16 Marker

Question 1

A01

Answer 1

Based on behaviourist principles of operant conditioning

Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment can all be used

Question 2

Token Economy

Answer 2

• A token economy is one in which positive behaviours are rewarded and negative behaviours are discouraged (i.e. a form of operant conditioning)
• The aim of a token economy is incentivise offenders to behave in ways which are socially acceptable (e.g. avoiding fights and confrontations both with staff and other prisoners; keeping their cell clean and tidy)
• Token economies in custodial settings aim to help offenders to manage their time in prison and to prepare for life on the ‘outside’
• Tokens are in themselves value-less but they can be exchanged for desirable ‘treats’ or privileges

Tokens act as secondary reinforcers i.e. it is not the tokens themselves that provide the reward, it is what they can be exchanged for

4:1

Question 3

Anger Management

Answer 3

Novaco suggests that cognitive factors trigger the emotional arousal which generally perceives aggressive acts

Anger is reinforced by the feeling of control in that situation, resulting in anger management becoming a form of CBT due to an individual being taught how to recognise triggering cognitive factors and encouraged to develop techniques brining conflict resolution

has two main aims:
- short term aim of reducing anger and aggression in prisons where it is a serious issue
- a longer term aim of rehabilitation and reduction of recidivism

Three stages: (Calm people should avoid angry people)
1. Cognitive Preparation = offender reflects on past experiences, learns to identify triggering situations and the pattern of their anger, therapists role is to correct offender if they are viewing a situation irrationally

2. Skill Acquisition = offenders are introduced to a range of techniques and skills to help them deal with anger, Cognitive = positive self talk to encourage calmness (count to ten), Behavioural = assertiveness training in how to communicate more effectively, becoming an automatic response if practiced regularly, Physiological = dealing with a physical reaction to anger (using relaxation techniques rather than meditation to control emotions)
3. Application practice = offenders are given opportunity to practice skills in controlled environment, such as role play - reenact situations that cause feelings of anger. These situations require high levels of commitment from the offender, seeing each scenario as real as they can. Furthermore, it requires high levels of bravery from the therapist to ‘wind up’ the offender in order to assess their progress and provide positive reinforcement

Question 4

A03 Token Economy

Answer 4

1. Explain Bassett and Blanchard’s limitations of TE systems (Ao3 - Token Economy) ++

They found that all benefits of TE systems were lost if staff applied the techniques inconsistently.

They found this was due to poor staff training and high staff turnover.

2. Explain why TE systems are easy to implement (AO3 - Token Economy) ++

It is easy to administer, no specialist professionals are needed. They are cost effective and easy to follow.

Question 5

A03 Anger Management

Answer 5

1. Explain why anger management may be better than TE systems (Ao3 - Anger Management) ++

It tries to actually tackle the cause of offending (cognitions) whereas TE only deals with surface behaviour.

Anger management is more likely to lead to a permanent chance of prison.

2. Explain the Keen (2000) study into anger management and young offenders (Ao3 - Anger Management) ++

Keen studied young offender ages 17-21 who took part in the National Anger Management Package (NAMP). This comprises of 8x2 hour sessions.

Despite a few issues, it was generally successful and offenders reported increased awareness of their anger issues and better self-control.