forensics - dealing with offending behaviour Flashcards
what are the methods of dealing with offenders?
1) custodial sentencing
2) anger management
3) behaviour modification
4)restorative justice
what is custodial sentencing?
A punishment decided by a court whereby the person spends time in ‘custody’. For example, prison or a young offenders institute.
what are reasons for CS?
Deterrence
Incapacitation
Retribution
Rehabilitation
What is deterence?
deter people from committing crime again
what is incapacitation?
Incapacitation – A means of protecting the public and stopping people from committing more crime
what is retribution?
Retribution – revenge for society, offender is ‘paying’ for their actions
what is rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation – a chance to reform before they’re back into the public
Psychological effects
what are the psychological effects of CS?
- Stress and depression
- Institutionalisation
- Prisonisation
how does CS cause stress and depression?
- Stress and depression suicide rates are higher in prison as are self-harm rates.
- conditions of custody can be poor
how doe CS cause institutionalisation?
- Institutionalisation prisoners become so accustomed to prison life they cannot function outside of prison
what is prisonisation?
- Prisonisation prisoners adopt an ‘inmate code’. Through socialisation with prison they may be encouraged to engage in mora criminality that would not be allowed outside.
what is recidivism?
the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend
what is recidivism rates in uk?
57% of offenders in the UK will reoffend within a year of release. in 2013
This is a lot higher than Norway who emphasise on rehabilitation.
evaluate custodial sentencing
- Suicide rates in prisons have tended to be 15X higher in prisons than in the general population. This suggests custodial sentencing is not effective in the rehabilitation of offenders.
- Prison reform trust found that 25% of women and 15% of men reported symptoms of psychosis - the oppressive prison regime may trigger psychological disorders
- individual differences - whilst it is psychologically challenging for many not all people will react in the same way. It depends on length of sentence, crime committed and [psychological stability when entering prison confinement. There is no one way that apply to every prisoner at every prison. - some may have undiagnosed issues before going in as well
- There are many opportunities in prison such as education and training to be employed when released. Also, programmes for social skills and anger management. Prison may be worth it.
what is the foundation of behaviour modification?
- if behaviour is learned
- we can reinforce desired behaviour and unlearn behaviour we do not want such that it becomes extinct through punishment
- this enforces obedience in prisons
- can be set up using token economys
what is the main reward system used in prisons?
token economy
what is the token economy?
reinforcing good behaviour with a token that can be exchanged for a reward
what kind of rienfrcers are the tokens?
secondary
what was hobbs and holt research?
introduced token economy with young delinquents and observed significant difference in positive behaviour when this programme was enforced.