Forensics - Dealing with Offending Behaviour

Question 1

what are 4 ways of dealing with offending behaviour?

Answer 1

Custodial sentencing

Behaviour modification in custody

Anger management

Restorative justice

Question 2

what is custodial sentencing?

Answer 2

an offender being incarcerated or in a prison or another closed institution

eg young offenders institute or psychiatric hospital

Question 3

what are the aims of custodial sentencing?

Answer 3

deterrence

incapacitation

retribution

rehabilitation

Question 4

what is deterrence?

Answer 4

the unpleasant prison experience is designed to put off the individual, and society at large, from engaging in offending behaviour

Question 5

what theory is deterrence based on?

Answer 5

Individual deterrence is based on punishment from operant conditioning

general deterrence is based on vicarious punishment from SLT

Question 6

what is incapacitation?

Answer 6

the offender is taken out of society to prevent them from reoffending in order to protect the public

Question 7

what is retribution?

Answer 7

society is enacting revenge for the crime by making the offender suffer, and is proportionate to the seriousness of the crime

Question 8

what is rehabilitation?

Answer 8

the offender is reformed and made into a better person through education or therapy

Question 9

how are the aims of custodial sentencing contradictory?

Answer 9

offenders cannot be rehabilitated while being punished

society cannot be protected from harm as offenders they often reoffend when released

Question 10

what are some negative psychological effects of custodial sentencing?

Answer 10

Stress and depression (including self-harm and suicide)

Prisonisation

Overcrowding and lack of privacy

Deindividuation - Zimbardo

Effects on the family

Question 11

what causes positive effects in offenders in custodial sentencing?

Answer 11

opportunities

treatment

rehabilitation

remorse

Question 12

what is recidivism?

Answer 12

reoffending

Question 13

what are the recidivism rates?

Answer 13

nearly 50% of adults reconvicted within one year of release

nearly 70% of under 18s are reconvicted within a year

Question 14

what does recidivism rates suggest about punishment and rehabilitation?

Answer 14

that you cannot effectively rehabilitate whilst punishing

Question 15

what are the differences between norwegian prisons and british prisons?

Answer 15

norwegian - prisoners treated like humans, democratic setting, casual clothes, looks like student accomodation

british - prisoners treated poorly, guards have all authority, uniforms, hostile and cage like architecture

Question 16

what is some evidence for prisons not focused on rehabilitation?

Answer 16

wandsworth prison

report says it is ‘demeaning, unsafe and fell below decent standards’

violence, rape and psychological pressure all common

Question 17

what is an example of a rehabilitation-focused prison?

Answer 17

lancaster farms:

‘shining example of commitment and care’

2/3 of prisoners leave after 5 years

Question 18

what are the advantages of custodial sentencing?

Answer 18

many prisoners access education and training in prison - increasing chances of employability after release

some good - norwegian reduced recidivism rates by 50%

Question 19

what are the disadvantages of using custodial sentencing?

Answer 19

undermining evidence - triggers psychological disorders in vulnerable people, found that suicide 15 times higher than in general population

high recidivism suggests deterrence doesn’t work - suggests offenders learn to avoid being caught instead of not committing the crime

prison increases reoffending - associating with more criminals and learning to be a better one

low economic validity - expensive

Question 20

what is the aim of behaviour modification programmes?

Answer 20

reinforcing obedient behaviour in the hope that the behaviour will continue

punishing disobedience in the hope that it will become extinct

Question 21

which theory is behaviour modification programmes based on?

Answer 21

operant conditioning

Question 22

what is an example of a behaviour modification programme?

Answer 22

token economy

Question 23

describe the process of a token economy in prisons

Answer 23

tokens given immediately when offender performs desirable behaviour

desirable behaviour encouraged as associated with reward

tokens removed for negative behaviours

tokens can be exchanged for privelages at a later time

Question 24

what are some examples of rewards that could be given during a token economy?

Answer 24

conjugated visits

gym/outdoor time

job training

phones to family/friends

Question 25

what is a conjugate visit?

Answer 25

scheduled visit where inmate can spend time in private with a visitor, usually legal spouse

they may engage in sexual activity

Question 26

what is an example of a negative use of the token economy system?

Answer 26

working for businesses:

seen as expoiting prisoners as they recieve very little wages (far below minimum)

reduces jobs outside prisons

form of slave labour

Question 27

what are the advantages of using behavioural modification programmes in custody?

Answer 27

improves behaviour in prisons and reduces recidivism within first few years of release

economically valid - cheap to set up

can be easily used in most/all prisons - ecologically valid

research support - Hobbs and Holt - increase of nearly 30% in desirable behaviours compared to control

Question 28

what are the disadvantages of using behavioural modification programmes in custody?

Answer 28

unethical - regarded as manipulative as human rights used as rewards, some prisoners cannot control behaviour so are denied these

any positive changes lost after a few years of release - found recidivism rates back to usual

individual differences - doesn’t work with more violent prisoners, works better with young people

Question 29

what did novaco suggest about anger in offenders?

Answer 29

cognitive factors trigger emotional arousal that precedes aggressive acts

becoming angry makes the offender positively reinforced as they feel in control

Question 30

what are the aims of anger management therapy?

Answer 30

enable offenders to recognise anger triggers and develop techniques to bring about conflict-resolution without the need for violence.

Question 31

how many sessions are typically held for anger management therapy?

Answer 31

10

Question 32

what is the group size for anger management therapy?

Answer 32

small

Question 33

when is anger management therapy used?

Answer 33

in custody and on probation

Question 34

what are the stages of anger management?

Answer 34

cognitive preparation

skill acquisition

application practice

Question 35

what happens in cognitive preparation?

Answer 35

offender learns to recognise anger and triggers

therapist can also carefully challenge irrational interpretations of events that trigger

Question 36

what happens in skill acquisition?

Answer 36

techniques and skills are learned to deal with the anger-provoking situations more rationally and effectively

Question 37

what skills are learnt in anger management?

Answer 37

positive self-talk

assertiveness training in how to communicate more effectively

relaxation methods

meditation.

Question 38

what happens in application practice?

Answer 38

offender applies their new skills in role play of situations that have been triggers before

successful negotiation is met by positive reinforcement from the therapist

later, offenders can try out their skills in real-world settings, enabling them to manage their anger in situations, and reduce recidivism

Question 39

what is some research support for anger management therapy?

Answer 39

75% improvement rates based on 6 meta analysis studies

found anger reduced in anger management therapy compared to control group in CBT

Question 40

what are the advantages of anger management therapy?

Answer 40

research support

Question 41

what are the disadvantages of anger management therapy?

Answer 41

reductionist - doesn’t work for non-violent crimes or crimes not motivated by anger

issues in research in how anger is measured - self report or prison report - both biased

not good in long run - suggests therapy in general good but the anger side less effective

requires offenders to be willing - not all will

Question 42

what are the aims of restorative justice?

Answer 42

opportunity to explain the impact of the crime

acknowledgement of the harm caused

chance to ask questions

acceptance of responsibility

Question 43

what is restorative justice?

Answer 43

a system of dealing with criminal behaviour which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims

offenders see the impact of their crime and the process empowers victims

Question 44

what is a key study into restorative justice?

Answer 44

sherman and strang - meta analysis

Question 45

what were the findings/conclusions from the sherman and strang meta analysis into restorative justice?

Answer 45

concluded that in no way can RJ be more harmful than traditional justice system

in most cases significantly more effective than traditional justice system at lowering recidivism

also lowers PTSD in victims

Question 46

what are the advantages of restorative justice?

Answer 46

only approach that helps victims - ethical

cost effective and easily applicable in prisons as only need a few hours of training to mediate

lowers recidivism by roughly 15%

Question 47

what are the disadvantages of restorative justice?

Answer 47

requires every party to be voluntary - not all offenders want to face up, not all victims ready

determinist - assumes will work with severe antisocial personality disorder who cannot empathise with their victims

could be unethical - victims may attempt to shame offender