module 1 - crime in canada & canadian corrections Flashcards
what are the factors used to define crime? (5)
- individual’s motivation
- opportunity
- politics
- social convention
- context
what does a legal definition refer to?
acts prohibited by the state and punishable under the law
what does a moral definition refer to?
the violation of norms of religion and morality that are punishable by supreme beings
what does a social definition refer to?
the violation of certain norms and customs that are punishable by the community
what does a psychological definition refer to?
acts that are rewarding to the perpetrator but harmful to others
what does criminal behaviour refer to?
intentional behaviour that violates a criminal code; intentional in that it did not occur accidentally or without justification of excuse
how many crimes are reported annually in Canada? what type of crime is most prevalent?
approximately 2.6 million crimes, with property crimes being the most common
which offenders fall under provincial jurisdiction?
offenders who receive sentences of less than two years or who receive community sentences such as fines, community service work, or probation
which offenders are the federal government responsible for?
offenders who receive prison sentences of two years or more
what is criminal psychology interested in?
intra-individual differences (variation in criminal conduct between individuals) in behaviour
what does the personal, interpersonal and community reinforcement model (PIC-R) posit?
criminal behaviour reflects the “immediate situation” - factors combine to influence a decision to engage in criminal behaviour. This decision is further influences by attitudes, supportive of crime, a history of criminal behaviour, a balance of the costs and rewards of crime, and the presence of support for crime
what does the PIC-R highlight?
the contributions of community, interpersonal factors, personal factors, and consequences and how they relate to criminal behaviour
how much has the rate of violent crimes decreased since 2000?
decreased by 20.4%
which types of crime are more commonly committed by adults?
- administration of justice charges
- impaired driving
- weapon charges
which types of crime are more commonly committed by youth?
- break and enter
- robbery
- sexual assault
what does the police reported crime severity index (PRCSI) track?
tracks changes in the severity of police-reported crime from year to year by taking into account the change in volume of a particular crime and the relative seriousness of that crime in comparison to other crimes
what is Canada’s incarceration rate?
118 per 100 000 population
what is parole?
a set of conditions to abide by in a community, served at the end of a prison sentence
what is probation?
a set of conditions to abide by in a community as an alternative to incarceration. usually offered for minor offences
what are the purposes of sentencing according to the criminal code? (6)
- respect for the law & maintenance of a just, peaceful, safe society
- denunciation of unlawful conduct
- removal of offenders from society
- rehabilitation of offenders
- reparation to victims
- promotion of responsibility in offenders
what is rehabilitation?
treatment of criminogenic needs and risk factors
what is general deterrence?
the hope that awareness of punishment for a crime will deter/prevent the general public from committing that crime
what is specific deterrence?
the hope that the specific person being punished will be less likely to offend again after that punishment
what are the central eight? (big four and moderate four)
big four: criminal history, antisocial attitudes, antisocial behaviours, antisocial peers
moderate four: family/marital issues, employment issues, substance use, leisure activities
what is evidence-based practice?
a method where new theories and research are used to analyze and guide real world practices
into what four generations are Bonta’s assessments categorized into?
- unstructured professional judgement
- actuarial analysis (typically of static factors)
- actuarial analysis of both static and dynamic factors
- a comprehensive guide from intake to case closure that includes both static and dynamic factors
what do empirical actuarial tools use?
explicit risk items pre-selected based on empirical evidence and then combine such that scores yield expected recidivism rates
what do mechanical tools have?
explicit items and methods (not empirical) for combining items into a total score that is not linked to recidivism probabilities
what do adjusted actuarial tools permit?
permit a clinician to override scores from an actuarial and mechanical tool based on unspecified additional risk factors
what do structured professional judgement tools utilize?
a structured list of risk factors derived from the literature
what are unstructured tools?
tools that do not have the risk factors or methods for combining scores specified in advance
what factors are considered pre-trial by judges?
prior convictions, and employment and substance abuse problems
what is custody classification?
the use of risk assessment during intake to determine the appropriate security placement for the offender and to develop a correction plan that outlines interventions intended to mitigate offender risk upon their release
what is the current intake assessment approach referred to? what is it intended to do?
the Dynamic Factor Identification Analysis is intended to inform case planning
what are the 3 main factors for custody placement considered by CSC’s custody rating scale?
- institutional adjustment
- escape risk
- public safety rating
what factors are considered pre-release? (7)
- current crime
- criminal history
- institutional behaviour
- sentence length
- offender mental status
- correctional program performance
- victim information
what does retribution assert?
that society has the right, when harmed, to harm the offender
what is incapacitation?
the application of crime control by making offenders unable to commit crime by incarcerating them
what is deterrence?
the application of punishment to influence behaviour
what four dimensions is deterrence measured across?
- certainty (likelihood of legal punishment)
- celerity (the amount of time that elapses between an offence being committed and an official sanction being imposed)
- severity (magnitude of the punishment)
- scope (the relationship between types of crimes in statutes and types of punishments)
the evidence of effectiveness of deterrence comes from which 6 areas?
- sentencing in terms of crime statistics
- relationship between imprisonment and crime rates
- the effects of enhanced punishers
- meta-analytic reviews of outcome studies
- self-report surveys
- research on the death penalty
what is restorative justice?
a systematic response to wrongdoing that emphasizes healing the wounds of victims, offenders, and communities caused or revealed by criminal behaviour
what do restorative justice programs involve?
the voluntary participation of the victim of the crime, the offender, and ideally members of the community in discussions
what is the goal of restorative justice?
restore the relationship, fix the damage that has been done, and prevent further crimes from occurring
what does restorative justice require wrongdoers to recognize?
to recognize the harm they have caused, to accept responsibility for their actions, and to be actively involved in improving the situation
what are the types of restorative justice approaches? (5)
- victim-offender mediation
- victim assistance
- ex-offender assistance
- restitution
- community service
what does risk refer to in an effective program?
risk refers to the requirement to provide higher intensity programming to higher risk offenders (the issue of program dosage)
why is targeting criminogenic needs important in an effective program?
targeting multiple criminogenic needs is important and yields markedly higher effect sizes since most offenders have more than a single factor to address in order to improve their success upon release
what does the responsivity model state?
the model and style of treatment must be matched to the learning style and abilities of the offender
what is general responsivity?
the issue of matching offenders to programming that is cognitive-behavioural and based on adult learning principles
what does specific responsivity acknowledge?
that offenders differ significantly in their motivation and potential readiness for intervention
what does the corrections and conditional release act specify?
specifies the legal framework for rehabilitative programs: “the purpose of the correctional system is to assist the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community as law-abiding citizens through the provision of programs in penitentiaries and in the community
what requirements must correctional programs meet? (10)
- be based on theory & supporting research
- target criminogenic factors
- address the diverse needs of women, aboriginal, & other groups
- be skill-oriented
- take into account the particular characteristics of offenders
- address particular risks and needs of offenders
- ensure a continuum of care between institutions and the community
- include a detailed program description
- include a plan for monitoring and evaluation
- be delivered using proven methods, in the least restrictive environment possible, and according to approved standards
what is core correctional practice?
a combination of interaction styles and techniques that correctional staff can use to more effectively interact with offenders and manage behaviour
