Dealing with offender behaviour: Behaviour modification in custody
- Created by: emmarhianne
- Created on: 21-02-17 14:17
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- Dealing with offender behaviour: Behaviour modification in custody
- Behaviour modification: An application of the behaviourist approach to treatment based on operant conditioning. Undesirable behaviours are replaced with desirable ones through reinforcement
- Token Economy: Reinforcement: Involves reinforcement of desirable behaviours, prisoners are given tokens (secondary reinforcers) when they perform desirable tasks, these are then traded for goods such as tobacco (primary reinforcers)
- Punishment: Tokens are removed for undesirable behaviours
- Shaping: Long term objectives can be taught through the process of shaping- tokes are given for behaviours that progressively become more complex.
- Aggression: holding door open, giving a compliment, giving somebody something, anger management
- Shaping: Long term objectives can be taught through the process of shaping- tokes are given for behaviours that progressively become more complex.
- Punishment: Tokens are removed for undesirable behaviours
- Success of token economy: HOBBS AND HOLT looked at 3 behavioural units, a token economy was introduced and a 4th set up as a control group. Token economy groups showed a difference in the amount of positive behaviour, increase in positive behaviour of 27%- is an effective method
- Easy implement: no need for experitse or training of staff, implemented without a trained psychologist and provides a means of controlling unmanageable behaviour; time and cost effective
- Violation of human rights: prisoners don't have an option if they participate and withdrawal of privileges such as phone calls and exercise could be ethically questionable. Method is limited as it breeches ethical issues of human rights
- Effects are only short term, long term effects are limited; BLACKBURN: "little rehabilitative value" any positive changes may be lost when offenders are released, progress is unlikely to be assured upon release as law-abiding behaviour is not rewarded- have little effect on recidivism rates; limiting method
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