Forensics - Dealing w/offending behaviour

Question 1

Custodial sentencing

Answer 1

Punishment for a crime involving time within custody (i.e. prison)

Question 2

Aims of custodial sentencing

Answer 2

• Deterrence
• Incapacitation
• Retribution
• Rehabilitation

Question 3

Deterrence

Answer 3

Prevention from committing crimes (vicarious punishment)
- General: broad public message
- Individual: the offender themselves

Question 4

Incapacitation

Answer 4

Protecting society/public by locking criminals away
- Depends on severity & nature of the offence

Question 5

Retribution

Answer 5

Proportionate revenge to offence severity
- Based on ‘an eye for an eye’
- Prison deemed best as alternatives are ‘too soft’

Question 6

Rehabilitation

Answer 6

Opportunities for skill-building to leave prison as a better person
- Offers reflection
- Includes treatment programmes for substance issues or behavioural problems

Question 7

Recidivism (+rates)

Answer 7

Re-offending
- 46% adults reconvicted within 1 year of release
- Jan-Mar 2022 -> 25.5% recidivism rate
- 60% in US, 20% in Scandinavia

Question 8

Effects of custodial sentencing

Answer 8

• Stress & depression
• Institutionalisation
• Prisonisation

Question 9

Stress & depression (custodial sentencing)

Answer 9

Suicide rates, SH & mutilation significantly higher in prison
- Stress increases risk of developing disorders post-release
- Risk group: single, young males during first 24hrs in custody

Question 10

Institutionalisation (custodial sentencing)

Answer 10

Unable to function on the outside due to adapting to the prison routine/life
- Pakes & Pakes: 1/3 lose house, 2/3 lose jobs, 40% lose family contact

Question 11

Prisonisation (custodial sentencing)

Answer 11

Socialised into adopting an ‘inmate code’
- Behaviour considered acceptable/encouraged in prison is NOT outside the prison

Question 12

Strengths of custodial sentencing

Answer 12

+ Economy (rehab -> Gillis & Nafekh - employed men & women from prison were more likely to remain on conditional release)
+ Reduce recidivism (rehab -> Vera Institute of Justice - college education system within prisons created 43% less reoffending & fewer violence)

Question 13

Limitations of custodial sentencing

Answer 13

[HOWEVER] Onepoll - 47% see prisons as punishment, regimes are too soft
- Ethical issues (Bartol - imprisonment can be brutal, demeaning and inhumane)
- Detrimental (25% of women & 15% of men report symptoms of psychosis [potentially confounding variables])
- Criminal education (Prisonisation -> taught skills by other prisoners to commit crimes when released & lack of other proper socialisation)

Question 14

Behaviour modification

Answer 14

Criminal behaviour is learnt & cannot be unlearned

Question 15

Token economies

Answer 15

Based on operant conditioning (reinforcements)
- Tokens -> secondary reinforcers
- Rewards -> primary reinforcers
- Creating associations between reinforcers by immediate response to desirable behaviours (slowly delay)
- Remove tokens for bad behaviour

Question 16

Strengths of token economies

Answer 16

+ Supporting evidence (Hobbs & Holt - 3/4 units using TE found significant difference in positive behaviour compared to a control group)
+ Face validity & adaptable (Field et al - found generally effective on young people & specialised programmes were found to be more positive)
+ Reduces pressure (reduces conflicts & better prisoner management -> improves economy)

Question 17

Limitations of token economies

Answer 17

• Inconsistencies (Bassett & Blanchard - benefits lost if applied poorly due to officers’ lacking training)
• Ethical issues (manipulating & dehumanising to participate in, participation is obligatory which sparks human rights issues)

Question 18

Anger management

Answer 18

Therapeutic programme targeting aggressive/violent behaviour

Question 19

Cognitive preparation (anger management)

Answer 19

Reflects on past & identify triggers/patterns in behaviour (therapist brings attention to irrational responses)

Question 20

Skills acquisition (anger management)

Answer 20

Learning how to deal with situations
- Cognitive methods (i.e. positive self-talk)
- Behaviour methods (i.e. effective & assertive communication)
- Physiological methods (i.e. relaxation training to lower blood pressure)

Question 21

Application practice (anger management)

Answer 21

Practicing within a controlled environment (roleplay scenarios) to reinforce behaviour

Question 22

Strengths of anger management

Answer 22

+ Suitable (tackle causes of offending at root i.e. cognitive processes - reduce offending behaviour with a more permanent effect)
+ Long-term (everyday life transferable & enhances life)

Question 23

Limitations of anger management

Answer 23

• Lacking mundane realism (Blackburn - little evidence of reducing recidivism & roleplays are not reflecting true reality situations)
• Dependent on free will (commitment is necessary & offenders cannot be forced into it, issues arise with uncooperative)
• Misguided (Loza & Loza-Fanous - no differences in levels of anger & instead provides justification for the behaviour)

Question 24

Restorative justice

Answer 24

Opportunities for the victim & offender to meet (typically before sentencing) alongside a mediator to assist the victim with recovery and feel empowered & the offender with feeling empathy (positive outcomes)

Question 25

How restorative justice works

Answer 25

1) Meeting in a non-courtroom/more neutral setting 2) Sharing the impact on the victim 3) Potentially ask for compensation i.e. finances

Question 26

Strengths of restorative justice

Answer 26

+ Achieves aims (Restorative Justice Council - 85% satisfied, 78% recommend and 60% felt better for it) + Prevents recidivism (Strong et al - significantly less likely to re-offend and a large reduction in violent crime (over property)) + Useful for adults (1-1 contact helped prevent recidivism)

Question 27

Limitations of restorative justice

Answer 27

- Not survivor-focused (Wood & Suzuki - used to rehabilitate offenders rather than help the survivors -> seen as secondary) - Ulterior motives (Van Gijseghem - offenders use to avoid harsher punishments and play down their actions & showed pride in what they did to the victims) - Domestic violence cases (Liebman - if used, the power imbalance puts pressure on survivors & makes them fear repercussions of declining)