Dealing with offending
behaviour: Custodial sentencing
Aims: Examples:
1. Deterrence • Prison
Aim is to put off the individual/society from engaging in • Young offender’s institute
offending behaviour. • Psychiatric hospital
General deterrence – sends a broad message to members of a
given society that crime won’t be tolerated.
Individual deterrence – should prevent the individual from
repeating the same crime.
Psychological effects of
custodial sentencing:
1. Stress and depression
2. Incapacitation Suicide rates, self-mutilation
Aim is to protect the public. and self-harm are all higher
The need for incapacitation depends on the severity of the in prison compared to the
offence and the nature of the offender. general population. Dooley:
found that prisoners serving
life sentences and those
3. Retribution convicted of violent or sexual
Aim is to get revenge on the offender. crimes were most at risk of
Level of suffering should be proportionate to the seriousness depression and suicde.
of the crime.
2. Institutionalisation
4. Rehabilitation Inmates may struggle to
Aim is to reform offenders. function on the outside after
Prisons should provide opportunities to develop skills or to having adapted to the norms
access treatment programmes for drug addiction, as well as of prison life.
giving the offender the chance to reflect on their crime.
3. Prisonisation
The problem of recidivism: Refers to the way in which
prisoners are socialised into
• Refers to reoffending.
adopting an ‘inmate code’.
• Statistics produced by the Ministry of Justice in 2013 Behaviour that may be
suggest that 57% of UK offenders will reoffend within a considered unacceptable in
year of release. the outside world may be
• UK has high rates of recidivism whilst Norway have the encouraged inside the
lowest rates in Europe – this may be because there is institution.
more emphasis on rehabilitation and skills development
compared to the UK. However, this can be seen as a ‘soft
option’.
behaviour: Custodial sentencing
Aims: Examples:
1. Deterrence • Prison
Aim is to put off the individual/society from engaging in • Young offender’s institute
offending behaviour. • Psychiatric hospital
General deterrence – sends a broad message to members of a
given society that crime won’t be tolerated.
Individual deterrence – should prevent the individual from
repeating the same crime.
Psychological effects of
custodial sentencing:
1. Stress and depression
2. Incapacitation Suicide rates, self-mutilation
Aim is to protect the public. and self-harm are all higher
The need for incapacitation depends on the severity of the in prison compared to the
offence and the nature of the offender. general population. Dooley:
found that prisoners serving
life sentences and those
3. Retribution convicted of violent or sexual
Aim is to get revenge on the offender. crimes were most at risk of
Level of suffering should be proportionate to the seriousness depression and suicde.
of the crime.
2. Institutionalisation
4. Rehabilitation Inmates may struggle to
Aim is to reform offenders. function on the outside after
Prisons should provide opportunities to develop skills or to having adapted to the norms
access treatment programmes for drug addiction, as well as of prison life.
giving the offender the chance to reflect on their crime.
3. Prisonisation
The problem of recidivism: Refers to the way in which
prisoners are socialised into
• Refers to reoffending.
adopting an ‘inmate code’.
• Statistics produced by the Ministry of Justice in 2013 Behaviour that may be
suggest that 57% of UK offenders will reoffend within a considered unacceptable in
year of release. the outside world may be
• UK has high rates of recidivism whilst Norway have the encouraged inside the
lowest rates in Europe – this may be because there is institution.
more emphasis on rehabilitation and skills development
compared to the UK. However, this can be seen as a ‘soft
option’.
