Dealing With Offending Behaviour: Behviour Modification In Custody Flashcards
According to the behaviourist approach what is all human behaviour? and what does this mean should be possible?
Learnt which means it should be possible to encourage unlearning of behaviour.
What is the aim of behaviour modification programmes?
To reinforce obedient behaviour in offenders whilst punishing disobedience in the hope that the former continues and the latter becomes extinct.
What are behaviour modification programmes (token economies) based on?
Operant conditioning.
What are desirable behaviours in prison?
Avoiding confrontation, following prison rules, keeping a cell orderly etc.
What are prisoners given for completing a desirable behaviour in a token economy?
A token.
What is made clear to the prisoner before the token economy programme and what is also emphasised?
Behaviour and rewards are made clear to the prisoner before and it is emphasised that a non-compliance or disobedience will result in tokens being withheld/ removed.
How do tokens get their value?
From their association with a reward = secondary reinforcers.
What might tokens be exchanged for in prison and what are these called?
Phone call with a loved one, time in the gym or yard, extra cigarettes or food which are all primary reinforcers.
What is done to a target behaviour in a token economy and how is this done?
Operationalised by breaking it down into component parts.
What should ‘units’ of behaviour be?
Objective and measurable and agreed with prison staff and inmates in advance.
What should staff and prisoners become aware of?
The scoring system and how much each behaviour is worth.
How are behaviours hierarchal?
Some are regarded as more demanding than others so receive greater rewards.
How might tokens be awarded?
Directly or on a point basis which can convert points into tokens.
What ratio should reinforcements outnumber punishments by?
4:1
What should prison staff be given?
Full training which may involve several hours for a number of weeks.
What is the aim of training staff?
To standardise procedures so all prison staff are rewarding the same behaviour in the same way.
What must prison staff do when awarding tokens?
Record when they have awarded tokens so the individuals progress can be assessed.
Evaluation: research support
Hobbs and Holt introduced a token economy programme with groups of young offenders across 3 behavioural units and observed a significant difference in positive behaviour compared to the non-token economy group. This suggests token economys work.
Evaluation: success relies on consistency of staff
Bassett and Blanchard found benefits were lost if staff applied techniques inconsistently. Which could be due to factors such as inadequate staff training. This suggests behaviour modification schemes need to ensure full consistent staff participation if they’re going to work.
Evaluation: straightforward to implement in custody
There is no need for a specialist professional to be involved which is needed for other treatments e.g. anger management. However token economies can be designed and implemented by anyone in any institution. This’s suggests behaviour modification techniques can be established in most situations and accessed by most prisoners.
Evaluation: may not affect long-term behaviour
Blackburn said that behaviour modification has ‘little habilitative value’ and any positive changes in behaviour that may cure whilst an offender is in prison may be lost when released. This could explain why token economy’s are discontinued as an offender quickly regresses back to their former behaviour.
