Informal Policy Flashcards
(38 cards)
What is social policy
Refers to legislation, guidelines and interventions designed to change, maintain or create living conditions that are necessary for human welfare
What are crime control policies
Examples of formal policies that place emphasis on reducing crime in society through increasing the powers of police
What is the death penalty
State authorised execution of a criminal given for the most severe offences
When was death penalty abolished in uk
1965
How does the death penalty link to biological theories
By using the death penalty, it prevents criminals from committing crime again and removes their biological abnormality from the gene pool
Arguments for the death penalty
Death penalty has a 100% success rate for preventing further crime
Arguments against death penalty
Stats show that murder rate is lower in states which dont have the death penalty
What is neurochemical treatment
Reduces the level of test in men to lower the sexual desire and libido to treat sexual offenders
How does neurochemical treatment link to biological theories
Policy links to the idea that criminals suffer from biological abnormalities, such as overproduction of sex hormones
Arguments for neurochemical treatment
Evidence from Scandinavia suggests it can cut re offending rates from 40% to 5%
Arguments against neurochemical treatment
Chemical castration lasts around 3-5 years and isnt effective after, also it has a range of negative side effects
What is eugenics
Set of beliefs that aims at improving the genetic quality of human population
How does eugenics link to biological theory
By using eugenics, this prevents criminals from reproducing which removes the biological abnormality from gene pool
Arguments for eugenics
Research by osborn and west in 1970s found 40% of boys whose fathers had a criminal record had criminal records themselves, eugenics would not allow this figure.
Arguments against eugenics
Can be counterproductive as it leads to a reduction in genetic diversity which eliminates “desirable” genes and forces a shallow gene pool
What is a token economy
Utilise operant conditioning by rewarding positive behaviour and punishing negative behaviour.
How does a token economy link to an individualistic theories
Offenders have learnt undesirable behaviours such as criminality which token economies aim to reverse
Arguments for token economy
Delivering token economy is much cheaper than a custodial sentence, helping to reduce recidivism
Arguments against token economy
Research shows strategies aren’t universally effectige and tend to only work in short term
What is psychoanalysis treatment
Treatment where the patient verbalises their thoughts, through a variety of methods which aims to access repressed thoughts which led to criminal activity
How does psychoanalysis treatment link to individualistic
Cause of an abnormal psyche and therefore crim behaviour is negative experiences due childhood, this method aims to surface these experiences to solve them
Arguments for psychodynamic treatment
Research by bergin found 10,000 patients around 80% benefited from treatment
Arguments against psychodynamic treatment
Least favoured approach as its very time consuming and is unlikely to provide quick answers snd possibly worsen their mental state
What is anger management
Aims to avoid violent offences by using cognitive therapy that encourages rational thinking about their actions in order to reduce anger
