behaviour modification in custody

• behaviour modification programmes

  designed with the aim of reinforcing obedient behaviour in offenders, in the hope that the former continues and later dies out. this is made possible in prisons through token economy system which is something that all inmates in an institution would be required to do
• token economy

  involves reinforcing desirable behaviour with a token that can then be exchanged for some kind of reward. desirable behaviours include avoiding conflict, following rules etc. tokens are secondary reinforcers because they derive their value from their association with a reward.
• token economy continued

  rewards will vary on the institution for example, exchanging tokens for a phone call or time in the gym. each of these behaviours or rewards is made clear to the prisoners before the programme starts. if disobedience occurs it may result in tokens being withdrawer as a result of punishment
• changing behaviour

  the behaviours to be reinforced are decided upon, and all those who come into contact with offenders must follow the same regime of selective reinforcement. the whole programme can be overseen by prison officials who are able to monitor the programme's effectiveness on the management of the prison as a whole, as well as on behaviour of individual offenders.
• research example

  Hobbs and Holt introduced a token economy programme with groups of young delinquents across three behavioural units. they observed a significant difference in positive behaviour compared to the non-token economy group. A similar effect was found with offenders in an adult prison
• A03 - easy to implement

  • can be implemented in institutions by anyone
  • they are cost-effective and easy to follow once workable methods of reinforcement have been established
  • however, the use depends on consistency from prison staff, Bassett and Blanchard found any benefits were lost after staff applied the techniques inconsistently due to factors such as lack of appropriate training
• A03- little rehabilitative value

  • Blackburn said behaviour modification has little positive changes in behaviour that may occur whilst the offender is in prison may be quickly lost when released
  • token economy system is most effective when in prison with the respect to a certain set of rules but progress is unlikely to progress beyond the custodial sentencing
  • this may be because rewards the offender receives is more powerful in prison than outside
• A03- ethical issues

  • terms and conditions are regarded as manipulative and dehumanising
  • in institutions, token economy system is compulsory for all other offenders rather than optional critics have suggested that a programme that involves withdrawal of privileges is ethically questionable