Topic 6- effect of imprisonment

• Haney- aim


  • to see whether violence in prisons occurs because of the unpleasant sorts of people within them, or whether the unpleasant nature of prisons is what creates the violent behaviours
• Haney- sample


  • 24 male college students who were in the Stanford area of California for the summer
  • they were selected as being the most stable, mature and least involved in anti-social behaviour
  • they were paid $15 a day for up to 14 days
• Haney- procedure


  • the researchers randomly assigned the participants to the role of prisoner or guard
  • those in the guard role were brought in for an orientation day to establish a set of rights and rules for the prisoners, build the pseudoprison. they were given uniforms and sunglasses, a whistle and a baton
  • prisoners were brought in by the Palo Alto police, they were arrested from their homes, blindfolded and taken to the mock prison, stripped naked and deloused
  • they were given smocks with a number on, rubber sandals and a cap
  • they had mugshots taken
• Haney- results


  there were notable individual differences within each group but, after an initial revolt on day 2, it settled down into what Zimbardo described as:

  • pathological prisoner syndrome- the way in which prisoners started to show passivity, dependent and flattened mood. 5 had to be released early because of extreme emotional depression
  • pathology of power- the way in which people given the opportunity to exert power over others engage in oppressive behaviour

  the study was stopped early after 6 days due to the distress being caused to the prisoners
• Haney- conclusions


  • the study shows how social roles influence behaviour, suggesting that it is the structure and organisation of the prison environment which leads to brutal behaviour, as 'normal-average' young men behaved brutally to fit in with their role as guard
• Gillis and Nafekh- employment programmes


  aim= investigated effectiveness of employment programmes for Canadian prisoners

  sample= 23,525 individuals on conditional release

  research method= quasi experiment in which the IV was whether the released offenders had been on an employment-based programme or not, and the main DV was whether they successfully completed their conditional release period in the community

  results= with the employment programme group- 70% completed conditional release without reoffending

  without the programme- 55%
• Restorative justice


  • tries to recognise the needs of the victim, gives them a sense of control, often takes place alongside the criminal justice system
  • allows the victim to explain the impact of the crime has had on them to the offender and try to understand why they were targeted
  • it can help reduce the victims fears that they will be targeted for future crimes
  • RJ seems to work in property crime and violent crimes. it is especially effective in violent crimes, reducing reoffending rates
• Anger management programmes


  anger management might help reduce this. Involves 3 stages:

  • cognitive preparation- the offender learns which situation trigger angry outbursts and to watch out for internal cues
  • skill acquisition- the offender learns relaxation techniques to regulate breathing and heart rate or to remove themselves from the situation. also involves social skills training in negotiation and assertiveness to deal with difficult situations in more positive ways
  • application practise- often involves role play during therapy sessions
• Community sentences 


  • this is used as an alternative to prison and is given for less serious crimes such as damage to property, assault or benefit fraud
  • 13 different requirements an offender must follow when serving a community sentence such as 300 hours of unpaid work, curfew, rehab programmes, restrictions on where they can go
  • after Wayne Rooney was caught drink-driving, he was banned from driving for 2 years and given 100 hours of unpaid work