forensics essays
Describe and evaluate cognitive explanations for offending. [16 marks]
A01=6 A03=10 - correct answer-Cognitive explanation was proposed by Kohlberg who
applied a concept of level or moral reasoning to criminal behaviour. Researcher has
suggested offenders typically show significantly lower levels of m oral reasoning. He found
using a moral dilemma testing, that those of violent youth groups had significantly lower
moral development than non-violent youth groups. It was also found that offenders classified
at a pre-conventional level, compared to a conventional level. This is characterised by the
need to avoid punishment, less maturity, and childlike reasoning. Individuals at this level are
more likely to commit crime, if they can get away with it, as there may be a reward associate
with the crime, i.e., money. Certain studies have supported this assumption where they've
suggests that offenders are more egocentric, self-centred, and socially incapable. Thus,
there unable to be sympathetic, honest, and non-violent. Furthermore, offenders have been
found to have cognitive distortions. An example of this is hostile attribution bias, where the
offender misinterprets situations where they believe someone to be aggressive, when I
reality they're not. This then leads to react in a violent response. Another cognitive distortion
is minimisation, where the offender down-plays the offence, or denies even committing it.
Moral reasoning has been demonstrated to by Palmer and Hollin (1998), where they
compared moral-reasoning within groups of non-offenders and offenders. They found that
the delinquent group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non-delinquent group.
This provides support Kohlberg's predictions, because it demonstrates how offenders moral
reasoning is less than non-offenders and increases our confidence, as it's a replication of
Kohlberg's findings, and therefore increasing the reliability. It is suggested tha
Discuss one or more ways of dealing with offending behaviour. Refer to some of the
suggestions in Table 6 in your answer. [16 marks]
A01=6 A02=4 A03=6 - correct answer-Offending behaviour can't be dealt with in various
ways. Behaviour modification is way of dealing with offending behaviour through operant
conditioning, with the intentions to replacing undesired behaviours with more desired ones.
This is often established using a token economy where behaviour is reinforced, good
behaviour is rewarded with token (secondary reinforcer) which then be traded in for a
primary reinforcer, i.e., an extra phone call. Bad behaviour is then discouraged by eliminating
the tokens. Table 6 shows an example of this as suggest by an offender to "give him points
for TV time when he behaves" this is an example of a token economy. This as well helps
offenders learn the "link between behaviour and consequences", as according to operant
condition, the offender will learn to associate good behaviour with rewards, which eventually
encourages the behaviour on a day-to-day basis.
A strength with token economy is that its easy to implement and doesn't requirer specialist
training, thus making it cost-effective. Supporting research consisting of applying three
condition: typical prison methods, behaviour monitoring and encouragement, and a full token
economy was implements onto American male prisoner. It was found that the prisoner's
behaviour was most desirable when the full token economy was implemented, ie. Staying
tidy, being on time. Furthermore, it was also found that prisoners who were in a token
Describe and evaluate cognitive explanations for offending. [16 marks]
A01=6 A03=10 - correct answer-Cognitive explanation was proposed by Kohlberg who
applied a concept of level or moral reasoning to criminal behaviour. Researcher has
suggested offenders typically show significantly lower levels of m oral reasoning. He found
using a moral dilemma testing, that those of violent youth groups had significantly lower
moral development than non-violent youth groups. It was also found that offenders classified
at a pre-conventional level, compared to a conventional level. This is characterised by the
need to avoid punishment, less maturity, and childlike reasoning. Individuals at this level are
more likely to commit crime, if they can get away with it, as there may be a reward associate
with the crime, i.e., money. Certain studies have supported this assumption where they've
suggests that offenders are more egocentric, self-centred, and socially incapable. Thus,
there unable to be sympathetic, honest, and non-violent. Furthermore, offenders have been
found to have cognitive distortions. An example of this is hostile attribution bias, where the
offender misinterprets situations where they believe someone to be aggressive, when I
reality they're not. This then leads to react in a violent response. Another cognitive distortion
is minimisation, where the offender down-plays the offence, or denies even committing it.
Moral reasoning has been demonstrated to by Palmer and Hollin (1998), where they
compared moral-reasoning within groups of non-offenders and offenders. They found that
the delinquent group showed less mature moral reasoning than the non-delinquent group.
This provides support Kohlberg's predictions, because it demonstrates how offenders moral
reasoning is less than non-offenders and increases our confidence, as it's a replication of
Kohlberg's findings, and therefore increasing the reliability. It is suggested tha
Discuss one or more ways of dealing with offending behaviour. Refer to some of the
suggestions in Table 6 in your answer. [16 marks]
A01=6 A02=4 A03=6 - correct answer-Offending behaviour can't be dealt with in various
ways. Behaviour modification is way of dealing with offending behaviour through operant
conditioning, with the intentions to replacing undesired behaviours with more desired ones.
This is often established using a token economy where behaviour is reinforced, good
behaviour is rewarded with token (secondary reinforcer) which then be traded in for a
primary reinforcer, i.e., an extra phone call. Bad behaviour is then discouraged by eliminating
the tokens. Table 6 shows an example of this as suggest by an offender to "give him points
for TV time when he behaves" this is an example of a token economy. This as well helps
offenders learn the "link between behaviour and consequences", as according to operant
condition, the offender will learn to associate good behaviour with rewards, which eventually
encourages the behaviour on a day-to-day basis.
A strength with token economy is that its easy to implement and doesn't requirer specialist
training, thus making it cost-effective. Supporting research consisting of applying three
condition: typical prison methods, behaviour monitoring and encouragement, and a full token
economy was implements onto American male prisoner. It was found that the prisoner's
behaviour was most desirable when the full token economy was implemented, ie. Staying
tidy, being on time. Furthermore, it was also found that prisoners who were in a token
