Treatments for criminality

Question 1

Describe anger management as a treatment for criminality.

Answer 1

Anger can trigger aggresisve outbursts which may lead to harming someone else, it is an ordinary human emotion until it turns to rage. Rage can lead to criminal behaviour.

The treatment has twice weekly group meetings led by a trained practitioner. The meetings help the group to work together and they have check-ins to see how they’re doing.

The cognitive element of the programme helps to target the faulty thought prosesses such as triggers and how to cope with different opinions. The behavioural elements include teaching behavioural techniques to change the given response.

There are three key steps. Cognitive preparation includes identifying situations that provoke anger so that they can recognise when an outburst is likely to occur. Skill acquisition is where biological and cognitive coping strategies are learnt to replace emotions with rational responses. Application and practice is where the criminals try out the skills in role play and are positively reinforced for appropriate responses.

Question 2

Evaluate anger management as a treatment for criminality in terms of a different treatment.

Answer 2

Hormones may be a more effective treatment. Hormones have a direct biological response within minutes of injection. This doesn’t treat the unerlying cause but has a high level of success.

Question 3

Evaluate anger management as a treatment for criminality in terms of ethics/social control.

Answer 3

Anger management programmes do not focus on the victim. Such an addition would help them to understand why what they did was wrong. This means that it doesn’t deal with issues of morality.

In terms of social control, an individual may be forced in to the programme as part of their punnishment. This would mean, not only would it be beneficial for the individual but also for society as it removes the threat of that person.

Question 4

Evaluate anger management as a treatment for criminality in terms of supporting research.

Answer 4

Support comes from Hunter (1993) who reported considerable reduction in impulsiveness and interpersonal problems following an anger management programme.

Question 5

Evaluate anger management as a treatment for criminality in terms of side effects.

Answer 5

There are no physical side effects. Unlike the hormone treatments which have a risk of breast enlargement, liver damage and osteoperosis. More likely that a patient will continue with the treatment.

Question 6

Evaluate anger management as a treatment for criminality in terms of expense.

Answer 6

This could be an expernsive treatment to run. A trained professional runs the sessions and there is sometimes the need for a lot of sessions. However, the treatment wouldn’t cost those who need it anything as it would be paid for as part of their rehabilitation.

Question 7

Evaluate anger management as a treatment for criminality in terms of reason/mask.

Answer 7

This treatment attempts to tackle the root cause of aggression. Anger management aims to understand why they behave the way they do and how they can behave in a better way. It should equip an individual with tools to change their natural response meaning they’re less likely to repeat behaviours in the future.

Question 8

Evaluate anger management as a treatment for criminality in terms of time.

Answer 8

May be slower to take effect than hormone treatments. This takes around 10 weeks of 2 sessions in order to get a result. In the long term, this enables the criminals to address the issue.

Question 9

What is the name and date of a study to show the effectiveness of anger management?

Answer 9

Howells et al (2005)

Question 10

Describe the abstract of the study into anger management

Answer 10

Offenders recieving anger management were compared with waiting list controls on a range of dependent measures. In generl, the degree of pre-treatment/post-treatment change was small and experimental versus control differences were not statistically significant.

Question 11

Describe the method of the study into anger management

Answer 11

• 10 two-hour sessions delivered by trained facilitators
• An experimental group on an anger management program with a control group who were on the waiting list.
• Three measures were used; two self report measures of anger tested for reliability and validity, treatment readiness to measure the participants motivation to change, a questionaire measuring knowledge of techniques for dealing effectively with anger
• Measures were taken immediately before and after treatment program and then again two and six months later.
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Question 12

Describe the participants in the study into anger management

Answer 12

418 participants were originally used, 285 after the treatment, 78 at the two month follow up and 21 at the six month follow up. They were all male offenders whose sentences ranged from 1 month to 26 years and 4 months. The study was carried out in Australia. Participants had a mean age of 28.8

Question 13

What were the results of the study into anger management?

Answer 13

There were no statistically significant results. The trend for improvements over time showed the treatment group made a slightly higher improvement. Prisoners showed significantly greater improvement in anger knowledge in the experimental group.

Offenders who were motivated and ready to work on their problems showed the greatest improvement.

Question 14

Describe the conclusions of the study into anger management.

Answer 14

• The act of completing anger assessments may have a small benefit
• Offenders who were motivated to change showed the greatest improvement
• Overall impact of the anger management intervention was small

Question 15

Evaluate the study into anger management in terms of generalisability.

Answer 15

Generalisability is low. The participants are all male offenders from Australia who were convicted of violence. This means we don’t know if we can apply the findings to women or people in different countries

Also, only a small number of participants remained at the six month point. This may have resulted in a biased sample.

Question 16

Evaluate the study into anger management in terms of reliability.

Answer 16

Reliability is high. They used several standardised self-report measures and a standardised program delivered by trained facilitators. This allowed the procedure to be repeated again exactly to gain similar results.

Question 17

Evaluate the study into anger management in terms of application.

Answer 17

The study showed that anger management programs may only result in small improvements particularly in those who are not ready for change.

Question 18

Evaluate the study into anger management in terms of validity.

Answer 18

• High ecological validity as the experiment used actual offenders who were attending an existing program for anger management. the program was completed in its intended setting and so the results are accurate within the prison setting.
• High internal validity as the experimental group compared with a control group meaning it was possible to measure the effect of the IV. However, not all extraneous variables were accounted for in the study such as level of understanding of the program
• Validity of the data may have been compromised as the study collected self-report data from the offenders. Offenders may not have wished to reveal all details about their anger issues.

Question 19

Evaluate the study into anger management in terms of ethics.

Answer 19

The control group also had chance to experience the program after the study. This means that they were not deprived of treatment.

Question 20

Describe hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality.

Answer 20

• Bradbury and Kaye (1999) suggest that the use of drugs for sexual deviancy assumes that such behaviour comes from biological drives and supressing sexual drive would reduce this urge.
• The goal is to maintain ‘normal’ sexual drives but supress deviant behaviour.
• Testosterone is a hormone found in higher levels in men. Elevated testosterone has been documented among individuals with a history of aggression. Anti-androgenic pharmacotherapy is the use of medication to lower testosterone levels which in turn leads to a decrease of deviant and non-deviant sexual urges.
• Anti-androgens are substances that inhibit the production, activity or effects of a male sex hormone.
• Cyproterone- has an anti-androgenic effect which quickly reduces sexual drive and deviant fantasies. It is found to be as effective as castration in reducing recidivism related offences
• Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA)- is a female hormone which decreases the functioning of testosterone. It breaks down and eliminates testosterone whilst inhibiting the production of luteinising hormone through the pituitary gland.
• The drug is to be given via injection every 7 to 10 days.
• The drugs have the potential to cause severe side effects including breast enlargement, osteoperosis and depression.

Question 21

Evaluate hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality in terms of a different treatment.

Answer 21

Anger management

Question 22

Evaluate hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality in terms of ethics and social control.

Answer 22

There are issues with social control. The treatment may be to benefit society as a whole by making the person a productive member of society. This is a problem as it gives the patient no control.

Question 23

Evaluate hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality in terms of supporting research.

Answer 23

There is support from Maletzky. This study found that anti-androgens compared to no treatment led to lower rates of sexual recidivism and decreased sexual arousal in response to stimuli. This shows that hormones do have a role in aggression and sexual arousal.

There is further support from Turner who looked at testosterone lowering medication. He found that it was effective at reeducing sexual thoughts.

Question 24

Evaluate hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality in terms of side effects.

Answer 24

One problem of hormone treatments are the side effects. It has the potential to lead to side effects including breast enlargement, osteoperosis and depression. This makes it more likely an individual will decline such treatments or have a higher rate of non-compliance.

Question 25

Evaluate hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality in terms of expense.

Answer 25

This treatment is available on the NHS. This means that it is available and accessible to all. Maletzky found 41% of people recommended for treatment did not recieve it. Suggests there may be funding issues which is why the treatment is not offered in all areas.

Question 26

Evaluate hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality in terms of reason or mask.

Answer 26

This treatment only masks the symptoms of the behaviour. They do not tackle morality issues nor do they attempt to change deviant thoughts. If treatment stops, behaviour may return to what it was before the treatment began.

Question 27

Evaluate hormone treatment as a treatment for criminality in terms of time.

Answer 27

Drug treatments should have a fairly quick response rate. MPA breaks down testosterone as soon as it is administered. It may be less effective in the long run. Once you stop taking the hormones you return to pre-treatment state.

Question 28

What is the name and date of a study in to hormone treatments?

Answer 28

Maletzky et al (2006)

Question 29

What is the aim of the study into hormone treatment.

Answer 29

To evaluate the offenders who have been assessed for appropriateness of MPA on or before release from prison. The study followed up the people who had and hadn’t been recommeded for treatment.

Question 30

Describe the method of the study into hormone treatment

Answer 30

A retrospective study. Maletzky (2006) reviewed and reevaluated men to find out if they had reoffended. The 134 deemed suitable for MPA were released and their parole officers contacted to see if they were given the MPA. 79 recieved medication and 55 did not. Some may not have recieved the MPA because the community that they returned to might not have had the resources or the parole officer may not have thought it was necessary.

Data collected by questionnaires. Whether a new offence had been committed since release, whether there had been a violation of parole, if they had been re-arrested, if any arrest was related to sexual function and if the offender was employed

Question 31

What were the results of the study into hormone treatment

Answer 31

Out of the 275 offenders, 134 were recommended for MPA treatment.

Out of those who did recieve treatment, only 5.1% committed a new offence and out of these new offences, 0% were sexual in nature.

Most of the recommendations were for offenders who had committed the most shocking crimes. There is no guarentee this treatment would help those whose crimes were not as violent.

For the group that didn’t recieve treatment 26.9% committed a new offence and 55.3% of those were sexual.

Question 32

What were the conclusions of the study into hormone treatment

Answer 32

Anti-androgens versus no treatment led to lower rates of sexual recidivism and decreased sexual arousal

Question 33

Evaluate the study into hormone treatment in terms of reliability.

Answer 33

Highly reliable. The results are backed up by Emory et al (1992) who found MPA lowered sexual interests which shows consistency in findings.

Question 34

Evaluate the study into hormone treatment in terms of applications.

Answer 34

Shows that MPA is a successful treatment for aggression among offenders. This demonstrates the need for treatment

Question 35

Evaluate the study into hormone treatment in terms of validity.

Answer 35

• High validity as there was a range of different measures taken. This means that the results provided rich and in depth information about the overall progress of the offender.
• Low in validity. Supervisors were asked to make a judgement about whether the participant was doing well. This is very subjective and makes it very hard to draw conclusions.
• Low in validity. Data gathered was retrospective. This means that there is a chance that memories were distorted and confabulation may have occured.