Dealing with offending behaviour

Briefly outline one aim of custodial sentencing.

Briefly evaluate custodial sentencing as a way of dealing with offending behaviour.

Vera has a bad temper and has been in and out of prison many times. She is currently in prison for assault. The prison governor is keen to rehabilitate prisoners like Vera. Prison officers manage Vera’s temper through a system of rewards for good behaviour. To help with long-term reform, they try to give her strategies for managing her own behaviour in the outside world; Vera attends regular therapy classes and writes about situations when she has lost her temper.

Discuss one or more ways of dealing with offending. Refer to Vera in your answer.

Jack has been convicted of a burglary and attends Betterway centre for young offenders. At Betterway, case workers aim to change how offenders think about their crimes by involving victims. The case workers encourage offenders to consider the wider effects of their crimes and appreciate how they should make up for what they have done wrong.

Which way of dealing with offending involves victims?

Referring to your answer to Question 31, describe what a case worker might recommend in order for Jack to deal with his offending.

Outline one limitation of the way of dealing with offending you have described in your answer to Question 32.

Peter is talking about his offending.

Peter says, “I don’t know why it happens. Sometimes when I hear people telling stupid jokes in a bar, I just get cross and punch them. I get into a rage and feel my pulse racing. If only I had another way of dealing with it. I just need to get used to controlling myself.”

Explain how an anger management therapist could help Peter.

Outline one strength and one limitation of anger management as a way of dealing with offending.

A group of probation and prison officers attended a training session on how to deal with offenders. They each offered suggestions and the group leader wrote some of the suggestions on a flip chart. Table 6 below shows some of the suggestions.

Discuss one or more ways of dealing with offending behaviour. Refer to some of the suggestions in Table 6 in your answer.