Behaviour modification

• • Behaviour modification programmes are designed with the aim of reinforcing obedient behaviour in offenders, whilst punishing disobedience hoping it becomes extinct
• Token economy

  • Based on operant conditioning
  • Desirable behaviours may include avoiding confrontation, following rules, keeping cell tidy etc
  • Prisoners are given a token for each desirable behaviour
  • Each of these behaviours needs to be made clear to the prisoners and that disobedience will result in tokens being taken away
  • Tokens are secondary reinforcers as they are not rewarding in themselves
  • Tokens can be exchanged for a phone call with a loved one, time in the yard/gym ( primary reinforcers )
• Designing a token economy

  • Operationalise target behaviours
  • breaking down a behaviour into component parts
  • e.g target behaviour may be improved interactions with inmates: this can be broken down into no psychical violence, speaking politely etc
  • These behaviours should be objective and measurable and agreed with prisoners and staff
• Token economy: Scoring system

  • staff and prisoners should be aware of how much each behaviour is 'worth'
  • e.g more tokens for 'cooperating in a group task' then for 'not swearing'
  • Some systems may use reward point system which can then be exchanged for tokens
  • In either case the recommendation is that reinforcements should outnumber punishments in a ration of 4:1
• Token economy: Training staff

  • It is important prison staff are given full training in order to implement token economy system successfully
  • Aim is to standardise the procedure so that all staff are rewarding behaviours in the same wat
  • Staff must also record when they have given a token so individual progress can be seen
• A03: (+) Research support

  • Hobbs and Holt introduced a token economy system programme in young offenders and found a significant difference in positive behaviour compared to non-token economy groups
  • Field et al also found that token economy programmes used with young people with behavioural problems was effective, however there were some who were not as engaged
  • These youths were then part of a separate programme where the reward was more immediate and frequent, results were then positive
  • Suggest token economy systems do work
• CC: However the success of the systems depends on a consistent approach by the prison staff

  • Benefits were found to be lost of the staff applied the techniques inconsistently
  • This was found to be due to inadequate staff training and high staff turn overs
  • Suggests token economy systems only work with full and consistent staff participation
• A03: (+) Relatively straight forward to set up in custody

  • No need for specialist professionals to be involved as with other forms of treatment such as anger management
  • Token economies can be designed and implemented by anyone in the institution
  • They are cost-effective and easy to follow
  • Suggestes behaviour modification techniques can be established in most prisons and accessed by most prisoners
• A03: (-) Behaviour modification may not affect long term behaviour

  • Any positive changes of behaviour in prison may quickly be lost outside of prison
  • More cognitive based treatments like anger management may be more likely to lead to permanent behavioural changes
  • However anger management requires offenders to take responsibility for their offending, whereas offenders can easily play along with a token economy to access rewards
  • May explain why when a token economy is taken away offenders regress back to their former behaviour
• A03: ethical issues

  • Prisoners becoming more obedient via token economy systems can reduce stress for staff and make the environment less hostile
  • However token economies have been criticised for being dehumanising and manipulative
  • Is it ethical to with draw 'privileges' such as exercise and contact with loved ones