was put down to dispositional hypothesis. The state of social institutions was due to the nature of people who administered it or that populate it.

Question 18

What was the aim of Haney et al ?

Answer 18

To investigate effects of prison environments on a group of students and to see if the roles they were randomly assigned to play would influence their behaviour. Also investigates possible effects of imprisonment and possibilities for prison reform.

Question 19

What was the sample of Haney et al ?

Answer 19

Volunteers through an advert in the Stanford daily newspaper. 75 respondents were given psychological questionnaire and 24, who were judged most stable men, were selected. They were largely all middle class.

Question 20

How was informed consent given in Haney et al ?

Answer 20

All signed a contract for adequate diet, clothing, housing, etc for 2 weeks. It was made clear they would have little privacy and basic civil rights, except physical abuse.

Question 21

What was the IV in Haney et al ?

Answer 21

Prisoner or guard

Question 22

What was the DV in Haney et al ?

Answer 22

Behaviour of prisoners and guards based on observations, audio and video tapes, as well as the interviews.

Question 23

What type of experiment was Haney et al ?

Answer 23

Laboratory experiment.

Question 24

What type of experimental design was Haney et al ?

Answer 24

Independent measures design.

Question 25

Where was Haney et al conducted ?

Answer 25

Conducted in the basement of Stanford uni.

Question 26

What was the procedure for the prisoners in Haney et al ?

Answer 26

-Prisoners were arrested at home by the police.
-They were stripped, sprayed and placed in cell and told to remain silent.
-Only were referred to as numbers to dehumanise them.
-Wore uniforms for anonymity.

Question 27

What was the procedure for the guards in Haney et al ?

Answer 27

-Reflective sunglasses for emotional detachment.
-Khaki, military like uniform.
-Whistle and night stick for power.
-Guards believed study was only on prisoner not themselves.

Question 28

What were the results of the guards in Haney et al ?

Answer 28

-Showed pathology of power through enjoyment and misuse of power.
-Showed signs of distress however none failed to turn up to work on time.
-Some were passive but some went beyond rules.

Question 29

What were the results of the prisoners in Haney et al ?

Answer 29

5 prisoners were released early due to extreme emotional depression.
-Pathological prisoner syndrome due to loss of identity and emasculation.
-One developed a psychiatric rash.

Question 30

What is restorative justice ?

Answer 30

Form of rehabilitation where the offender makes amends with the victim or victims family through use of a practitioner who must remain neutral. The process needs to be risk assessed and it causes the offender to take responsibility for their actions.

Question 31

What did Sherman and Strang state about restorative justice ?

Answer 31

Suggested it was only useful in violent and property crimes.

Question 32

What is JETS ?

Answer 32

Form of CBT that stands for juvenile estate thinking skills and is based off Ellis’ ABC model or irrational beliefs. Involves 25 sessions that last for 2.5 hours.
Part 1 = individual sessions
Part 2 = Followed up by a group session focussing on continuity and support.