dealing w offenders - token economy Flashcards
behaviourist principles of TE
behaviour modification
treatment based on the principle of operant conditioning.
Undesirable behaviours are replaced with desirable behaviours using positive and negative reinforcement.
The aim of the programme is to rehabilitate the offender in preparation for release back into society.
changing behaviour
Desirable behaviour is identified e.g. avoiding confrontation
These are broken down into steps and all those who come in contact with the offender are made aware of these.
Prison officers will reward prisoner when behaving in a desirable way.
The more this behaviour is reinforced, we are more likely to see the desirable behaviour increase.
Bad behaviour e.g. being verbally/physically aggressive will be punished in hope to see this behaviour diminished.
Designing & using a TE
operationalise target behaviours
A target behaviour is identified and then operationalised (broken down into component parts).
Target behaviour- improved interaction with inmates.
Operationalised behaviour- speaking politely/not putting your hands on another inmate.
Designing & using a TE
scoring system
Staff & prisoners need to be made aware of scoring system e.g. how much each behaviour is worth.
Behaviours will be hierarchical- some behaviours will demand more “points”
Some prisons may award tokens directly others might not (points converted into tokens).
Designing & using a TE
staff training
Could involve several hours or a number of weeks.
The aim is to standardise the procedures so all staff are rewarding the same behaviours in the same way.
Progress of prisoners can only be assessed if staff are awarding the points/tokens out correctly.
example of TE system in prison
desirable behaviour - no physical contact (fight)
rewards - extra visit w family
undesirable - messy cell
punishment - isolation
the conjugal visit
scheduled visit in which an inmate of a prison is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visitor, usually their legal spouse. The parties may engage in sexual activity.
Legal in 6 states in America
Illegal in the UK
May reduce sexual and physical violence in prisons (D’Alessio 2012)
strength - easy to implement
E: implemented by anyone in the institution, it does not require any specialist training, just pre-agreed criteria as to what is deemed as desirable/ undesirable behaviour.
Tokens and rewards are relatively cheap, so the programme is not expensive and there are more benefits than costs.
C: better effect at reducing recidivism as inmates will look forward to rewards, but also benefits economy as a little expense is used as a token. Less recidivism means less ppl in prison so it’s cheaper
strength - short and long term effects
E: found that a TE group showed more desirable behaviours than a control group, and were less likely to offend after 2 years.
C: lower recidivism rates and beh for TE group is better vs control group so beh in prisons is improved.
HOWEVER same Ps interviewed a year later and recidivism rates were no different to control group. shows TE systems only effective in short term as people revert back to undesirable behaviour. People in real world not rewarded for basic behaviours.
limitation - TE may be unsuccessful
E: staff are not committed to programme so don’t focus on it sufficiently. Inconsistent rewards are given for same behaviour
C: inconsistent rewards will have no effect on positive behaviour so inmates may start to argue as some are receiving more than others - so recidivism will be higher.
limitation - high recidivism rates
E: 57% of offenders reoffended within a year of being released in 2013, some prisons reaching as high as 70%.
C: so shows TE systems are ineffective.
