forensic psychology-dealing with offending behaviour

Question 1

what are the 4 aims of custodial sentencing

Answer 1

-deterrence
-incapacitation
-retribution
-rehabilitation

Question 2

what is deterrence

Answer 2

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

Question 3

what is incapacitation

Answer 3

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

Question 4

what is retribution

Answer 4

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

Question 5

what is rehabilitation

Answer 5

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

Question 6

what are 4 psychological effects of cusodial sentencing

Answer 6

-stress and depression
-self-harm
-institutionalisation
-deindividualisation

Question 7

AO1 stress and depression

Answer 7

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

Question 8

AO3 stress and depression

Answer 8

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

Question 9

AO1 self-harm

Answer 9

depression may be expressed in terms of self-harm
it may also be a way of becoming part of prison culture

Question 10

AO1 institiutionalisation

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Deindividualisation

Answer 11

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

Question 12

what are reasons for the high recidivism rates

Answer 12

-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

Question 13

why might custodial sentencing be counterproductive

Answer 13

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

Question 14

why might custodial sentencing lead to agressive behaviour

Answer 14

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

Question 15

why may community service serve as a better deterent

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

why might custodial sentencing not be beneficial for the economy

Answer 16

cost per prisoner in 2022 was high £42 000 per prisoner
other alternatives eg-community service or fines may serve as a better alternative.

Question 17

why may other members of society think prison is an appropriate

Answer 17

This could provide suitable retribution to the victims As offenders spend a long time in a difficult prison environment

They may feel more protected

Question 18

describe how behaviour modification works in custodial sentencing

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

what is some supporting evidence for behavioural modification techniques

Answer 19

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

Question 20

what are some limitations of token economies

Answer 20

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

Question 21

does tokens have value outside the prison

Answer 21

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

Question 22

who suggested that token economies may only be effective after a certain amount of time

Answer 22

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

Question 23

what is anger management

Answer 23

assume aggressive emotional response are cognitive processes and can be controlled with a form of cognitive behavioural therapy

Question 24

what are the 3 key aims for anger management

Answer 24

1. cognitive preparation
2. skills acquisitions
3. application practice

Question 25

what is cognitive preparation

Answer 25

offenders learn how to acess there ow thoughts for triggers for irrational, emotional behaviour
examples from there lives are used and interpreted

Question 26

what is skills aquisition

Answer 26

ways to control anger are developed. From calming/ relaxation exercises to improving communication skills to avoid conflict.

Question 27

what is application practice

Answer 27

therapist and offender play out role play scenarios that wouldve caused an agressive response. Offender uses skills developed in skills aquisition to keep calm.

Question 28

what is some supporting evidence for anger management

Answer 28

Taylor-reported a 75% improvement rate (using 6 meta-analysis). Using such programmes with offenders appears to be successful

Question 29

why might the anger management theory lack ecological validty

Answer 29

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

Question 30

are anger management techniques effective in the long run

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

what are some positive applications of anger management programmes

Answer 31

skills developed in anger management can be applied outside the prison eg-in relationships or employement

Question 32

what is restorative justice

Answer 32

-offenders should aim to restore the situation to what it once was
-process involves communications between offender and victim

Question 33

what are the 3 aims of restorative justice

Answer 33

-rehabilitation of the offender
-atonement
-reducing the victims sense of victimisation

Question 34

what is rehabilitation of the offender

Answer 34

-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

Question 35

what is atonement

Answer 35

-offenders may offer concrete compensation eg-money or service
-they may show there feelings of guilt

Question 36

reducing victimisation

Answer 36

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

Question 37

evidence suggesting RJ has a positive impact on the victims

Answer 37

somerset police force reported a 92.5% victim satisfaction with RJ

Question 38

how is RJ beneficial for the economy

Answer 38

the RJ council said that reduced reoffending means £8 is saved for every £1 that is spent on RJ

Question 39

how will RJ be beneficial thriugh differential association theory

Answer 39

by avoiding a custodial sentence it avoids the influence of a deviant sub-culture as prisons may encourage reoffending.

Question 40

what are some positives of the offender having to face the victim

Answer 40

the offender having to face their vicitim could act as a form of punishment so could be a deterrent.