criminal topic 6- effects of imprisonment

Question 1

Haney et al aim

Answer 1

see if violence in prisons occurs because of the unpleasant people in them or the unpleasant nature of prisons to create violent behaviours

Question 2

haney et al sample

Answer 2

24 male college students in stanford california for summer
they were selected as being the most stable, mature and least in involved in anti social behaviours
24 white and largely m/c and didn’t know each other
paid $15/day for up to 14 days

Question 3

haney et al procedure

Answer 3

-researchers randomly assigned to role of prisoner or guard
-those in guard role brought into stanford uni for an orientation day in which they helped create a simulated prison in the basement of the psychology building, were briefed on their role, given uniforms and established a set of rights and rules for the prisoners
-following day experiment began for prisoners where they were arrested from their homes, read their rights, handcuffed and taken to police station to be fingerprinted and put in detention cell, then collected by a guard and taken to the ‘prison’ blindfolded, stripped, sprayed with a ‘delousing preparation’, and made to stand naked in the yard, then given uniforms and mug shots taken

Question 4

haney et al results

Answer 4

how the 2 groups behaved:
notable individual differences within each group but after an initial revolt on day 2, it settled down to what zimbardo et al described as:
-pathological prisoner syndrome- prisoners started to show passivity,dependence and flattened mood- 5 released early due to depression,crying,rage and anxiety
-pathology of power- how people given the opportunity to exert power over others engage in oppressive behaviour- no guards arrived late and stayed on duty for several hours-one became a leader who devised punishments, others ‘tough but fair’ one gofer-avoiding time in jail

Question 5

haney et al conclusions

Answer 5

the study shows how social roles influence behaviour, suggesting that it is the structure and organisation of the prison environment which leads to brutal behaviour, as ‘normal-average’ young men behaved brutally to fit in with their role as guard

Question 6

haney et al applications

Answer 6

-use names of prisoners not numbers so they feel more humane
-educate prison staff about the dynamics of power and authority
-prison reform to make staff less hostile and more supportive prison environment

Question 7

Gillis and Nafekh-employment programmes

Answer 7

-aim=see effectiveness of employment programmes for Canadian prisoners who were shown techniques for how to look for work, given individual psychometric employment and given on the job placements
-23,525 individuals on conditional release between jan 1998-2006 95% male
-quasi experiment which measured if they successfully completed their conditional release period in the community without re-offending depending on if the released offenders had been on an employment based programme or not
-offenders were matched on variables like gender,risk level, year of release, sentence length, substance abuse and family relations
-results=employment programme group 70% completed conditional release without reoffending VS 55% not in programme
-median times taken to go back to prison was also longer (37 months VS 11)

Question 8

community sentences

Answer 8

-used as an alternative to prison and is given fro less serious crimes such as damage to property, assault or benefit fraud
-13 diff requirements an offender must follow when serving community service such as up to 300hrs unpaid work, curfews, attending programmes and restrictions on where they can go
-e.g Wayne Rooney banned from driving for 2yrs after drink driving and given 100hrs unpaid work
-this is thought to be about 15X cheaper than short prison sentences and more effective at reducing reoffending, but the public do not always see it as enough of a punishment

Question 9

anger management programmes

Answer 9

violent crimes often result of inability to control anger- anger management includes 3 stages:
1. cognitive preparation- offender learns which situations trigger anger outbursts and watch out for internal cues
2. skill acquisition- offender learns relaxation techniques to regulate breathing and heart rate or remove themselves from situation- social skills training in negotiation and assertiveness to deal with difficult situations in positive ways
3. application practise- involves role play during therapy sessions
e.g UK CALM- controlling anger and learning to manage it- 24 two-hour sessions including communication skills training

Question 10

restorative justice

Answer 10

-tries to recognise needs of victim and give them sense of control- often takes place alongside CJS
- allows victim to explain impact crime had on them and understand why offender targeted them
- involves drawing up a contract that is agreed on by both parties where offender takes some kind of action to make amends
- can reduce victims fear of being targeted in future
- Sherman and Stranger review- effective as of RJ in 36 cases- works in property crime and violent crime with clear victim to reduce victim stress and reoffending rates