Forensics - Dealing with Offending Behaviour Flashcards
what are 4 ways of dealing with offending behaviour?
Custodial sentencing
Behaviour modification in custody
Anger management
Restorative justice
what is custodial sentencing?
an offender being incarcerated or in a prison or another closed institution
eg young offenders institute or psychiatric hospital
what are the aims of custodial sentencing?
deterrence
incapacitation
retribution
rehabilitation
what is deterrence?
the unpleasant prison experience is designed to put off the individual, and society at large, from engaging in offending behaviour
what theory is deterrence based on?
Individual deterrence is based on punishment from operant conditioning
general deterrence is based on vicarious punishment from SLT
what is incapacitation?
the offender is taken out of society to prevent them from reoffending in order to protect the public
what is retribution?
society is enacting revenge for the crime by making the offender suffer, and is proportionate to the seriousness of the crime
what is rehabilitation?
the offender is reformed and made into a better person through education or therapy
how are the aims of custodial sentencing contradictory?
offenders cannot be rehabilitated while being punished
society cannot be protected from harm as offenders they often reoffend when released
what are some negative psychological effects of custodial sentencing?
Stress and depression (including self-harm and suicide)
Prisonisation
Overcrowding and lack of privacy
Deindividuation - Zimbardo
Effects on the family
what causes positive effects in offenders in custodial sentencing?
opportunities
treatment
rehabilitation
remorse
what is recidivism?
reoffending
what are the recidivism rates?
nearly 50% of adults reconvicted within one year of release
nearly 70% of under 18s are reconvicted within a year
what does recidivism rates suggest about punishment and rehabilitation?
that you cannot effectively rehabilitate whilst punishing
what are the differences between norwegian prisons and british prisons?
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
what is some evidence for prisons not focused on rehabilitation?
wandsworth prison
report says it is ‘demeaning, unsafe and fell below decent standards’
violence, rape and psychological pressure all common
what is an example of a rehabilitation-focused prison?
lancaster farms:
‘shining example of commitment and care’
2/3 of prisoners leave after 5 years
what are the advantages of custodial sentencing?
many prisoners access education and training in prison - increasing chances of employability after release
some good - norwegian reduced recidivism rates by 50%
what are the disadvantages of using custodial sentencing?
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
what is the aim of behaviour modification programmes?
reinforcing obedient behaviour in the hope that the behaviour will continue
punishing disobedience in the hope that it will become extinct
which theory is behaviour modification programmes based on?
operant conditioning
what is an example of a behaviour modification programme?
token economy
describe the process of a token economy in prisons
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
what are some examples of rewards that could be given during a token economy?
conjugated visits
gym/outdoor time
job training
phones to family/friends
what is a conjugate visit?
scheduled visit where inmate can spend time in private with a visitor, usually legal spouse
they may engage in sexual activity
what is an example of a negative use of the token economy system?
working for businesses:
seen as expoiting prisoners as they recieve very little wages (far below minimum)
reduces jobs outside prisons
form of slave labour
what are the advantages of using behavioural modification programmes in custody?
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
what are the disadvantages of using behavioural modification programmes in custody?
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
what did novaco suggest about anger in offenders?
cognitive factors trigger emotional arousal that precedes aggressive acts
becoming angry makes the offender positively reinforced as they feel in control
what are the aims of anger management therapy?
enable offenders to recognise anger triggers and develop techniques to bring about conflict-resolution without the need for violence.
how many sessions are typically held for anger management therapy?
10
what is the group size for anger management therapy?
small
when is anger management therapy used?
in custody and on probation
what are the stages of anger management?
cognitive preparation
skill acquisition
application practice
what happens in cognitive preparation?
offender learns to recognise anger and triggers
therapist can also carefully challenge irrational interpretations of events that trigger
what happens in skill acquisition?
techniques and skills are learned to deal with the anger-provoking situations more rationally and effectively
what skills are learnt in anger management?
positive self-talk
assertiveness training in how to communicate more effectively
relaxation methods
meditation.
what happens in application practice?
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
what is some research support for anger management therapy?
75% improvement rates based on 6 meta analysis studies
found anger reduced in anger management therapy compared to control group in CBT
what are the advantages of anger management therapy?
research support
what are the disadvantages of anger management therapy?
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
what are the aims of restorative justice?
opportunity to explain the impact of the crime
acknowledgement of the harm caused
chance to ask questions
acceptance of responsibility
what is restorative justice?
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
what is a key study into restorative justice?
sherman and strang - meta analysis
what were the findings/conclusions from the sherman and strang meta analysis into restorative justice?
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
what are the advantages of restorative justice?
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%
what are the disadvantages of restorative justice?
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
