Dealing With Offender Behavior, Custodial Sentencing

Question 1

What is custodial sentencing

Answer 1

When a convicted offender spends an extended period of time in a prison or therapeutic institution

Question 2

What are the 4 main reasons for custodial sentencing

Answer 2

1-deterrence
2-incapacitation
3-retribution
4-rehabillitation

Question 3

Deterrence

Answer 3

The unpleasant experience of prison is designed to deter people from wanting to go to engage in offending behaviour
-General deterrence - sends a broad message to society that criminal behaviour will not be tolerated
-Individual deterrence - prevents individuals from re-offending, negatively reinforcing good behaviour through punishment

Question 4

Incapacitation

Answer 4

The offender is removed from society to prevent re-offending and protect the general public. This often depends on the severity of the offence

Question 5

Retribution

Answer 5

Society is enabled to enact revenge on the offender which is proportionate to the severity of the crime. This ‘eye for an eye’ mentality is often preferred over ‘soft’ methods like restorative justice.

Question 6

Rehabilitation

Answer 6

Upon release, prisoners should leave better adjusted to return to society thanks to the prison providing skills and training as well as treatment programmes for drug abuse

Question 7

What are the 4 psychological effects of custodial sentencing

Answer 7

-Stress
-Depression
-Institutionalisation
-Prisonation

Question 8

Stress and depression

Answer 8

-Suicide rates are considerably higher with high levels of self harm and self mutilation being reported
-increases risk of psychological harm on release

Question 9

Institutionalisation

Answer 9

Prisoners may not be able to function in normal life due to the structure and regiments they’re used to in prison

Question 10

Prisonisation

Answer 10

Behaviour that’s considered unacceptable in the outside world may be considered normal in the prisons moral code of conduct

Question 11

Re-offending rates of 14 UK/Welsh prison in 2007

Answer 11

70 percent

Question 12

Provides opportunity for skills development and treatment

Answer 12

-The institution of justice found a 43 percent drop in recidivism for offenders who took part in college education programmes
-There are also other programmes like anger management and lessons in social skills.

Question 13

Support for damaging psychological effects

Answer 13

-In the last 20 years, suicide rates are on average 15x higher than the general population
-Prisoners viewed prison as ‘brutal, demeaning and generally devestating.

Question 14

Counter, for damaging psychological effects, individual differences

Answer 14

-Lacks of control of confounding variables
-Many people who offend and end up in prison already have pre-existing mental health conditions
-Cannot infer that prison is what causes poor mental health, it could be the prison community or the isolation etc.
-Prison also has different regimes that different people respond to in certain ways
-The length and reason for incarceration are also mitigating factors

Question 15

Extra PEEL

Answer 15

Exploitation of prison workers to gain skills