forensic psychology-dealing with offending behaviour Flashcards
what are the 4 aims of custodial sentencing
-deterrence
-incapacitation
-retribution
-rehabilitation
what is deterrence
the unpleasant experience is designed to keep the individual away from commiting crimiminal activity
its based on the behaviourist priniple of conditioning-the idea that behaviour that is punished is less likely to be repeated
what is incapacitation
the offender is taken out of society to prevent them from reoffending as a way of protecting the public
putting offenders into prison mean they no longer threaten the public
what is retribution
the notion that the offender should pay for their actions
putting them in prison means they are paying for the consequences of there criminal activity
what is rehabilitation
in order to reduce the chance of reoffending prisons should provide the opportunity to develop skills or access treatment
this allows them to be a more efffective member of society
what are 4 psychological effects of cusodial sentencing
-stress and depression
-self-harm
-institutionalisation
-deindividualisation
AO1 stress and depression
suicide test are considerably higher in the prison population compared to the general public
risk of suicide is higher in the first 30 days suggesting adjusting to prison life is too distressing for some inmates
AO3 stress and depression
the prison reform trust found that 25% of women and 15% of men reported symptoms indiciative of psychosis
-may trigger psychological disorders in vulnerable people so may seem oppressive
prison can have a negative effect on mental health
custodial sentences may not be effective at rehabilitating the offender
AO1 self-harm
depression may be expressed in terms of self-harm
it may also be a way of becoming part of prison culture
AO1 institiutionalisation
inmates may have become so used to prison life that they are unable to adjust to the demands outside prison life
institutionalisation can lead to
-confomity to social role
Deindividualisation
Prisons can strip people of their sense of individual identity. People may have become so socialised into a group that they become part of that group. This leads to highly aggressive behavior
what are reasons for the high recidivism rates
-institutionalisation
the prisoners basic physiological needs are met. If they are homeless or have a difficult home environment they may reoffend to go back to prison as that seems more appealing to them
-mental health
if the inmates mental health is unstable they may be more prone to reoffending
why might custodial sentencing be counterproductive
Custodial sentencing could be counterproductive it could be that placing a large number of criminals together could reinforce pro criminal attitudes And the sharing of pro criminal skills
why might custodial sentencing lead to agressive behaviour
dooley said increasing the number of inmates in prison increases the number Of interactions a prisoner has to judge and deal with this can result in a great deal of uncertainty of other prisoner’s actions which can put the prisoner on edge constantly this is both highly stressful and very demanding
why may community service serve as a better deterent
Klein said offenders that were sentenced to community service were less likely to reoffend
however, this may be due to less serious offenders getting community service.
why might custodial sentencing not be beneficial for the economy
cost per prisoner in 2022 was high £42 000 per prisoner
other alternatives eg-community service or fines may serve as a better alternative.
why may other members of society think prison is an appropriate
This could provide suitable retribution to the victims As offenders spend a long time in a difficult prison environment
They may feel more protected
describe how behaviour modification works in custodial sentencing
prisoners are given tokens (secondary reinforcers) for performing desirable behaviours eg-making there bed or obeying an order. You can use these to get primary reinforcers eg-food
Tokens can be taken away for negative behaviour.
what is some supporting evidence for behavioural modification techniques
hobbs and Holt introduced a token economy with a group of young delinquents across three behavioural units a 4th acted as a control they observed a significant difference in positive behaviour compared to the non Token Economy Group
a similar effect was found with offenders in adult prisons this shows token economies are effective and they increase positive social behaviour
what are some limitations of token economies
Token economy is limited as it can only be used in the control setting of prison It has no long term effects in reducing recidivism
token economies are easy to implement and are cost effective However the use of the system relies on a consistent approach from the prison staff basset and Blanchard found that benefits were lost if staff did not consistently apply tokens due to lack of training so suggest staff need more training
does tokens have value outside the prison
Blackburn suggests that behaviour behavioural modification has little rehabilitative value any positive changes that occur whilst in the prison may be quickly lost when the offender is released law abiding behaviour is not reinforced in the outside there are rewards that the offender receives for breaking the law such as groups status may may be more powerful on the outside
who suggested that token economies may only be effective after a certain amount of time
cohen found that offenders that took part in token economies were less likely to reoffend 2 years later-aster 3 years recidivism went back up
what is anger management
assume aggressive emotional response are cognitive processes and can be controlled with a form of cognitive behavioural therapy
what are the 3 key aims for anger management
- cognitive preparation
- skills acquisitions
- application practice
what is cognitive preparation
offenders learn how to acess there ow thoughts for triggers for irrational, emotional behaviour
examples from there lives are used and interpreted
what is skills aquisition
ways to control anger are developed. From calming/ relaxation exercises to improving communication skills to avoid conflict.
what is application practice
therapist and offender play out role play scenarios that wouldve caused an agressive response. Offender uses skills developed in skills aquisition to keep calm.
what is some supporting evidence for anger management
Taylor-reported a 75% improvement rate (using 6 meta-analysis). Using such programmes with offenders appears to be successful
why might the anger management theory lack ecological validty
Loza found that research linking anger and crime is based on laboratory studies using students
In there own study using 300 males they found no difference between violent and non-violent offenders in terms of anger
They also practice these techniques in the safe environment of there therapist
are anger management techniques effective in the long run
Blackburn points out anger management programmes effect the conduct of offenders in the short term but there is little evidence that it reduces recidivism in the long run.
what are some positive applications of anger management programmes
skills developed in anger management can be applied outside the prison eg-in relationships or employement
what is restorative justice
-offenders should aim to restore the situation to what it once was
-process involves communications between offender and victim
what are the 3 aims of restorative justice
-rehabilitation of the offender
-atonement
-reducing the victims sense of victimisation
what is rehabilitation of the offender
-rehabilitation of the offender
the victim has an opportunity to explain the real life impact of the crime
-this enables the offender to understand the impact on the victim
-offenders may learn to take the perspective of others which may reduce recidivism
what is atonement
-offenders may offer concrete compensation eg-money or service
-they may show there feelings of guilt
reducing victimisation
victim may gain a greater understand of the offender which reduces the victims sense of being harmed
the victim no longer feels powerless and has a voice
evidence suggesting RJ has a positive impact on the victims
somerset police force reported a 92.5% victim satisfaction with RJ
how is RJ beneficial for the economy
the RJ council said that reduced reoffending means £8 is saved for every £1 that is spent on RJ
how will RJ be beneficial thriugh differential association theory
by avoiding a custodial sentence it avoids the influence of a deviant sub-culture as prisons may encourage reoffending.
what are some positives of the offender having to face the victim
the offender having to face their vicitim could act as a form of punishment so could be a deterrent.
