Forensic Psychology : Behaviour Modification Flashcards
Behaviour modification
applying behaviourist principles to the management of offenders in prisons
Behaviour shaping
desired behaviour is broken down into small steps and behaviours selectively reinforced
Primary reinforcer
desirable material items e.g. food, phone call homes
Secondary reinforcer
token received for achieving target behaviours
Selective reinforcement
rewarding of specific behaviours that are identified at the outset
What is token economy?
- Involves rewarding appropriate behaviour and withholding rewards for ‘inappropriate’ behaviour
- Token economies illustrate the application of operant conditioning principles to adults in institutional settings
- Introduced in the USA in 1960’s
- Tokens, such as plastic discs, are given as rewards for ‘desirable’ behaviour
- These tokens can be exchanged for privileges
- In theory, tokens reinforce ‘appropriate’ behaviour
What did miltenberger suggest?
Suggested 7 components to behaviour modification:
1. Target behaviours are identified
2. Types of tokens are decided
3. Primary reinforcers are identified
4. Reinforcement schedule is decided
5. Exchange criterion i.e. price
6. Time/place for exchange is decided
7. Penalty/fine for engaging in undesirable behaviours
How to monitor behaviour modification?
- After a target behaviour has been identified a baseline level is established over a few days of observation
- Once the reinforcement schedule commences the offenders progress is carefully monitored
Token economy evaluation Advantages
- Hobbs and Holt (1976) - Observed significant improvement in positive behaviour as a result of the introduction of the token economy
- Rice et al (1990) - found an increase in positive behaviours
- Easy to implement and doesn’t require specificalist training
Token economy evaluation Limitations
- Blackburn (1993) - token economies “have little rehabilitative value” and any positive changes may quickly be lost when offenders are released
- Basset and Blanchard (1977) - the benefits of token economy were lost when staff applied the rules inconsistently
- Prisoners might ‘fake’ behaviour that they know is desirable to get rewarded
What is anger management?
● Anger management programmes are a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
● They aim to change the way a person thinks and therefore the way they act
● Novaco (1975) - anger management is a therapeutic programme offered in prisons to identify triggers and allow offenders to deal with the situation in a positive and calm manner
What are 3 stages of Anger management ?
- Cognitive Preparation
- Skill acquisition
- Application Practice
What is Cognitive preparation?
● Reflect on past behaviours that have made them angry
● Identify situations/triggers that provoke anger
● Thought patterns are challenged - help them recognise that there response is irrational & help them to think about the situations as non threatening
What is skill acquisition?
● New coping skills are learned to enable them to avoid triggers & deal with situations more rationally
● Relaxation techniques, stop and think, assertiveness, effective communication
● How to control emotions, rather than emotions control them
What is the application Practice?
● Role-play a variety of scenarios to practice new skills to control anger
● Done in a controlled and safe environment
● Therapist will deliberately provoke the individual to see how theyʼd react
Research support for anger management?
Research support - Ireland (2000)
- Aim: whether anger management courses work
- Method: natural experiment compared a group of 50 prisoners who had completed CALM and a group of 37 who were assessed as suitable but had not actually taken the course
- Results: prisoners who completed CALM rated themselves lower on the anger questionnaire. 92% showed improvements on at least one measure of aggression and anger
- Conclusion: in the short-term, the treatment seemed effective
Who uses Anger Management?
● Used in prisons
● Used on ex-offenders who are serving a probationary
period
● Conducted in small groups (usually around 10)
● Lasts around 10 sessions (this may vary depending on
the type of crime they have committed)
Anger management evaluation Advantages
● An eclectic approach
● Changes the way an offender thinks and behaves
● Idea that it will prevent reoffending
Anger management evaluation Limitations
● Lack of evidence in long-term
● Not all crimes are motivated by anger
● Anger management is expensive - requires a skilled therapist
to deliver
● Prisoner must be motivated to attend and want to change
● Does anger cause violence?
What is restorative justice?
A System of dealing with criminal behaviour that
Focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with their victims/victims families.
Involves a supervised mediation meeting between the victim and the offender, with a trained mediator
Helps offenders to see the impact of their crimes
The aims of restorative justice
- An opportunity to explain the impact of the crime (impact statements)
- An acknowledgment of the harm caused
- A chance to ask questions
- Acceptance of responsibility
- Allows the offender to be an active part of the process of their rehabilitation
- Gain the victim’s perspective
Restorative justice evaluation Advantages?
- UK Restorative Justice Council (2015) - 85% satisfaction from victims who had taken part in face-to-face restorative justice meetings
- Sherman & Strang (2007) - reviewed 20 studies, involving 142 men convicted of violence and property offences who had taken part in restorative justice (11% reoffender compared to 37% of a matched control group)
- Shapland (2007) - every £1 spent on restorative justice would save the government £8 through reduced reoffending
- Most effective with young, first-time offenders
Restorative justice evaluation Limitations
- Costs involved in training mediators
- Only works if offender feels genuine remorse
- Only works when there is an obvious victim
- Public opinion - restorative justice is seen as “getting off lightly”
- Inappropriate for domestic abuse cases
