dealing with offending behaviour - behaviour modification in custody Flashcards
behaviourist principles
- according to behaviourist approach, all human behaviour is learned
- should be possible to encourage unlearning of behaviour
- behaviour modification programmes designed to reinforce obedient behaviour in offenders, whilst punishing disobedience, in hope that the former continues and the latter dies out (becomes extinct)
token economy
- based on operant conditioning
- within prisons, desirable behaviour may include avoiding confrontation, following rules etc.
- in token economy, prisoners given token upon performing desirable behaviour
- each behaviour and reward made clear before programme is implemented, emphasised that non-compliance may result in tokens being withheld or removed (punishment)
- tokens derive value from association with a reward (secondary reinforcers)
- in prison, may be exchanged for phone call with loved ones, time in the gym, food etc. (all primary reinforcers)
- positive reinforcement and punishment if privileges are removed
designing and using a token economy
operationalise target behaviours -
- breaking target behaviour into component parts
- eg. target behaviour may be improved interaction with other inmates, may be broken down into not touching a prisoner as you pass by them
- these units of behaviour should be objective and measurable and agreed with prison staff and inmates
scoring system -
- should be aware of how much each behaviour is worth, hierarchical in sense that some are regarded as more demanding than others
- some token economy systems award tokens directly whereas others may award points which are then converted into tokens
train staff -
- prison staff should be given full training in order to implement token economy successfully
- may involve several hours for a number of weeks, aims to standardise the procedures so that all staff are rewarding behaviour in the same way
- staff must record when they have awarded tokens so that individual progress of prisoners can be assessed
evaluation strength - research support ⭐️
- Hobbs and Holt introduced token economy with groups of young offenders across three behavioural units
- observed significant difference in positive behaviour compared to non-token economy group
- Field found a token economy system used with young people with behavioural problems was effective, although number of young people did not respond
- later, youths placed on special programme where rewards were more immediate and frequent, results were more positive
evaluation limitation - counterpoint to research support
- success of token economy depends on consistent approach from prison staff
- Bassett and Blanchard found benefits were lost if staff applied techniques inconsistently
- this was said to be due to factors such as lack of stand training or high staff turnover
- behaviour modification schemes must ensure full and consistent staff participation in order for them to work
evaluation strength - easy to implement
- appeal of behaviour modification rests largely on ease with which it can be administered
- no need for specialist professionals as there would be for other forms of treatment such as anger management
- token economy systems can be designed and implemented by anyone in any institution
- also cost-effective and easy to follow once methods of reinforcement have been established
- behaviour modification techniques can be established in most prisons and accessed by most prisoners
evaluation limitation - little rehabilitative value ⭐️
- any positive changes in behaviour that may occur whilst an offender may be lost when they are released
- more cognitive-based treatments such as anger management may be more likely to lead to permanent behaviour change
- offenders can fairly easily play along with token economy in order to access the rewards, but this produces little change in overall character
- this may explain why offenders may quickly regress back to their former behaviours
