Unit 2 - Biological policies 4.1 Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is drug therapy?
Drug treatments used in some situations to treat and control criminal or antisocial behaviour
Heroin addiction
Drug: Methadone
Long term alternative to heroin and prevents withdrawal symptoms as it is a legal, medically controlled substitute
Reduces: Illegal drug dealing and theft to fund habits
Sex offenders
Drug: Stilbestrol
Given to male prisoners as a form of castration, female hormone that suppresses testosterone reducing men’s sex drive - nasty side effects e.g. breast development and feminisation
Reduces: Sexual offences e.g. rape
Alcohol abuse
Drug: Antabuse
Makes a person vomit so overtime they associate alcohol with the feeling of nausea through aversion therapy
Reduces: Drunk and disorderly
Managing prisoners
Drug: Valium
A sedative given to keep potentially troublesome and violent prisoners calm
Reduces: Affray
Is drug therapy still used today?
Yes - effective and ethical method that can be stopped at any time so the effects are reversible
What is surgery?
Used to alter offender’s brains or bodies with the aim of preventing further offending
Is drug therapy still used today?
A medical procedure that involves the removal of the testicles as a treatment for sex offenders who have committed heinous crimes
Reduces: Sex offences e.g. rape
Lobotomy
Brain surgery that involves severing the connection between the frontal lobe and other parts of the brain
Mainly used as a treatment for mental health conditions like schizophrenia who are 4-6 x more likely to commit violent crimes
Is surgical castration still used today?
Not in the UK - Germany and Czech Republic still practice it
Not used due to unethical and irreversible physical effects and removes a persons ability to procreate - no scientific evidence it reduces crime
Are lobotomies still used today?
Rarely performed but technically still legal - replaced by treatments such as medication
What is eugenics?
A movement that argued criminal behaviour is caused by inheriting a ‘criminal gene’ so obsessed over the fact that human race was in danger of the poor passing on their low intelligence, insanity, poverty and criminality through genes as they were breeding quicker than the wealthy
What did eugenicists argue?
The ‘genetically unfit’ should be prevented from breeding and favoured policies such as compulsory sterilisation - prevent women from getting pregnant and men from impregnating
E.g. Nazi Germany
Are eugenics still used today?
Compulsory sterilisation is illegal in most of the world due to its unethical nature and disregard of human rights
What is the death penalty?
Ending a life by state execution - sentenced to death by the government
Most common method: Lethal injection
What is the purpose of the death penalty?
To act as a deterrent to protect the welfare of society
Is the death penalty still used today?
No, permanently abolished in England in 1969 due to its irreversible nature - Still used in some US States and Belarus
No research suggesting it reduces crime
What is diet?
It can be modified to positively affect aggressive behaviour resulting in less crime
Vitamin B3
Used for schizophrenic patients which is a disorder associated with violence
Serotonin
Reduces violent behaviour and can regulate the mood of prisoners
Found in both tuna and salmon
Tartrazine
An artificial colouring removed from children’s diets to reduce hyperactivity which may in turn reduce offences
Is diet modification still used today?
Yes as it is low risk and a reversible method
