Forensic Psychology - 11. Dealing with Offending Behaviour: 1. Custodial Sentencing

Question 1

Custodial sentencing

Answer 1

Judicial sentence determined by a court, where the offender is punished by serving time in a prison or in some other closed therapeutic/educational institution, such as a psychiatric hospital

Question 2

What is the official capacity of prisons in the UK in 2023? What was the UK prison population?

Answer 2

Official capacity - 78,000
UK prison population - 87,000

Question 3

4 aims of custodial sentencing

Answer 3

Deterrence
Incapacitation
Rehabilitation
Retribution

Question 4

Deterrence

Answer 4

The idea that prisons should be an unpleasant experience, so someone who serves a sentence wouldn’t ever want to go back

Question 5

Incapacitation

Answer 5

Taking criminals ‘off the street’ to stop them from being able to commit further crimes

Question 6

Retribution

Answer 6

Society is taking revenge on a criminal, making them pay for their crimes by taking away their freedom

Question 7

Rehabilitation

Answer 7

The idea that prisons can reform criminals through training, education and/or therapy so they leave prison a better person

Question 8

What therapy may be used for violent criminals?

Answer 8

Anger management

Question 9

What research method does this topic link to?

Answer 9

Economic implications

Question 10

4 psychological effects of custodial sentencing

Answer 10

Stress
Depression
Institutionalisation
Prisonisation

Question 11

Who talked about the stress and depression psychological effects of custodial sentencing?

Answer 11

Curt Bartol (1995)

Question 12

How do suicide rates in UK prisons match to suicide rates of the general population?

Answer 12

Suicide rates are 15% higher in prisons

Question 13

Highest proportion of suicide cases in UK prisons

Answer 13

Single men, under the age of 24, within the first 24 hours of custody

Question 14

What percentage of men and women in prison have reported symptoms of psychosis?

Answer 14

25% of women
15% of men

Question 15

What is in-prison depression caused by according to Abramson et al?

Answer 15

Caused by a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness

Question 16

How many known incidents of self harm in prison were there in the UK in 2008?

Answer 16

10,000 known incidents, meaning 12% of prison population self harmed

Question 17

Institutionalisation in prison

Answer 17

Having adapted to the norms of prison life, some find it impossible to then cope with real life. This is because prisons have set times for meals, routine and the inmates are catered for

Question 18

Prisonisation

Answer 18

Some behaviours that are unacceptable in the outside world are encouraged and rewarded inside prison

Question 19

Prison social hierarchy

Answer 19

Serial killers/murderers
Drug dealers
Robbers
Abusers of other people
Rapists/paedophiles

Question 20

Evaluation of psychological effects of custodial sentencing

Answer 20

Are we sure that these psychological effects are due to imprisonment?
Are alternatives to prisons better? (E.g. community service)

Question 21

Recidivism

Answer 21

Re-offending

Question 22

After being released in 2021, what percentage of prisoners re-offended in the UK within one year of leaving prison?

Answer 22

25%

Question 23

What countries have the highest recidivism rates?

Answer 23

UK and US

Question 24

What country has the lowest recidivism rate in Europe and why is this?

Answer 24

Norway because it puts greater emphasis on rehabilitation and skill acquisition

Question 25

Reasons why the UK recidivism rate is so high / why the UK prison system doesn’t work: psychological problems

Answer 25

The UK prison system doesn’t address the psychological problems that caused prisoners to commit crimes in the first place (E.g. mental health issues)

Question 26

Reasons why the UK recidivism rate is so high / why the UK prison system doesn’t work: where are people released?

Answer 26

People are released into the same social environment that potentially caused them to offend

Question 27

Reasons why the UK recidivism rate is so high / why the UK prison system doesn’t work: stigma

Answer 27

The stigma attached to having been imprisoned makes it difficult for offenders to reintegrate into society

Question 28

Reasons why the UK recidivism rate is so high / why the UK prison system doesn’t work: prison life

Answer 28

For some people, prison life is preferable to the life they left behind

Question 29

Reasons why the UK recidivism rate is so high / why the UK prison system doesn’t work: substance abuse

Answer 29

Prison life encoruages substance abuse and people who takae drugs are more likely than non-abusers to commit violent acts

Question 30

According to the Prison Reform Trust, what percentage of prisoners don’t have the skills required for most jobs?

Answer 30

50% of prisoners don’t have the skills required by 96% of all jobs