Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Criminology-unit 4 > AC 2.2-discuss the aims of punishment > Flashcards

AC 2.2-discuss the aims of punishment Flashcards

(67 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

What are the five aims of punishment?

A

1) Retribution
2) Rehabilitation
3) Deterrence
4) Public protection
5) Reparation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is retribution?

A

Expressing society’s moral outrage at crime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does retribution involve?

A

Inflicting punishment on an offender as vengeance for a criminal act

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are ‘just deserts’?

A

Offenders deserve to be punished and society is morally entitled to take its revenge
Offender should suffer for breaching society’s moral code

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What does proportionality mean regarding retribution?

A

The punishment should fit the crime and should be proportionate to the harm dealt ‘an eye for an eye’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Where does the idea of proportionality lead to regarding retribution?

A

A tariff system/mandatory penalties for varying offences eg. several years of jail time for an armed robbery compared to a fine for speeding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is/isn’t retribution a justification for?

A

It is a justification for crimes already committed, but not a way of preventing future ones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Give an example of retribution

A

Hate crimes
They carry higher tariff sentencing eg. if a crime is proven to be racially motivated, the sentence increases: grievous bodily harm is five years but can be increased to seven

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What theory is retribution associated with?

A

Right realist theories such as rational choice theory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What do right realists assume regarding retribution?

A

That offenders are rational choice actors who consciously choose to commit crimes and are therefore fully responsible for their actions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What did Durkheim, a functionalist sociologist, state about retribution?

A

The moral outrage expressed through retribution performs the function of boundary maintenance, meaning the punishment of the offender serves as a reminder of what is right and wrong

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are three criticisms of retribution?

A

1) Offenders deserve forgiveness or a chance to make amends, not just punishment
2) Punishment has to be inflicted even where no good is going to come out of it
3) People disagree about which crimes are more serious, so how do we decide what is a proportionate penalty?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is rehabilitation?

A

Making offenders change their behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What does rehabilitation involve?

A

Using punishment to reform an offender so they no longer commit and can live crime-free lives

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the three rehabilitation policies?

A

1) Education and training programmes
2) Anger management courses
3) Drug treatment and testing orders

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the rehab policy regarding education and training programmes?

A

Prisoners can avoid unemployment and ‘earn an honest living’ on release

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the rehab policy regarding anger management courses?

A

Violent offenders go to courses such as Aggression Replacement Training and other cognitive behavioural therapy programmes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the rehab policy regarding drug treatment and testing orders?

A

Offenders help get treated for alcohol dependence

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

In what way is rehabilitation a form of support?

A

Professional help is given from therapists, probation officers and others to ensure offenders achieve change
Helps offenders become reintegrated into the community upon release from prison

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What theory is rehabilitation associated with?

A

Individualistic and sociological theories of criminality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What are the three individualistic theories associated with rehabilitation?

A

1) Cognitive theory
2) Eysenck’s personality theory
3) Skinner’s operant learning theory

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Describe the cognitive theory in relation to rehabilitation

A

CBT teaches offenders to correct their thinking errors and biases which lead to aggressive or criminal behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Describe Eysenck’s personality theory in relation to rehabilitation

A

It favours the use of aversion therapy to deter offending behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Describe Skinner’s operant learning theory in relation to rehabilitation

A

Supports the use of token economy to encourage prisoners to produce more acceptable behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
How does left realism favour rehabilitation through sociological theories?
They regard social factors eg. unemployment, poverty and poor educational opportunities as causes of crime Reducing these reduces offending
26
What are the two criticisms of rehabilitation?
1) Right realists argue rehabilitation has limited success, many reoffend even after undergoing behaviour changing programmes 2) Marxists argue rehabilitation shifts responsibility for offending onto the offenders failings rather than focussing on how capitalism may lead people to commit
27
What is deterrence?
Discouraging future offending
28
What does deterrence involve?
The use of punishment to deter the individual from reoffending as it may convince them that its not worth repeating the experience
29
What is the idea that prisons work based on for deterrence?
If sentences are tough enough, offenders will not want to go back to jail again
30
What did Margaret Thatcher introduce in the 1980's regarding deterrence?
A tougher system in juvenile detention centres which were a 'short, sharp shock' to deter young offenders
31
What does general deterrence aim to do?
Deter society in general from breaking the law as seeing an offender being punished may show people how they will suffer if they go to jail
32
How did people experience general deterrence in the past and now the present?
Past: executions, floggings, offenders placed in stocks Present: social media reports
33
What is severity verses certainty?
Severity of punishment and certainty of punishment
34
What is severity versus certainty about?
How severe the punishment might be for a certain offence, if there is little chance of being caught and convicted, then its unlikely to deter potential offenders However if an offender is likely to be caught then a punishment may be an effective deterrent
35
Give an example of severity versus certainty
Though there is a three year minimum sentence, 5% of reported burglaries result in successful convictions, so the likelihood of facing punishments is low
36
What theory is deterrence associated with?
Right realism as a mean of crime prevention
37
What are the two right realism theories associated with deterrence?
1) Rational choice theory 2) Situational crime prevention strategies
38
Describe rational choice theory in relation to deterrence
Individuals are rational actors who weigh up the costs and benefits before deciding whether to offend, so harsh punishments and the high likelihood of being caught can deter offending
39
Describe situational crime prevention strategies in relation to deterrence
Target hardening makes it harder for offenders to commit therefore acting as a deterrence
40
How is social learning theory associated with deterrence?
If potential criminals see a model being punished for offending, they will be less likely to imitate that behaviour
41
What are the six criticisms of deterrence?
1) Little evidence that 'short, sharp shock reduce youth offending 2) Within a year of release half of the prisoners reoffend, prison isn't efficient in deterring 3) How do we decide how severe a punishment needs to be for it to deter potential criminals? 4) Assumes potential criminals know what the punishments are (may ignore penalties given) 5) Assumes criminals act rationally weighing up the risks, some act irrationally driven by emotions 6) It's unlikely for those who break laws to be deterred via punishment
42
What is public protection?
Protecting society from offenders
43
What does public protection involve?
Incapacitating offenders through the use of punishment to remove the criminals physical ability to reoffend
44
What are the six policies regarding public protection?
1) Execution of offenders 2) Cutting thieves hands off 3) Chemically castrating sex offenders 4) Banishment to another country (exile to Australia, 19th century) 5) Bans for foreign travels 6) Electronic tagging and curfews
45
What is the main method of incapacitation regarding public protection?
Imprisonment
46
How does imprisonment work?
Takes offenders out of circulation, leading to less further offences committed against the public
47
What are the three mandatory minimum jail sentences for reoffending introduced by the Crime Sentences Act 1997?
1) Automatic life sentence for a second serious sexual/violent offence 2) Seven years minimum for third Class A drug trafficking offence 3) Three years minimum for third domestic burglary conviction
48
What did the Criminal Justice Act 2003 introduce and what did it allow?
'Imprisonment for public protection' (IPP) allowed courts to give indeterminate sentences (no fixed release date) to 'dangerous' offenders convicted of certain seriously violent/sexual offences
49
What two theories are associated with public protection?
1) Biological theories 2) right realists
50
Describe the biological theories associated with public protection
Lombroso argued criminals are biologically different thus its not possible to rehabilitate them Some biological theories favour chemical or surgical castration to incapacitate sex offenders
51
Describe the right realists theory associated with public protection
Incapacitation is a way of protecting the public from crime Incapacitating a small number of persistent offenders to a long prison sentence could reduce crime rates
52
What are the four criticisms of public protection?
1) Incapacitation leads to longer sentencing with little hope of being released, leading to rising prison populations with additional costs 2) Incapacitation is a risk management doing nothing to deal the cause of crime or changing criminals into law abiding citizens 3) The 'three strikes' principle re-punishes criminals for previous crimes 4) Unjust as it imprisons individuals the law thinks may commit a crime in the future
53
What is reparation?
Turning the harm caused by crime into something good
54
What does reparation involve?
The offender making amend for a wrong they have done
55
What kind of harm can be caused regarding reparation?
Material and social
56
What two amends can be done regarding the harm caused in reparation?
1) Financial compensation eg. paying for the repair cost of damage 2) Unpaid work to make reparation to society through Community Payback eg. removing graffiti off buildings
57
What is restorative justice regarding reparation?
Making amends between offender and victim by bringing them together with the help of a mediator
58
What can the victim do through restorative justice regarding reparation?
They can explain the impact the crime has had on them to the offender
59
What can the offender do through restorative justice regarding reparation?
They can appreciate the harm caused, express remorse and seek forgiveness
60
What is the aim of restorative justice?
Bring closure to the victim and reintegrate the offender into society
61
What two theories are associated with reparation?
1) Labelling theory 2) Functionalists
62
Describe labelling theory regarding reparation
It favours restorative justice as a way of reintegrating offenders into a mainstream society By showing genuine remorse, it permits the offenders reintegration and prevents them from being pushed into secondary deviance
63
What is secondary deviance in labelling theory regarding reparation?
Deviant behaviour that results from being labelled as a deviant by society
64
Describe functionalism regarding reparation
Durkheim argued restitutive justice is important for the smooth functioning of complex modern societies
65
What is restitutive justice in functionalism regarding reparation?
To put things back to how they were before any crime was committed
66
What are the two criticisms of reparation?
1) It may not work for all types of offences eg. can reparation be done for sexual/violent offences? a rape victim may not want to forgive their assaulter 2) Some regard reparation too soft as a form of punishment since it lets offenders off lightly
67
Does retribution aim to change the offenders future behaviour?
No, that's rehabilitation only Retribution does punish in proportion to the severity of the offence but its not to change the offenders behaviour

Criminology-unit 4 (10 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions