forensic psychology Flashcards
define custodial sentencing
a decision made by a court that punishment for a crime should involve time being in ‘custody’ either through prison or some other closed therapeutic / educational institution.
what are 4 aims of custodial sentencing
- deterrence
- Incapacitation
- Retribution
- rehabilitation
psychological affects of custodial sentencing
stress and depression - higher suicided rates than the general population - the stress of the environment increase the number of psychological disorders
Institutionalization- adapted to the normal routines of prison life - no longer able to function outside
prisonization - prisoners are socialized into adapting an inmate code - unacceptable behaviors
define recidivism
refers to reoffending after being in custody or in prison
evaluate custodial sentencing
-/+psychological effects
+ training and treatment
- school of crime
what is behavioral modification
an application of the behaviouralist approach to treatment with the aim of replacing undesirable behavior with more desirable ones through positive / negative reinforcement and operant conditioning.
token economies
Desirable behavior = token
Each rewardable behaviors should be made clear to prisoners before it is implicated
Undesirable behaviors = token removal.
The tokens = secondary reinforcements
The primary reinforcement = reward gained for them. E.g., spending time with family
anger management - Raymond Novanco
cognitive factors trigger emotional arousal which generally precedes aggressive acts.
some people - anger quick to rise - in anxiety inducing and threating situations
anger is reinforced by the individual feeling out of control
anger management as a form of CBT
teaches them how to recognize the cognitive triggers and to develop skills/techniques to find solutions without anger.
the 3 stages of anger management
- cognitive preparation
- skills acquisition
- physiological
cognitive preparation - anger management
- reflect on past experiences and typical patterns of anger
- identify triggers and irrational thoughts
therapist attempts to break the automatic response for the offender.
cognitive preparation - anger management
- reflect on past experiences and typical patterns of anger
- identify triggers and irrational thoughts
therapist attempts to break the automatic response for the offender.
skills acquisition - anger management
- offenders are introduced to a range of techniques and skills t deal with their triggers.
cognitive- positive self-talk to encourage calmness
behavioral- training in how communicate effectively (automatic response with practice)
physiological- relaxation training or mediation to help control emotions
application practice - anger management
- offenders practice their skills in a controlled environment
- role play with offenders and re-enacting scenarios that led to violence.
- need a committed offender and brave therapist
- positive reinforcement for dealing successfully
Julia Keen et al - positive outcomes
- studied offenders 17-21
- national anger management program in England and wales
- x8 2hrs sessions, 7 in a 3 week period and 1 a month later
initial issues- offenders didn’t take it seriously and forgetting routines however general outcomes were positive (aware of anger and self control)
strength of anger management - more beneficial than behavioral modification
takes one cause of offending instead of surface behavior.
provides insight into their offence and self discovery how to manage themselves outside of prison.
more beneficial and led to more premiant behavioral changes
weakness of anger management - individual difference
Howells et al - Australian offenders
participants in anger management programs had little overall improvement compared to the control group.
offenders need to be fully motivated for it to be effective
certain profile to be successful
weakness of anger management - expensive / not affect soluition for all prisons
expensive as they require highly trained specialists to deal with violent offenders - so prisons can afford it
based on commitment of offender - if uncooperative may cause problem and make it more time-consuming
not effective for all prisons
