Custodial sentencing

Custodial sentencing is based upon which psychological theory?

Behaviourist principles of operant conditioning (punishment)

How many roles of custodial sentencing are there?

4

What are the four main roles of custodial sentencing?

• Incapacitation

• Rehabilitation

• Retribution

• Deterrence

What is meant by incapacitation?

The offender is prevented from offending for the duration of sentence

What is meant by rehabilitation?

Changing the offenders’ behaviour so that they become law-abiding citizens upon release

How might rehabilitation occur in a prison?

Through education & employment programmes &/or treatment sessions to change attitudes & behaviours (e.g. anger management & social skills training)

What is meant by retribution?

Society “gets its own back” on the offender by making him/her pay for what he/she has done

What is meant by deterrence?

A type of vicarious learning:

• people should avoid offending if they see the negative consequences for others who have offended

• also, those who have received sentences in the past should avoid offending in the future if they have received a prison sentence

Name psychological effects associated with custodial sentencing

• Depression

• Suicide

• Institutionalisation

• Prisonisation

When are stress & depression most likely within prisons?

Early in the sentence

Why might stress & depression & suicide start high & then decrease throughout the sentence?

• At the start, there is removal of a person’s liberty and stress at being separated from one’s partner, family & friends

• These decline as the inmate adjusts to the situation

Suicide rates are approximately how many times higher in prison compared to the general population?

4 (and up to 15)

What is meant by institutionalisation?

Having adapted to the norms & routines of prison life, inmates may become so accustomed to these that they can no longer function on the outside

What is prisonisation?

• A process of socialisation that ranges from alterations in lifestyle (e.g. eating & sleeping habits), to adopting prison slang & the acceptance of certain norms

• Behaviour that is considered unacceptable in the outside world may be encouraged & rewarded inside an institution

When is the risk of suicide greatest in a prison?

Within the first 24 hours

What percentage of women & men experience psychosis whilst in prison?

• Women = 25%

• Men = 15%

The psychological effects of prison question which of the 4 aims of custodial sentencing?

Rehabilitation

Which psychological study found that a prison environment can create psychological problems?

Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

After how many hours did one of Zimbardo’s prisoners have to be released due to experiencing a psychotic break?

36 hours

What did Zimbardo’s participants experience which means a loss of identity & self-awareness as the experimental role overtook them?

De-individuation

Give two examples of training programmes that prisoners might receive to reduce recidivism

Anger management & social skills training

Which country sees higher access to training programmes in prison than the UK?

Norway

What are recidivism rates like in Norway compared to the UK?

Half

What is recidivism?

Reoffending

What percentage of male offenders reoffend within one year of being released from prison in the UK?

57%

Reoffending questions which of the 4 aims of custodial sentencing?

Deterrence & rehabilitation

Give factors that might explain individual differences in the psychological effects of custodial sentencing

• Length of sentence

• Type of institution

• Type of crime committed

• Previous experience of prison

• Previous underlying mental health problems

Why might DAT suggest that prison is not effective for reducing reoffending?

Prisoners learn skills from other criminals (& are exposed to more pro-criminal attitudes towards crime)

What is an alternative to prison that involves the prisoner coming face to face with the person that they have affected through their crimes?

Restorative justice

Restorative justice has been found to reduce reoffending by what percentage?

14%