policy development Flashcards
informal and formal policies
informal- linked to non-official ideas
formal- linked to official ideas to prevent crime
what is the death penalty?
state given punishment given for severe crimes such as murder and can be done through hanging, lethal injection, electric chair abolished in the uk in 1965
how does the death penalty link to biological factors?
biological perspective is that they are genetically predisposed to crime so therefore death removes the inevitability of crime again and stop crime being added to the genetic pool
advantages of the death penalty
100% success rate for preventing reoffending
prevents crime on an individual level
acts as a deterrent
disadvantages of the death penalty
USA shows murder rate is 25% higher in death penalty states
not a deterrent for all
often kill in the heat of the moment so unaffected by fear of punishment
what is neurochemical treatment (chemical castration)?
reduces testosterone in men and lowers sexual desire in women and is administered by pill or injection and was first used on sex offenders and was used in 1952 on those who were sexually deviant
how does neurochemical treatment link to biological factors?
criminals suffer from hormone imbalance so attempts to fix the abnormality and with that reduces criminal behaviour
advantages of neurochemical treatment
can cut reoffending from 40% to 5%
reduces motivation to be able to commit sexual offences
allows the criminal to participate in society rather than being institutionalised
disadvantages of neurochemical treatment
the maker said ‘only small numbers of sex offenders will benefit from these treatments’
only lasts 3-5 years and can have negative side effects
what is eugenics?
aims at improving the genetic quality, the aim is to remove the weak and the disabled where described as ‘our social rubbish’
how does eugenics link to biological factors?
criminals are biologically abnormal for example as Lombroso shows therefore eugenic such as sterilisation prevents criminals reproducing to reduce criminal genes in the gene pool
advantages of eugenics
40% of boys who’s fathers had a criminal record have criminal have one too compared to 12% who’s fathers did not
has helped vulnerable individuals and can be done for personal safety
disadvantages of eugenics
can be counterproductive with the reduction of diversity in the gene pool
what is token economy (behaviour modification)?
rewards the positive behaviour to increase desirable behaviours and decreases undesirable behaviours
how does token economy link to individualistic theories?
type of modification behaviour policy, aim to relearn previous undesirable behaviour
advantages of token economy
token economy is much cheaper then custodial sentence
effective in increasing positive behaviour in some prisoners
disadvantages of token economy
only short term
only effective in institutions and cannot be carried into other settings
what is Psychoanalysis treatment (therapy)?
tries to bring up repressed thoughts to consciousness where it can be dealt with and allows patients to talk about what is on their mind
how does Psychoanalysis treatment link to individualistic theories?
strong links to Freuds threoy of psyche and it attempts to treat unresolved traumas which could have caused crime
advantages of Psychoanalysis treatment
out of 10,000 patients over 80% benefited
longer treatments get better outcomes
disadvantages of Psychoanalysis treatment
time consuming
can potentially worsen the mental state
what is anger management?
encourages people to think rationally and identify emotional triggers
how does anger management link to individualistic theories?
is a form of social skills training and can link to Eysenck’s criminal personality and able to reduce crime
advantages of anger management
using 50 prisoners in Ireland found 92% decreased in anger actions
more likely to lead to a permeant change
disadvantages of anger management
not all crimes are committed out of anger
there is a lack of reoffending data does not show the success rate
what is zero-tolerance policies?
strict punishments with the intention of eliminating undesirable conduct created by the NYPD it is used in places such as Hartlepool and Middlesbrough
how does zero-tolerance policies link to sociological theories?
links to right realism if all criminals are rational thinkers they will see the cons outweigh the the benefits
advantages of zero-tolerance policies
since 1993 major crime fell 39% and murder 49% in the NYPD
Merseyside police crime is down 38% and robberies down 23%
disadvantages of zero-tolerance policies
crime does not disappear just displaced
increases labelling
does not work with sparse populations
what is CCTV?
acts as a form of surveillance in society estimating around 4-5.9 million cameras
how does CCTV link to sociological theories?
links to right realism specifically rational choice as the costs outweigh the benefits
advantages of CCTV
‘small but statistically significant, reduction in crime’
deterrent against pre planned crimes
disadvantages of CCTV
less effective with violent crimes and crimes of passion
less effective for quick crimes
CCTV is being significantly reduced due to funding
what is penal populism?
looks at creating punishments that the public will approve of so makes the punishments much harsher
how does penal populism link to sociological theories?
links to functionalism in reinforcing social values and can link to right realism with rational choice
advantages of penal populism
effective in the US and crime has declined dramatically
lead to an increate in the prison population so unable to commit more crimes
disadvantages of penal populism
don’t address the cause of the criminal behaviour
the public decide how to deal with criminals
