Forensics- Custodial sentencing

Question 1

Double, strength,

REDUCE RECIDIVISM

Answer 1

Custodial sentencing may provide opportunities for rehabilitation.
Offenders may access programmes in prison such as anger management which make them less likely to reoffend in the future. This is in addition to education and training regarding employment.
This suggests that prison could be a worthwhile experience assuming offenders are able to access these programmes.
Providing people insight into their behaviour and helping them to have a legitimate income, may reduce the likelihood of recidivism.

Question 2

Double whopper, limitation

UNIVERSITIES OF CRIME

Answer 2

Prisons can become ‘universities for crime’.
Differential association theory suggests that time spent with hardened criminals may give younger inmates the chance to learn ‘tricks of the trade’ from experienced offenders.
This may undermine attempts to rehabilitate prisoners, making reoffending more likely.
This questions the impact of custodial sentencing as an effective way of dealing with offending behaviour if it is likely to lead to increased recidivism rates.

Question 3

Combo whopper

ALTERNATIVES EXIST

Answer 3

There are alternatives to custodial sentencing which may be more effective.
For example, community service and restorative justice.
These programmes allow family contact to be maintained, alongside employment which may be more beneficial than removing an individual from society.
These alternatives, however, are rarely offered because they are seen as ‘soft’ options for dealing with crime and politicians want to remain in favour with the public.

Question 4

Double whopper, limitation

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT

Answer 4

There are negative psychological effects for individuals in custodial sentencing.
Suicide rates among offenders are about 15 times higher than in the general population, with young single men in the first 24 hours of confinement most at risk.
However, it cannot be assumed that all offenders will react in the same, negative way to imprisonment.
Different prisons have different regimes, so there will be a variation of experience. Furthermore, psychological effects will be mitigated based on the length of the sentence, the reason for incarceration and previous periods of confinement. This makes general conclusions about the psychological effects of custodial sentencing difficult.