formulations & treatments Flashcards
what are the 3 main phases of case formulation?
phase 1: offence formulation
phase 2: understanding the function of offending
phase 3: application of treatment
what are the two main reasons they may be asked to complete a formulation?
to understand the offender and assess the risk capability of an individual re-offending behaviour
consider whether or not an offender would suit a treatment programme and which programme is suitable, in which to try to minimise the risk of future offending
what is offence analysis?
process of looking at and researching similar offences, this is so you can draw conclusions- these are called contingencies
have an insight into motivation for the crime
what does understanding the function of offending mean?
concerned with what purpose committing the crime has and what motivated them to do it
what does application to treatment mean?
is to establish some form of intervention or treatment with the view of reducing re-offending
3 strengths of using case formulas?
Reductionist- when formulations are completed in diagram format- they are simplified and easy to understand
brings together the work and insight of many agencies and professionals in the CJS, pooling expertise is helpful when deciding the best way to treat offenders
useful of explaining to the offenders themselves about their behaviour and how their own individual circumstances have contributed towards themselves carrying out a crime.
3 weaknesses of using case formulations?
sometimes offenders may not be truthful about their behaviour, social desirable bias, may not accurately remember. Data gathered is unreliable
some evidence may be incomplete or contradictory- this may make it difficult for the psychologist to recommend a suitable programme
case formulation is how success is measured- by whether the d reoffends but a lot of re offending goes undetected, so might not be VALID on the effectiveness of the treatment programme
what does anger management assume?
the offenders inability to control their anger is the root cause of their offending behaviour
what does Novaco suggest about anger issues?
some offenders are more likely to see a situation as threatening and stressful, and this leads them to react aggressively or violently
what are anger management programmes based upon?
psychological principles of CBT and the process model
what does the process model suggest?
thoughts can impact on your feelings which in turn impact on your behaviour
what is the main aim for CBT?
to turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts
what are the three main stages of anger management?
cognitive preparation
skill acquisition
application and practice
what happens in stage 1: cognitive preparation?
the offender reflects on situations that have triggered their anger in the past and consider things like could they have reacted differently
what happens in stage 2: skill acquisition?
the behavioural aspect of an anger programme like this is to develop strategies or behavioural techniques for controlling their anger
might be asked to remember an anger provoking situation and then count to 10 to temper the reaction
what happens in stage 3: application practice?
involves situations being devised where the offender can demonstrate and practice the skills they have learnt.
what is the aim of Ireland (2000) study?
to assess the effectiveness of a group- based anger management programme
what is the method of Irelands study?
Quasi/natural experiment taking advantage of two naturally occurring groups
what was the sample for Ireland’s study?
experimental- 50 young male prisoners who had completed the anger management course
control- 37 young male prisoners who had been assessed as suitable for such a course but had not actually completed one yet
what is some of the procedure of Ireland’s study?
assessed two measures 2 weeks before the start of the course and 8 weeks later
1) a prison officers behavioural checklist - completed by prison officers concerning 29 different angry behaviours with scores of 0, 1 or 2 for how often the prisoner showed them the prev. week
2) anger management questionnaire, which was a self-report completed by prisoners
experimental group given 12 one hour sessions over 3 day periods
results of Ireland’s study?
prison officers’ checklist- sig. reduction in angry behaviours in the experimental group but no difference in control
anger management questionnaire- scored lower sig. on self report
overall 92% of the prisoners in the experimental group showed improvement on at least one measure
conclusion for Ireland’s study?
in the short term the anger management programme could be considered a success and significantly reduce angry behaviour in prisoners
no later re-conviction data so cannot know if it’s good in long term
3 strengths of anger management?
based upon psych principles such as CBT- scientific evidence
followed modules and standardised procedures which means the programmes are reliable and can be carried out in different prisons
anger management is seen as an ethical treatment that empowers the patients and gives them strategies
3 weaknesses of anger management?
reductionism- focuses on thought processes of the offender but not the underlying causes of crime
effectiveness of it may be limited because some researchers argue that there is not a casual relationship between anger and violent crime (LOZA), therefore they are only suitable for where lack of emotional control has contributed to their crimes
there is a lack of research into whether or not these programmes have any long term benefits in preventing recidivism
