Dealing with offending behaviour

What are the aims of custodial sentencing?

• Deterrence — prison experience designed to put off the individual (+ society) from engaging with offending behaviour

• Incapacitation — taken out of society in order to prevent them from reoffending as a means of protecting the public

• Retribution — society is enacting revenge on the offender for their offence (punishment should be proportionate to seriousness of their crime)

• Rehabilitation — prison not only as a means to punish, but to also reform

What are the psychological effects of custodial sentencing?

• Stress and depression

• Institutionalisation

• Prisonisation

What are the aims of behaviour modification programmes?

To reinforce obedient behaviours in offenders while punishing disobedient ones (with the hope the end result will be the former persisting and the latter becoming extinct)

What are token economies?

Behaviour modification programmes based on operant conditioning.

What are the step to designing token economies?

• operationalising target behaviours (through breaking the behaviour down into smaller components)

• scoring system (staff and prisoners should both be aware of how much each behaviour is ‘worth’)

• train staff (prison staff must be trained so the procedures are standardised)

What are the three stages in anger management programmes?

• cognitive preparation (offender reflects on past experiences and identifies a pattern of anger)

• skills acquisition (offender introduced to a range of skills to help them deal with their emotions in anger-provoking situations — cognitive, behavioural, and physiological)

• application practice (practise their skills in a carefully controlled environment — usually with therapist)

What is restorative justice?

Focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with survivors.

Two main focuses

• recovery of victim/survivor

• rehabilitation of the offender

What are the key features of restorative justice programmes?

• trained mediator supervising meeting

• non-courtroom setting where offender voluntarily meets survivor

• can be face-to-face or online

• survivor given the opportunity to confront the offender and tell them how the incident affected them

• active involvement from all parties

• focus is on +ve outcomes for both parties

• other relevant community members may be part of the process

When might restorative justice occur?

Pre-trial, alongside with a sentence, or as an alternative to prison

(can also be an incentive to reduce sentence)

What is the restorative justice council?

An independent body who’s aim is to establish clear standards for the use of restorative justice and to support survivors and specialist professionals in the field