Policy Development: Biological Theories Flashcards
What are two examples of biological drug treatments?
Antabuse (Disulfiram)
Chemical Castration
What is Antabuse used to treat?
Alcohol addiction
What does Antabuse do?
prevents the body from breaking down alcohol when consumed causing unpleasant ‘hang-over’ like symptoms
What does Alcoholism trigger (how to people behave)
Triggers violent/criminal behaviour
What drug is used for chemical castration?
Stilbesterol
What does Stilbestrol do?
Suppresses testosterone levels in men reducing their sex drive meaning their likelihood to reoffend is decreased
Who worked on the Enigma Machine (for chemical castration)
Alan Turing
What did Alan Turing try to do?
Tried to ‘cure’ homosexuality in 1953
Are the drug treatments informal or formal? Why?
Informal
It is not a required treatment of crime to prevent people from re-offending but is used to help people reduce the likelihood
Are the drug treatments a use of crime control or state punishment? Why?
Crime Control
They are only given the drugs to reduce the likelihood of re offending
What are the strengths of drug treatments (2)
- Many studies show that MMT has a success rate between 60-90% overall
- They are used by the NHS and other health agencies to help treat addiction to substances
What is diet modification used for?
To increase peoples (mainly prisoners) moods to decrease violent behaviour
Who did the case study for diet modification?
Gesch et al
What did Gesch et al do?
He had 231 male adult prisoners agree to receive daily vitamins, mineral and essential fatty acids supplements or a placebo drug measuring at various points during the test for psychological testing, reports of violent acts and reports of disciplinary actions.
What were the results of Gesch et als case study? (disciplinary incidents)
The average of disciplinary incidents per 1,000 people dropped from 16-10.4% in the groups which took the supplement which is a 35% reduction whereas the placebo dropped by 6.7%.
What were the results of Gesch et als case study? (violent incidents)
In the supplement group violent incidents dropped by 37& whilst in the placebo group incidents dropped by 10.1%
Who found that violent offenders had a lower than average serotonin level which could have been increased by a change in diet?
Virkkunen et al (1987)
What foods have an increased level of serotonin?
Salmon and fresh tuna
What does a better diet mean?
There will be a positive impact on aggressive behaviour (decreasing) which can lead to a decrease in crime.
Who found that reduced sugar reduced anti-social behaviour?
Shoenthaler (1982)
What was the percentage found linking reduced sugar and anti-social behaviour?
Decrease in 48%
What did these findings relating to serotonin lead to in prisons?
Lead to all prisons having the Balance of Good Health Model (Edwards et al 2001) providing nutritionally healthy and balanced diets.
Are the diet modifications informal or formal? Why?
Informal
The prisoners volunteered themselves.
Are the diet modifications a use of crime control or state punishment? Why?
Crime Control
They found it was a way to increase positive behaviour in prisons when given the right vitamins.
What are the strengths of using diet modification?
- It is becoming used in the majority of prisons to help improve prisoner behaviour
- The case study shows that when the prisoners get the nutrients they need they will behave better in prison situations
What is the theory used for both drug treatments and diet modifications?
Hormones
What are two examples of surgeries used?
Lobotomy
Surgical Castration
What is a lobotomy?
A brain surgery which became popular in the 1930s for a treatment for mental health conditions like schizophrenia. It involves severing the connection between the frontal lobe and other parts of the brain.
What was the intended effect of a lobotomy?
Reduce tension and agitation
What happened as results of lobotomies?
The later patients showed side effects such as apathy, lack of initiative, poor ability to concentrate and generally a decreased depth and intensity of their emotional response to life.
What is a surgical castration used for?
Used to change offending behaviour of those who are incarcerated for secxual violence by physically removing the offenders ability to reoffend.
What is a surgical castration?
An irreversible procedure which involves the removal of testes which produce male hormones
Why do some states in the US have surgical castrations legalised?
For people who have committed sexual violence crime who usually have a condition of parole
Are the surgeries informal or formal?
Informal (formal in specific places)
Some cultures believe that these surgeries help people not commit crimes.
Are the surgeries used for crime control or state punishments?
Crime Control
What is a strength for the use of surgeries?
Used to help criminals not reoffend, decreasing crime rates
What is a limitation for surgeries as a way to prevent crime?
The lobotomy has caused damage to the brain and have been made illegal in England and Wales and cannot be performed without consent (even when lacking the capacity) introducing a Mental Health Capacity Act
What is a theory relating to the surgeries as a treatment for criminal behaviour?
Brain Injuries
What are two Eugenics methods used?
Death Penalty/Genocide
Compulsory Sterilisation
What is the death penalty/genocide?
The most extreme biologically driven policy of capital punishment or state execution.
What were the two times the death penalty was abolished in the UK?
The temporary abolition in 1965 and it was shown murder rates did not soar as a result of abolition so a permanent abolition occurred in 1969
What is compulsory sterilisation?
Is a government mandated program to involuntarily sterilize a specific group of people normally used as a systematic attack against ethnic groups usually involving surgical procedures, eliminating a persons ability to procreate.
Are the use of Eugenics formal or informal?
Formal (some places)
As the government make rules which the public have to follow
Are eugenics a use of crime control or state punishment?
State punishment
Created by people in power to prevent a certain group of people or just people to commit crimes
What are two limitations of Eugenics (death penalty)
- Statistics from the USA show that murder rate is lower in states which do not have the death penalty rather than those which do, showing that the death penalty is not a deterrent at all.
- Should only be used for legal reasons not targeting a certain group because of ethnicity/race
What theory is eugenics linked to?
Genetic theories
