Behaviour modification

Question 1

Behaviour modification programmes

Answer 1

designed with an aim of reinforcing obedient behaviour in offenders, whilst punishing disobedience.

Question 2

How do behaviour modification programmes work?

Answer 2

Behaviour modification programmes work by reinforcing obedient behaviour in criminals in the hope that obedient/non-criminal behaviour continues and disobedient/criminal behaviour ceases. Prisons use the token economy system to achieve this.

Question 3

How are token economy systems managed?

Answer 3

Token economy systems are managed by prison staff to modify behaviour of inmates

Question 4

How do token economy systems work?

Answer 4

• Desirable inmate behaviours are rewarded (reinforced) with tokens (Operant conditioning)
• The rewards are primary reinforcers
• Tokens are secondary reinforces because they derive their value from their association with a primary reinforcer
• Desirable behaviours and rewards are made clear to the prisoners and that non-compliance will result in punishment.

Question 5

What should you ensure when designing and using a token economy?

Answer 5

Operationalise target behaviours
Scoring system
Train staff

Question 6

Operationalise target behaviours

Answer 6

When designing a behaviour modification programme:
The desirable behaviour is identified
It is broken down into small steps called increments
A baseline measure is established: an objective measure assessing whether an offender has displayed the required behaviour.
It is up to the prison staff to selectively reinforce the identified behaviours and they must do this consistently.

Question 7

Scoring system

Answer 7

Staff and prisoners whould be made aware of the scoring system and how much each particular behaviour is ‘worth’. Behaviours are hierarchial in the sense that some are regarded as more demanding than others so receive greater rewards.

Question 8

Train staff

Answer 8

It is important that prison staff are given full training in order to implement the token economy system successfully. Training may involve several hours for a number of weeks. The aim is to standardise the procedures so that all prison staff are rewarding the same behaviours in the same way. Staff must also record when they have awarded tokens so the progress of individual prisoners can be assessed.