forensics: dealing with offending behaviour - behaviour modification in custody Flashcards
define behaviour modification in custody as a way of dealing with offending behaviour
behaviour modification applies behaviourist operant conditioning principles to treating offending behaviour during a custodial sentence through systems of reward and punishment, it aims to replace undesirable behaviour with desirable behaviours through the use of reinforcement
how does behaviour modification build on behaviourist principles?
uses reinforcement in order to modify behaviour
describe the process of token economies
Prisoners are told what the desirable behaviours are + that non-compliance will have consequences,
Prisoners are given a token each time they perform desirable behaviour,
Tokens are able to be exchanged for a reward e.g. longer phone calls
what is the primary reinforcer?
tokens being exchanged for a reward
what are the secondary reinforcers?
the tokens themselves
what punishments would be implemented in the token economy system? how would this lead to negative reinforcement?
tokens being withheld or removed if prisoners done comply, leads to negative reinforcement as prisoners are less likely to not comply
give examples of rewards prisoners may be able to exchange tokens for
longer phone calls, more outside hours, extra visits, tv time
give example of desirable behaviours that might be targeted through behaviour modification
politeness, keeping clean and tidy
what are the three steps to designing a token economy?
- operationalise target behaviour
- scoring system
- train staff
what did Gandreau (2011) find about the ratio of reward vs punishment?
recommends rewards outweigh punishment 4:1
what is a behaviour hierarchy?
how much each token is worth for behaviour
ao3: what research support has token economies got? why is this a strength?
Holt + Hobbs (1976) implemented token economies in 3 HMYOls + recorded a 4th (control). They found that there was a significant increase in +ve behaviour in the token economies groups when compared to the control.
ao3: what is important about the delivery of token economies? why is this a limitation of this way of dealing with offending behaviour? (Basset+Blanchard)
the effectiveness of token economies as a way of dealing with offending behaviour depends on a consistent approach by all staff members,
for example, Bassett + Blanchard (1977) found all benefits of behaviour modification were lost if applied inconsistently by staff, suggesting that these schemes require full and consistent staff participation if they are to be effective,
this is a limitation as consistency of delivery depends on staff training and consistency of staff, both of which are problems in UK prison systems.
ao3: give examples of why behaviour modification methods e.g. token economies are easy to implement, why does this make it a strength of this way of dealing with offending behaviour?
it is a cost-effective strategy that does not require the presence of a professional and can be implemented by practically anyone due to being easy to follow,
this is a strength because its ease of implementation would suggest this is a feasible way of dealing with offending behaviour that can be implemented into most prisons for a relatively low cost,
this therefore shows that behaviour modification as a way of dealing with offending behaviour is a practical and useful strategy, meaning it is fit for its designed purpose.
ao3: what rehabilitative value does behaviour modification have? why is this a limitation of this way of dealing with offending behaviour?
may have little long-term rehabilitative value,
for example, Blackburn (1993) criticises behaviour modification for having ‘little rehabilitative value’ due to the changes in behaviour in prison that occur due to behaviour modification may quickly be lost upon release where they are not receiving tokens for desirable behaviour, this may mean that behaviour modification fails to deal with the undesirable behaviour in the context it is most important, meaning this method of dealing with offending behaviour lacks utility.
