Dealing with offending behaviour: Behaviour modification in custody Flashcards
What are behaviour modification programmes?
They are designed with the aim of reinforcing obedient behaviour in offenders, whilst punishing disobedience.
Explain token economies in behaviour modification in custody.
They are based on operant conditioning.
Within the prison, desirable behaviours may include avoiding confrontation, following prison rules and keeping their cell tidy.
In a token economy the offenders are given a token each time a desirable behaviour is performed.
If the prisoners disobey the rules then they will have the tokens taken away as a form of punishment.
Tokens are examples of secondary reinforcers and they may be exchanged for a phone call home or time in the yard which are examples of primary reinforcers.
How would you operationalise target behaviours in a token economy?
A target behaviour is operationalised by breaking it down into components.
e.g. if the target behaviour is to improve interaction between inmates. This may be broken down into not touching another prisoner as you pass them and speaking politely to other inmates.
What is the scoring system within a token economy?
Staff and prisoners should be made aware of the scoring system and how much each particular behaviour is worth.
Behaviours are hierarchal and so some are regarded more demanding than others and so receive greater rewards.
Explain the training of staff in a token economy system in a prison.
It is important the 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 the all prison staff are rewarded 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.
Strength of behaviour modification in custody (token economies)
Evidence support from Hobbs and Holt.
They introduced a token economy programme with groups of young offenders across three behavioural units.
They observed a significant difference in positive behaviour compared to the non-token economy group.
Field- found a token economy programme used with young people with behavioural problems was generally effective, although there were still a number of young people with behavioural problems was generally effective, but there were some young people who did not respond.
2nd strength- Easy to implement
The appeal of behaviour modification rests largely upon the ease with which it can be administered.
There is no need for specialist professionals to be involved unlike anger management.
They are cost-effective and easy to follow once workable methods of reinforcement have been established.
Limitation of behaviour modification.
It may not affect long-term behaviour.
Blackburn- Behaviour modification ‘has little rehabilitative value’ and any positive changes in behaviour that may occur whilst an offender is in prison may quickly be lost when they are released.
More cognitive-based treatments such as anger therapy may be more likely to lead to permanent behavioural changes.
With token economies, prisoners can ride along with the programme and once released they may return back to their former behaviour.
