Individualistic theories

• What is think first?


  Programme of group or one-one sessions for repeat offenders on probation

  • enables offenders to control thoughts, feelings and behaviour
  • teaches problem solving
  • consequential skills
  • decision making
  • seeing things from other peoples views
• Is think first effective?


  people are 30% less likely to be re-convicted than offenders who recieve community services

  Non completion rates are high
• Who does aversion therapy apply to and why?


  applies to Eysnecks personality theory - as criminals are strongly neurotic and extroverted it makes them harder to condition as they are more resistant to learning through punishment
• What is aversion therapy?


  Offenders asked to think of an unacceptable sexual fantasy until they are aroused

  they then get given a strong stimulus like an electric shock or nausea induced drug

  procedure is repeated until offenders come to associate deviant arousal with stimulus
• Is aversion therapy effective?


  had a very limited success - short term

  attempt to cure them has been criticised as a human rights abuse
• What is aggression replacement therapy?


  For violent + aggressive offenders

  • interpersonal skills training
  • anger control techniques - emotions, providing offenders with alternative courses of action instead of violence
  • moral reasoning training that challenge their attitudes by confronting them with moral dilemmas to consider
• Is aggressive replacement therapy effective?

  Shows low re-conviction rates

  thinking skills improved behaviour did not
• What is token economy policy?

  institution draws up a list of desirable behaviours

  when an offender behaves in desired way they earn a token

  tokens can be exchanged for rewards

  through selective reinforcement good behaviour becomes more likley and undesirable behaviour less
• is token economy policy effective?

  studies show improvement, but when reinforcement stops behaviour disappears

  criminals return to crime more slowly then those who haven’t undergone token economy

  makes prisoners more manageable

  in USA - food and water has been withheld - critics say these are human rights and should not be withheld
• What is psychoanalysis?


  A form of therapy that aims to uncover unconscious conflicts and desires

  • made by the ID and Superego
  • see a weak superego as a cause of criminality - individual lacks a moral force to stop selfish instincts
• is psychoanalysis effective?


  Not very

  Eysneck saw only 44% of psychoanalysis patients treated for neurosis showed improvement - if it doesn’t work for them unlikely to work for criminals

  costly and time consuming - not used on large scales