AC4.1-policy development Flashcards
(19 cards)
What are the 3 biological theories that changes policies?
1) Neurochemicals
2)Drug treatments
3)Eugenics
What are neurochemicals (Diet)?
-Gesch=diet can positively effect aggressive behavior
-231 young male prisoners agreed to take either a nutritional supplement or a placebo
-those who took the supplement, disciplinary behaviour dropped by 35%
-those who took the placebo, disciplinary behviour dropped by 6.7%
-violent behaviour dropped 37% for the supplement and 10.1% for the placebo
-Vikunent et al=violent offenders had a lower than average serotonin levels
-Edward et al= prisons introduced “Balance of good health model” & provides nutritional, well balanced diets
what is serotonin?
a hormone dictating a persons mood/well being. can be improved with salmon and tuna.
what are eugenics?
-eugenics=improving the human species by mating people with specific desirable traits (hereditary)
-claims biology contributes to several societal problems in the late 19th century
-felt society was in danger of being low intelligence, insane, in poverty and high levels of criminality
-advocated higher reproduction rates for those with desirable traits
-1912 USA=declared legal compulsory to sterile the unfit-> those with learning disabilities etc.
-unlikely to occur in modern world due to the death penalty, end of life, American electric chair.
what are the 3 different drugs used in Drug treatments and what where they used for?
1)Antabuse-alcohol therapy
2)Methadone-those dependent on drugs
3)stilbestrol-used for male sex offenders.
What is Antabuse?
-aversion therapy for alcohol
-prevents the body from breaking down alcohol–> will experience a strong “hangover” event from small amounts
what is Methadone?
-used for offenders dependent of drugs
-long term success rate of 60-90%
-is controlled and can prevent deadly withdrawals
what is Stilbestrol?
-chemical castration–> removing genitals
-used in prisons against male sex offenders
-suppresses testosterone levels to reduce sex drive
-huge side effects of growing breasts (female drug)
what are the 2 individualistic theories for policy?
1)Psychoanalysis
2)Behaviour modification
what is psychoanalysis?
-patient verbalises their thoughts to access the unconscious mind –> repressed thoughts leads to criminality
-early development repressed trauma are in unconscious mind even if the person doesn’t remember it.
-Blackburn=very few evaluations as a treatment
-Andrews et al=traditional psychoanalysis therapies are to be avoided with general sample of offenders
-creates an imbalance between patient and client–>ethical issues
-no guaranteed success. only done be experts, limited, time consuming and expensive
what is behavior modification?
-designed to extinguish undesirable behaviours
-prisons use token economy system–>token are given for desirable traits or removed for showing undesirable traits. (Eg may receive extra money or visitation hours)
Fo & Donnel= “buddy system” adult volunteers are assigned a young offender for consistent reinforcement + improves behaviour of serious offenders
Hobbs & Holt=token economy=god results for young offenders
-implies prisoners “learn how to behave” but don’t replicate behaviour when released–> High reoffending rate
what are the 4 sociological theories for policy changes?
1) Penal populism
2) prison-retribution for offenders
3)zero tolerance policing
4) restorative justice
what is penal populism? for policy changes
-occurred after the James Bulgar killing 1993
-Tony blair= “tough on crime, tough on causes of crime”
-successful political parties introduced punishable law, intended to be tough of crime, automatic life on harsh crimes
-England & Wales=130 in prison per 100,000 of the population
-prison population increased by 74% in 30 years
-indictable offences= average prison sentence is 34 months
-links to realism as links to rational choice. increased risks through harsher punishments
What is prison (retribution for offenders) for policy changes?
-England and Wales=highest imprisonment in western Europe, 120 people per 100,000 of population
-1991-2021, prison population increased by 74%
-national audit office=no consistent correlation with prison numbers and crime rates
48% of adults are reconvicted within a year of release, 63% of these served sentences under 12 months
-prisons are over crowded every year since 1994
-Kier Starmer 2024= released over 1,000 prisoners early due to no space for anti immigration riots 2024
What is zero tolerance policing? for policy changes
-demands all crime is acted upon, regardless how trivial
broken windows=if streets appear clean and crime free, it’ll remain that way
-New York 1993, major crime fell by 39% and 49% for murder
-effectiveness isn’t clear as most violent offenders from previous decade are locked up, so numbers are expected to fall
-leads to heavy handed police brutality
-New York crime fell in areas without zero tolerance
-leads to negative stereotyping=stop and search rates in black males are 8X morel likely to occur.
What is restorative justice in policy changes?
-a voluntary process involving the offender and the victim
-both parties discuss what has happened, who was affected and hat can be done to repair harm
-can occur at any stage of the criminal justice system
-used by police and prison forced + growing in popularity
-allows victim a voice and closure
-makes offender accountable for actions so less likely to do it again
-makes crime “real” for the offender
-ministry of justice 2001=majority take part face-to-face. 85% of victims who chose to participate were happy
what is informal policy and 2 groups help prevent it?
informal policy=non official ways to prevent crime, takes place in group establishments
1) neighborhood watch groups
2) Youth clubs
how does neighborhood watch groups help prevent crime?
-prevents street crime
-sign postings on streets to inform offenders
-increases chances of getting caught & decreases chances of crime occurring
how does youth clubs help prevent crime?
-gives younger people a sense of belonging that doesn’t lead to crime
-learn social norms and avoids deviant behavior–>Banduras social learning theory
