L1 – Criminal Justice Framework
Structure of Criminal Justice Agencies (As a chain of events)
Criminal - Police
Justice - Crown Prosecution Service
System - Courts
- HM Prisons
- HM Probation Service
- Youth offending/ Custody Service
- Research HQ
External Agencies
- Parole Board – Risk of reoffending & Formulation of treatment strategies
- Youth Justice Board
- HM Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire & Rescue Service
- HM Inspectorate of Prisons
- HM Inspectorate of Probation
Overall structure of CJ System
- Home office – Police
- Ministry of justice – Crown prosecution service, courts, Youth offending
services, HM Prisons and Probation Service
Key courts of focus
- Crown court – Dire offenses
- Magistrates – Moderate offenses
- County Court – Civil matters
Specific Her Majesty Prison & Probation service (HMPPS)
parties - Running prison and probation services
- Rehabilitation services
- Support for reoffenders
- Management of private sector prisons
Prisons
- Category A B C D
- Max security Open prison
HM Prison Service
- 117 prisons in England and Wales (13 Private)
- Stable population ~80000
National Probation Services / CRCs (Community Rehab Companies)
- Preparation of pre-sentence reports for courts
- Preparation of release of offenders + Assessment of release
Youth Services
- Youth Justice Board & Youth Custody Services
- Special catering to different needs of the Youth as opposed to adults
, Youth Offending Services
- To support the safety of young people and physical + Mental health
- YOS In every authority of England and Wales
Psychologists 1946 – Psychologists in Prisons
in the CJ 1990s – Large increase in forensic psychologists
System
Employed in Prison services, probation, police, courts, hospitals, academia…
Effective View on rehabilitation
treatment - James McGuire – Different programmes work for different people
9 Principles for effective treatment (Maguire & Priestley, 1995)
- Need to be empirical and grounded in theory
- Target criminogenic needs (causing or likely to cause criminal behaviour)
- Need to be responsive to learning needs of clients
- Need to use known methods and effective methods (CBT)
- Must teach skills
- Must address a range of criminogenic factors
- Right dose of treatment
- Focus on clear care pathway
- Must have treatment integrity
Updated principles – Risk, Need, Responsivity (RNR)
- Risk – Right dose of intervention and treatment
- Need – Link to crime & solve the need
- Responsivity – How subjects respond
- E.g. (Bonta & Andrews, 2017)
Roles of a Prison and Probation
forensic - Assessment and treatment of offenders
psychologist - Design and delivery of training of staff and offenders
- Consultancy and advise (E.g. Hostage negotiation, data analysis)
- Applied research
- Court work – Attendance and witness testimony
Police force
- Statistical crime analysis
- Behavioural Investigative advisors
Working in courts
- Comments on different aspects of court
- E.g. Fitness to plead, intellectual functioning…
Community Forensic Services (CFMHS Community Forensic Mental Health service)
- Manage cases of high risk individuals
- Care, advice, education and specialist interventions
Special hospitals and secure units
- Deciding treatment of patients
- Treatment of offenders with personality disorders and mental disorders
,Challenges State of prisons
of Criminal - Plagued by drugs, violence, poor living conditions, too much time in cell,
justice lack of rehab, staff shortages…
system
State of probation
- Inadequate probational services
Sentencing White Paper Launch – Smart approach to sentencing
- Serving 2/3 of sentence before potential parole instead of ½
Discussion
- May be useful for dire offenders Serve more and increase potential
rehab chance
- Not useful for minor offenders May learn more criminal behaviour
while in prison
L2 – Theories of Crime
Crime An act that is illegal and can be punished by law
- 1 in 3 men in UK has a criminal record by 40y
Yet is somehow subjective – Can rape be justified?
- Biological view – Evolutionary adaptation
- Sociological view – Male Patriarchy
Key is subjective views towards law and legality
- Socio-views & the relative nature of crime (Marsh et al., 2006)
- E.g. 14y + 13y consensual sex Deemed as not problematic
- E.g. 14y + 5y consensual sex Deemed as problematic
Biological Nature of biological theories in forensic psychology
theories - A distal and fixed matter
- Is hard to change and nothing much can be done
- Forensic implication – May influence biases towards attractive people in
court
Genetic Predisposition
- Being male – 76% Conviction, 95% in prison (MoJ, 2012)
- Abnormal genes – XYY “Supermale” genes leading to hyper aggression
(Price et al., 1966; Epps, 1995)
- Familial trends – Criminal behaviour seen as “running in the family”
(Curran & Renzetti, 2001) – But may be due to being environmental, close
family live in similar environments
- 53% juveniles with convicted family member had conviction themselves as
opposed to 24% (Farrington et al., 1996)
- Twin influence – MZ twins 52% concordance rate for offending, DZ twins
21% (Raine, 1993)
- Adoption differences – Comparing adoptive and biological parents and
, child (Blackburn, 1993)
- Suggests biological > socio-impact? (Mednick et al., 1984)
Brain and crime
- Higher head injuries in criminals, especially juvenile offenders
(Rosenbaum et al., 1994)
- War vets with frontal lobe damage engaged in criminal activities (Brower
& Price, 2001)
- Violent offenders showed sig. less activity in prefrontal lobe (Raine et al.,
1997)
Acquired brain function and violence
- Birth complications & violence (e.g. Moffitt 1993; Raine et al., 1994;
Piquero & Tibbetts, 1999)
- Smoking in pregnancy & violence (e.g. Brennan et al., 1999) – Can be
denoted with genetic or behavioural impact
- Foetal alcohol syndrome & violence (e.g Streissguth et al., 1996)
- Environmental lead levels & violent crime/homicide (e.g. Stretesky &
Lynch, 2004; Feigenbaum & Muller, 2016)
- Seafood diet (Omega 3) & national homicide rate (Hibbeln, 2001)
Brain chemistry
- Too much dopamine or too little serotonin: more likely to commit
impulsive crimes (Seo et al., 2003)
- Slow autonomic nervous system makes it less likely for criminal
behaviour to be inhibited and the person may be unable to conform/learn
from mistakes (Mednick, 1977; Raine, 1993).
- Weak and inconsistent association between testosterone levels and
aggression in adults (Archer et al., 1998)
Early biological theories
- Crime was a result of inborn abnormalities
- Can be distinguished from physical characteristics (Lombroso, 1876)
- Focus on evolutionary throwbacks with distinct characteristics
- Darwin influenced
- *Fail to focus on environmental factors
Biological theory – Constitutional Types (Sheldon, 1949; Ellis, 2000)
- Somatotypes – Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph
- 57% offender sample is mesomorphic, control group 19% (Glueck &
Glueck, 1956)
Biosocial theory – Mednick (1977)
- Individual susceptibility from inheriting a slow autonomic nervous system
Structure of Criminal Justice Agencies (As a chain of events)
Criminal - Police
Justice - Crown Prosecution Service
System - Courts
- HM Prisons
- HM Probation Service
- Youth offending/ Custody Service
- Research HQ
External Agencies
- Parole Board – Risk of reoffending & Formulation of treatment strategies
- Youth Justice Board
- HM Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire & Rescue Service
- HM Inspectorate of Prisons
- HM Inspectorate of Probation
Overall structure of CJ System
- Home office – Police
- Ministry of justice – Crown prosecution service, courts, Youth offending
services, HM Prisons and Probation Service
Key courts of focus
- Crown court – Dire offenses
- Magistrates – Moderate offenses
- County Court – Civil matters
Specific Her Majesty Prison & Probation service (HMPPS)
parties - Running prison and probation services
- Rehabilitation services
- Support for reoffenders
- Management of private sector prisons
Prisons
- Category A B C D
- Max security Open prison
HM Prison Service
- 117 prisons in England and Wales (13 Private)
- Stable population ~80000
National Probation Services / CRCs (Community Rehab Companies)
- Preparation of pre-sentence reports for courts
- Preparation of release of offenders + Assessment of release
Youth Services
- Youth Justice Board & Youth Custody Services
- Special catering to different needs of the Youth as opposed to adults
, Youth Offending Services
- To support the safety of young people and physical + Mental health
- YOS In every authority of England and Wales
Psychologists 1946 – Psychologists in Prisons
in the CJ 1990s – Large increase in forensic psychologists
System
Employed in Prison services, probation, police, courts, hospitals, academia…
Effective View on rehabilitation
treatment - James McGuire – Different programmes work for different people
9 Principles for effective treatment (Maguire & Priestley, 1995)
- Need to be empirical and grounded in theory
- Target criminogenic needs (causing or likely to cause criminal behaviour)
- Need to be responsive to learning needs of clients
- Need to use known methods and effective methods (CBT)
- Must teach skills
- Must address a range of criminogenic factors
- Right dose of treatment
- Focus on clear care pathway
- Must have treatment integrity
Updated principles – Risk, Need, Responsivity (RNR)
- Risk – Right dose of intervention and treatment
- Need – Link to crime & solve the need
- Responsivity – How subjects respond
- E.g. (Bonta & Andrews, 2017)
Roles of a Prison and Probation
forensic - Assessment and treatment of offenders
psychologist - Design and delivery of training of staff and offenders
- Consultancy and advise (E.g. Hostage negotiation, data analysis)
- Applied research
- Court work – Attendance and witness testimony
Police force
- Statistical crime analysis
- Behavioural Investigative advisors
Working in courts
- Comments on different aspects of court
- E.g. Fitness to plead, intellectual functioning…
Community Forensic Services (CFMHS Community Forensic Mental Health service)
- Manage cases of high risk individuals
- Care, advice, education and specialist interventions
Special hospitals and secure units
- Deciding treatment of patients
- Treatment of offenders with personality disorders and mental disorders
,Challenges State of prisons
of Criminal - Plagued by drugs, violence, poor living conditions, too much time in cell,
justice lack of rehab, staff shortages…
system
State of probation
- Inadequate probational services
Sentencing White Paper Launch – Smart approach to sentencing
- Serving 2/3 of sentence before potential parole instead of ½
Discussion
- May be useful for dire offenders Serve more and increase potential
rehab chance
- Not useful for minor offenders May learn more criminal behaviour
while in prison
L2 – Theories of Crime
Crime An act that is illegal and can be punished by law
- 1 in 3 men in UK has a criminal record by 40y
Yet is somehow subjective – Can rape be justified?
- Biological view – Evolutionary adaptation
- Sociological view – Male Patriarchy
Key is subjective views towards law and legality
- Socio-views & the relative nature of crime (Marsh et al., 2006)
- E.g. 14y + 13y consensual sex Deemed as not problematic
- E.g. 14y + 5y consensual sex Deemed as problematic
Biological Nature of biological theories in forensic psychology
theories - A distal and fixed matter
- Is hard to change and nothing much can be done
- Forensic implication – May influence biases towards attractive people in
court
Genetic Predisposition
- Being male – 76% Conviction, 95% in prison (MoJ, 2012)
- Abnormal genes – XYY “Supermale” genes leading to hyper aggression
(Price et al., 1966; Epps, 1995)
- Familial trends – Criminal behaviour seen as “running in the family”
(Curran & Renzetti, 2001) – But may be due to being environmental, close
family live in similar environments
- 53% juveniles with convicted family member had conviction themselves as
opposed to 24% (Farrington et al., 1996)
- Twin influence – MZ twins 52% concordance rate for offending, DZ twins
21% (Raine, 1993)
- Adoption differences – Comparing adoptive and biological parents and
, child (Blackburn, 1993)
- Suggests biological > socio-impact? (Mednick et al., 1984)
Brain and crime
- Higher head injuries in criminals, especially juvenile offenders
(Rosenbaum et al., 1994)
- War vets with frontal lobe damage engaged in criminal activities (Brower
& Price, 2001)
- Violent offenders showed sig. less activity in prefrontal lobe (Raine et al.,
1997)
Acquired brain function and violence
- Birth complications & violence (e.g. Moffitt 1993; Raine et al., 1994;
Piquero & Tibbetts, 1999)
- Smoking in pregnancy & violence (e.g. Brennan et al., 1999) – Can be
denoted with genetic or behavioural impact
- Foetal alcohol syndrome & violence (e.g Streissguth et al., 1996)
- Environmental lead levels & violent crime/homicide (e.g. Stretesky &
Lynch, 2004; Feigenbaum & Muller, 2016)
- Seafood diet (Omega 3) & national homicide rate (Hibbeln, 2001)
Brain chemistry
- Too much dopamine or too little serotonin: more likely to commit
impulsive crimes (Seo et al., 2003)
- Slow autonomic nervous system makes it less likely for criminal
behaviour to be inhibited and the person may be unable to conform/learn
from mistakes (Mednick, 1977; Raine, 1993).
- Weak and inconsistent association between testosterone levels and
aggression in adults (Archer et al., 1998)
Early biological theories
- Crime was a result of inborn abnormalities
- Can be distinguished from physical characteristics (Lombroso, 1876)
- Focus on evolutionary throwbacks with distinct characteristics
- Darwin influenced
- *Fail to focus on environmental factors
Biological theory – Constitutional Types (Sheldon, 1949; Ellis, 2000)
- Somatotypes – Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph
- 57% offender sample is mesomorphic, control group 19% (Glueck &
Glueck, 1956)
Biosocial theory – Mednick (1977)
- Individual susceptibility from inheriting a slow autonomic nervous system
