forensic psychology Flashcards

Question

evaluate the differential association hypothesis

Answer 1

+ theory shifted the emphasis away from biology and eugenic arguments for criminality + can account for all crimes for race, gender and social groups -Impossible to test this theory as you can't count someone's associations and influences quantitatively -Farrington found that the family is a large influence on offending and crime can be seen as intergenerational suggesting genetic explanation -Doesn't account for individual differences as some people are much more susceptible to the influence of others

Answer 2

Blachburn argues that if the superego is deficient then criminality is inevitable as the Id is not properly controlled and we are going to give into our impulses 1.Weak superego may develop if the same sex parent is absent during the phallic stage of psycho-sexual development and this would mean the child dint internalize the moral values of the same sex parent leading to offending behaviour. 2.Deviant superego may develop if the child internalizes the morals of the criminal or deviant same sex parent 3.Over harsh superego may develop is the same sex parent is overly harsh and this may mean the individual is crippled by guilt and commits crime to satisfy the superegos need for punishment

Answer 3

- There is little evidence to back this theory up as it is psychodynamic and many children grow up without a same sex parent that aren’t criminals - The idea of the superego wanting to be punished doesn’t stand well as most criminals do a crime intending not to be caught and try to get away with it - The ideas are pseudoscientific and cannot be tested - There is a correlation between maternal deprivation and criminality like in Bowlbys study of the Juveniles but correlation doesn’t equal causation

Answer 4

1. deterrence- the thought of prison as a punsihment should deter 2. retribution- society is taking revenge on the criminal 3. incapacitation- criminal unable to commit further crime 4. rehabilitation- reform the criminal through education, therapy so they leave changed

Answer 5

stress and depression- suicide rates are higher in prison than in the general population and if a pirsoner suffers from mental helath issues it is likely to worsen in prison institutionalisation- having adopted to the norms and values of prison life some prisoners find it impossible to cope in the real world on release prisonisation- some behaviour that are unacceptable in normal society may be acceptable in prison meaning prisoners learn to accept prisoner code to survive like the unofficial hierarchy of prisoners

Answer 6

57% of prisoners will reoffend within a year on release and over 2/3 of under 18 year olds are reconvicted within a year of release

Answer 7

- suicide rate are 15x higher in prisons than in society and around 25% of female and 15% of male prisoners have symptoms of psychosis - rehabilition doesnt work due to cuts to the prison bugdets meaning education and theroayp are not available at the level they need to be effective in prisons - university of crime: putting inexperienced criminals into a prison environment may mean that the type of education they get makes them a better criminal and encourages them to commit crime more - easier alternatives to imprisonment like fines, ankle monitors, community service

Answer 8

it involves rewarding desired behaviour and withholding rewards for undesirable behaviour and usually works best with children or in institutions like mental hospitals, schools and prisons e.g. token economies

Answer 9

+ you don't need a professional to run it and its easy to introduce - You can't always keep tabs on it and they may have done something bad like fight, but you don't know and then you are conditioning them that fighting is a desirable behaviour - The incentive has to be correct for the target audience otherwise they won't feel motivated to do it e.g. adult doesn't want a toy from toy shop so money would be more appropriate - Hobbs and holt introduced token economies into 3 young delinquent behavioural units and 1 control and they observed significant improvement in positive behaviour as a result

Answer 10

brings those harmed by crime and those responsible for the harm into communication enabling everyone to play a part in repairing the damage done

Answer 11

victim reparation- helping the victim heal and feel safe again communities of care and reconciliation - services there to help the communication and keep offender in check offender responsibility- taking responsibility and making amends genuinely and remorsefully

Answer 12

Opportunity to tell the offender about the impact of their crime on the victim An acknowledgement of the harm caused A chance to ask questions Some control and choice Peace of mind

Answer 13

Rehabilitation of offenders- being punished is a passive process whereas restorative justice requires offender to be active Atonement of wrongdoing- offender may offer concrete compensation or atone by showing genuine feelings of guilt and remorse Victims' perspective- restores power to the victim as their voice is heard in the legal process helping them feel safe again

Answer 14

+ helps the offender take accountability and understand the impact of their actions by talking victims + they must participate actively allowing them to make amends and work harder to become better instead of going to a juvenile jail + helping the community as the offender builds a connection to the community reducing the likelihood of reoffending. The victim might feel pressure to forgive and accept an inadequate resolution Not suitable to all offenders as some may not have the maturity to take part in the process meaningfully, potentially undermining its effectiveness.

Answer 15

Anger management programmes are a form go CBT which aims to change the way a prisoner thinks and therefore act

Answer 16

1. Cognitive preparation- the offender is encouraged to reflect on their past behaviors and what makes them angry, and the therapist works with them to show that the response is irrational and helps them redefine the situation. Taught to recognise their own triggers(cognitive) 2. Skill acquisition- offenders are taught a range of techniques and skills to enable them to avoid triggers and deal with anger provoking situations more rationally and this might require assertiveness and effective communication from the therapist (behavioral) 3. Application practice- offenders practice through role play and the therapist deliberately provoke them to see how they react, and the therapist will positively reinforce the successful strategies (SLT)

Answer 17

Ireland 2000 Aims- assess whether anger management programmes work with young male offenders Procedure- Natural experiment with 50 prisoners who had completed CALM and a group of 37 who were assessed as suitable but hadn't taken the course. Prisoners were given a cognitive behavioural interview and the prison officers completed a WBC rating 29 angry behaviours with a score of 0,1 or 2 the week before the interview Prisoners completed a self-report questionnaire on anger management with 53 questions Results- Prisoner that had completed CALM course rated themselves lower on the anger questionaire amd were rated lower by prison officers than the control group 92% showed improvements on at least one measure of aggression and anger Conclusion- in the short term the treatment seemed effective, but there is no reoffending data

Answer 18

+ Wide ranging approach as it uses cognitive, behaviorism and social learning theory to improve anger + Anger management is more long term and is more likely to lead to a permanent change - We don't know the long-term effects of anger management is prisoners as when the offenders are released, we lose the data, so we don't know the long-term effects. It is different from role playing in therapy to the outside world. - Anger management is limited in its application as not all crimes are motivated by anger - Anger management is very time consuming and expensive and requires highly skilled therapists and the prisoner must also want the CBT to work and want to change.