Treatments to rehabilitate and reduce criminal and antisocial behaviour and increase prosocial behaviour

Question 1

Treatments to rehabilitate and reduce criminal and antisocial behaviour and increase prosocial behaviour

Answer 1

1. Offenders who serve time in prison or carry out a community sentence may also receive treatments designed to rehabilitate them, reduce their antisocial behaviour and/or encourage prosocial behaviour

Question 2

Token economy programmes

Answer 2

1. Token economy programmes are designed to reduce antisocial behaviour and increase prosocial behaviour within a prison
2. Token economy programmes are based on the principles of operant conditioning, as prisoners are given tokens for prosocial behaviour as a form of reward/reinforcement
3. Tokens are secondary reinforcers. Once a prisoner has collected a certain amount, they can exchange them for rewards such as visits, food privileges, and television time
4. For a token economy system to work, the rewards must be genuinely valued by the prisoner and the tokens should be given as soon as a prosocial behaviour has been displayed

Question 3

Strengths of token economy programmes

Answer 3

1. There is evidence of a short-term increase in prosocial behaviour within a prison. Tom Hobbs and Michael Holt (1976) found that targeted prosocial behaviour such as cooperating and doing chores significantly increased with the use of a token economy system
2. It is fairly economical and cheap
3. It can be administered easily by prison staff.

Question 4

Weaknesses of token economy programmes

Answer 4

1. They are designed to control and manage prisoner behaviour, not to reduce recidivism. So they are unlikely to prevent reoffending because similar tokens are not found in everyday life. They lack ecological validity and have limited rehabilitative value
2. They need commitment from prison staff to work. Failure of staff to give out tokens can result in antisocial behaviour
3. There could be other reinforcement from other inmates encouraging antisocial behaviour. These may be stronger sources of influence than tokens.

Question 5

Anger management programmes

Answer 5

1. Anger management programmes are designed as a form of rehabilitation for offenders who have committed violent crimes because of their anger
2. During the treatment, offenders are encouraged to identify triggers to angry outbursts, to find ways of coping with their feelings and to gain the ability to resolve conflict situations in a better way than becoming angry
3. Cognitive behavioural treatment for violent offenders to help them control their anger
4. It is a 3-stage process

Question 6

3 stages in anger management programmes

Answer 6

1. Cognitive preparation
2. Skills acquisition
3. Application practice

Question 7

Cognitive preparation (anger management)

Answer 7

where an offender has to reflect on their own anger: what makes them angry, why they feel angry, and how feeling angry may be counter-productive

Question 8

Skills acquisition (anger management)

Answer 8

1. an offender learns new skills to help them control their anger
2. they can learn relaxation techniques or assertiveness training (so they can assert their point without resorting to anger

Question 9

Application practice (anger management)

Answer 9

this stage involves role playing anger-triggering situations so that an offender can practise their new skills

Question 10

Strengths of anger management programmes

Answer 10

1. Offenders are selected to receive anger management, which improves the success of the treatment
   2Craig Dowden, Kelley Blanchette, and Ralph Serin (1999) found that high-risk offenders who received anger management treatment were less likely to re-offend compared to those who did not undergo the programme

Question 11

Weaknesses of anger management programmes

Answer 11

1. It assumes there is a link between anger and violent crimes, but not all violent crimes are committed due to anger - some violent criminals can be cold and calculating
2. Offenders can abuse the programme. The programme teaches offenders to control and manage their anger, a skill that may be used to commit crimes more effectively than before. Marnie Rice (1977) found that psychopaths were more likely to reoffend and become more dangerous after anger management because they had acquired new skills that helped them manipulate others more effectively
3. The findings are mixed and limited as Kevin Howells (2005) did not find any improvement other than the treated offenders having a greater understanding of anger, suggesting an educational benefit but no reduction in reoffending
4. These mixed outcomes are probably because anger management programmes need offenders to be highly motivated, have good insight and understanding of themselves, and be able to practise their anger management skills which can result in programme failure.

Question 12

Psychopath

Answer 12

a person who is characterised by a lack of guilt and emotion, antisocial behaviour, selfishness