Dealing with offending behaviour: Behaviour modification in custody

Question 1

What is behaviour modification?

Answer 1

An application of the behaviourist approach to treatment.
-> based on the principles of operant conditioning.
-> The general aim is to replace undesirable behaviours with more desirable ones through the use of positive/ negative reinforcement.

Question 2

What are secondary reinforcers?

Answer 2

They are not rewarding themselves but derive from their value from their association with a reward.

Question 3

What is an example of a secondary reinforcer in a token economy?

Answer 3

The token/ points.

Question 4

What is a primary reinforcer?

Answer 4

The main reward that the secondary reinforcers (tokens) are exchanged for.
-> They are directly rewarding.

Question 5

What is an example of a primary reinforcer in a token economy?

Answer 5

-Phone call home to a loved one.
-Time in the gym/ exercise yard.

Question 6

How is target behaviour operationalised?

Answer 6

By breaking it down into component parts.

Question 7

What should the operationalised target behaviours be in advance?

Answer 7

The ‘units’ of behaviour should be objective and measurable and agreed with prison staff and inmates in advance.

Question 8

What is the scoring system like in the prison environment?

Answer 8

-Staff and prisoners should also be made aware of the scoring system and how much each particular behaviour is ‘worth’.
-> Behaviours are hierarchical as some are deemed more demanding than others so are worth more (receive greater rewards).

Question 9

Why is training staff important in a token economy?

Answer 9

Prison staff have to be given full training in order to implement the token economy system successfully.
-> The aim is to standardise the procedures so that all prison staff are rewarding the same behaviours in the same way.

Question 10

Why should prison staff record when they have awarded tokens?

Answer 10

So the progress of individual prisoners can be assessed.