Forensic Psychology : Behaviour Modification

Question 1

Behaviour modification

Answer 1

applying behaviourist principles to the management of offenders in prisons

Question 2

Behaviour shaping

Answer 2

desired behaviour is broken down into small steps and behaviours selectively reinforced

Question 3

Primary reinforcer

Answer 3

desirable material items e.g. food, phone call homes

Question 4

Secondary reinforcer

Answer 4

token received for achieving target behaviours

Question 5

Selective reinforcement

Answer 5

rewarding of specific behaviours that are identified at the outset

Question 6

What is token economy?

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

What did miltenberger suggest?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

How to monitor behaviour modification?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Token economy evaluation Advantages

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

Token economy evaluation Limitations

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

What is anger management?

Answer 11

● 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

Question 12

What are 3 stages of Anger management ?

Answer 12

1. Cognitive Preparation
2. Skill acquisition
3. Application Practice

Question 13

What is Cognitive preparation?

Answer 13

● 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

Question 14

What is skill acquisition?

Answer 14

● 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

Question 15

What is the application Practice?

Answer 15

● 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

Question 16

Research support for anger management?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Who uses Anger Management?

Answer 17

● 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)

Question 18

Anger management evaluation Advantages

Answer 18

● An eclectic approach
● Changes the way an offender thinks and behaves
● Idea that it will prevent reoffending

Question 19

Anger management evaluation Limitations

Answer 19

● 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?

Question 20

What is restorative justice?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

The aims of restorative justice

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

Restorative justice evaluation Advantages?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

Restorative justice evaluation Limitations

Answer 23

• 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