Topic 6: The Effects of Imprisonment Background Flashcards
What are three purposes of the reponses to criminal behaviour?
To give society retribution (via punishment), to deter and to protect the community (via restrictive punishments).
What theory is punishment derived from? How?
Operant Conditioning. An unpleasant stimulus causes unwanted behaviour and the punishment which is a form of negative reinforcement can lead to a reduction in the unwanted behaviour.
What percentage of adults are reconvicted within a year of release?
47%
Which is higher, the percentage of adults getting reconvicted within a year of release or children and young people?
Children and young people. But this shows that prison is ineffective as it is high reoffending rates.
Why does the reconvicted rates of adults in the UK show that prison is effective?
These rates are lower than in many countries due to the the emphasis placed on education and employment training on offenders in prison.
Why does the reconvicted rates of adults in the UK show that prison is ineffective?
47% for adults and even higher for children and young people show that there is a high amount of criminals that are continuing to reoffend.
How many prisoners are behind bars and what can we assume to show that prison is effective?
85,000 prisoners and we can assume they are not offending while locked up which protects the community from crime.
What does prison do to an individual and how is this an effective reponse to criminal behaviour?
Takes away a person’s freedom as a way to pay for their crime and is effective because it brings justice to the victim and society. (Society retribution)
How is prison effective as a response to criminal behaviour in terms of acting as a deterrent?
Through vicarious reinforcement.
What does Dooley (1990) discover about the conditions of prison to make it an ineffective response to criminal behaviour?
442 unnatural deaths occurred in prisons, Prisoners suffered from negative psychological effects and few work/activities available. As a result 1 in 4 Prisoners reoffend in the first year of release.
What does Gillis and Nafekh (2005) conclude to show prison as an ineffective response to criminal behaviour?
They researched deeper into Azjen’s model which believed that changing a prisoner’s belief about their value of life they would refrain from criminal activity. They concluded that those on employment programs were far less likely to re-offend.
What does Pakes and Pakes find about prisoners that show that prison is not effective as a response to criminal behaviour?
Prisoners often develop mental health issues and drug addictions which makes it hard for them to integrated back into society.
