Custodial sentencing and other things

Custodial sentencing

Is holding a criminal in a secure facility

4 aims of custodial sentencing

Deterrence- stop reoffending and public committing crimes

Incapacitation- keeps public safe of criminals crime

Retribution- gives criminal and society the feeling they have paid for there crimes

Retribution-opportunity to learn new skills and behaviour

Psychological effects of custodial sentencing

Depression- prison is a frightening place-high anxiety and stress- Leeds to high self harm and suicide rates

Industrialisation

Prisoner adapt to new routine and fail to go back to normal life

Deindividualisation

Reduce identity leads to aggressive behaviour

Recidivism

Criminal reoffends after crime

A03 of custodial sentencing

-73% of offender reoffend- not deterring them- further more- 85% reoffend if sentence is less than 6 months- 32% reoffend if over 4 years- increase time = decreased reoffending

-putting large group of criminal together increase pro criminal attitude

-bad for the economy as each prisoner cost £42000 a year

Behaviour modification

Behaviourist idea that behaviour can be learnt through operant and classical conditioning

3 types of behaviour modification

Token economy

Anger management

Restorative justice program

Token economy

Systematic rewards for target behaviour- token acts as a secondary reinforcer and the rewards acts as a primary reinforcer

Token economy A03

+Hobbs and Holt found that when a token economy was used with young offender target behaviour increased

-Token economy can only be used in a controlled setting

+Token economy can easily be set up

Anger management

Process that assumes emotional response are cognitive processes and can be controlled by CBT

Anger management process

1-Cognitive preparation-offender learns to asses there own thought and triggers for there aggressive emotions

2-skill acquisition- calm and relaxing techniques to control anger

3-application practice- use skills learnt in role play scenarios to stay calm

Anger management A03

Ireland- tester anger management programme and 48% of the group improved in controlling anger

-however Ireland used a self report study which is not objective and may have social desirability bias

+ skills learnt in anger management can be used outside of prison

Restorative justice programs

Attempts to rehabilitate criminal by making them understand the effects of there crime on society and the victims

RJP steps

Meeting- victim and criminal take part in a meting where victim explains the effects of the crime

Reparations- offender takes responsibility and offer representation e.g cash

A03 for RJP

-victim needs to believe offender means it and not doing it for a smaller sentence

+RJP- 14% decrease in reoffending and 62% of offenders say they felt better