Forensic Psychology L9 - 12 Flashcards
Custodial sentencing:
Convicted offender spends time in closed institution
4 aims of custodial sentencing:
- Deterrence
- Incapacitation
- Retribution
- Rehabilitation
2 types of deterrence and what they are:
- General deterrence –> sends broad message that crime will not be tolerated
- Individual deterrence –> prevents individual from repeating same crime
Why is incapacitation used?
- Prevent them from reoffending
- Protect them from public
Retribution:
Enacting consequences (revenge) for crime by making offender suffer
Why is rehabilitation used?
Prisoners can be reformed and better adjusted to return to society
4 psychological effects of custodial sentencing:
- Psychological disorders
- Institutionalisation
- Brutalisation
- Labelling
Give one study showing psychological disorders in prison and who conducted this:
- Prison Reform Trust (2014)
- 25% of women and 15% of men reported symptoms of psychosis
Why is institutionalisation a psychological effect of being in prison?
- Lack of autonomy
- Dependency on prison culture
Why is brutalisation a psychological effect of custodial sentencing and give one stat that shows this?
- Reinforces criminal lifestyle and norms
- High recidivism –> 70% of young offenders re-offend w/in 2 yrs
In what way is labelling a psychological effect of prison?
May be harder to gain employment and gain friends due to labelling
Strengths and weaknesses of custodial sentencing: (+1, -3)
+ Useful
- High suicide rates
- Need to be selective about who they send
- Crime prevention is more effective –> Harrower (2001)
- Is prison actually successful? –> David and Raymond (2000)
In what 4 ways is custodial sentencing useful?
- Danger to public is reduced
- Justice achieved
- Treatment programmes to reform prisoners
- Education and training
How much higher are suicides in prison pop than in general pop but what is an evaluation of this point?
- 15%
- Difficult to demonstrate that it is imprisonment causing the conditions (may have had problems before)
Why do courts need to be selective about who they send to prison?
- 8 to 10% of criminals commit 50% of crimes
- Custodial sentencing is best for repeat offenders (Peterson, 1981)
Why did Harrower say crime prevention is more effective than custodial sentencing?
- Avoids labelling
- Avoids negative consequences like prison
- Alternative sentences like community service are better
What did David and Raymond do and how did this question the success of prison?
- Completed review of custodial sentencing and concluded gov minsiters often exaggerate benefits of prison to appear strict on crime
- In reality, prison does little to deter or rehabilitate, more to retribute
Behaviour modification:
Behavioural therapy which uses operant conditioning techniques to encourage positive behaviours
Token economy:
Example of behaviour modification using reward systems
How do token economies work? (3)
- Tokens eg coloured discs given immediately to patients when they have carried out a desirable behaviour
- Desirable behaviours vary depending on the individual
- Tokens can later be exchanged for more tangible rewards
Are tokens primary or secondary reinforcers and why?
- Secondary
- They only have value once a patient has learnt that they can be used for rewards (rewards are the priamry reinforcers)
How do behaviour modification programmes deal with desirable behaviour and why?
- Broken into smaller increments
- So that they truly understand the purpose of their actions
What type of reinforcement is this and what does it mean?
- Selective reinforcement
- A particular prisoner is rewarded for particular actions
Strengths and weaknesses of token economy:
+ Easy to administer and cost-effective
- Requires consistency
- Only be used in controlled environment
- Unethical –> withdrawal of basic human rights
- Only deals w/ surface behaviour
What type of therapy is anger management and how many stages does it have?
- CBT
1. Cognitive prep
2. Skill acquisition
3. Application practice
What is cognitive preparation? (3)
- Learning to identify cues for anger
- Reflecting on events where they got angry
- Help redefine situation as non-threatening
What is skill acquisition and what techniques could it include?
Offender learns skills to manage their own behaviour in anger-provoking situations
1. Cognitive –> positive self-talk
2. Behavioural –> assertive training to communicate more effectively
3. Physiological –> Methods of relaxation
What is application practice?
- Offender role-plays opportunities to practice new skills and receive feedback/ past occasions leading to anger
- Therapist attempts to anger the offender
Strengths and weaknesses of anger management as a therapy:
+ Multidisciplinary approach (cognitive, behavioural, psychological)
+ Attempts to reach root cause of offending
- Assumption that anger causes offending eg Harold Shipman
- Expensive –> highly trained specialist
- Dependant on commitment of pps
How does Harold Shipman show that anger does not necessarily cause offending?
Shipman murdered over 215 of his patients, with the motivation to alleviate their suffering
Restorative justice:
Process of managed collaboration between offender and victim based on principles of healing and empowerment
What happens during the process of restorative justice?
1) Trained mediator facilitates a meeting between victim and offender
2) Victim is given chance to confront offender and explain how crime affected them
3) Offender is confronted w/ consequences of their actions, including emotional distress they have caused the victim
What are the 4 key features that all restorative justice programs share?
- Focus on acceptance of responsibility and positive change for offenders
- Not restricted to courtrooms (meet outside of this venue)
- Active involvement of all parties
- Positive outcomes for all
Give one other form that restorative justice can come as:
Financial restitution
Strengths and weaknesses of restorative justice:
+ Practical value –> Shapman et al (2007)
- Relies on offender showing remorse
- ‘Women’s Aid’ called for end to use of restorative justice in DA cases as offender can exploit opportunity to convince victim to take them back
- Unpopular –> regarded as ‘soft option’
What did Shapman et al find? (2)
- Conducted gov funded research project
- Every pound spent on restorative justice would save justice system £8 by reducing recidivism
What shows that remorse is not often shown in restorative justice programmes and why is this the case?
- High dropout rates in restorative justice
- Might just sign up to avoid prison
