Behavioural Tactics

• Behavioural tactics

  Behavioural tactics are ways in which agencies can seek to change individual's behaviour to make them conform to social norms and laws

  1. ASBOs and Criminal Behavioural orders
  2. Token economies
• ASBO's

  Tony Blair's New Labour government introduced ASBOs (Anti Social behavioural orders) in 1998 to deal with law level anti social behaviour such as vandalism, graffiti, public drunkness and youths gathering to play loud music at night
• ASBOs

  • A580s were civil orders, not criminal orders
  • used to restrain a person from committing actions that threatened the legal right of another person
• ASBOs

  • EG, an order to stop behaving noisily outside someone's house late at night
  • However, breaching the conditions of an ASBO was a criminal offence, punishable by up to five years in prison
• It gradually became clear that ASBOs were not working:

  • Between 2000 - 2013, ASBOs were issued to just over 24,000 people
  • 58% of them breached their ASBO conditions
  • Over 10,000 orders were breached repeatedly
  • ASBOs viewed as badge of honour
• It gradually became clear that ASBOs were not working:

  • Labelling theorists argue that labelling a person as a criminal or deviant can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy
• CBOs

  As a result of criticisms of ASBOs, the Anti Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 replaced them with two new measures
• CBOs

  • Civil injustices - Injunctions aim to deal with low level nuisance and annoyance, breaching an injunction can mean up to two years in prison for adults or a three month detention order for under 18s
• CBOs

  • Criminal behaviour orders - Deal with seriously anti - social behaviour who cause harassment, alarm or distress to others
• CBO

  A CBO lasts at least two years of adults and one to two years for under 18s. Breaching a CBO can mean up to five years in prison for adults or two years detention for under 18s
• CBOs Requirements - Negative requirement

  As with ASBOs, a CBO forbids a person from doing something, such as:

  • Going to certain places
  • Seeing certain people
  • Engaging in certain activities
• Positive requirements

  Unlike an ASBO, a CBO can require a person to do something positive to improve their behaviour

  EG where someone has committed a drug related offence, the CBO can require them to join a drug treatment programme to address their addiction
• Token economies

  A token economy is a behaviour modification used by some prisons, young offender instituitions and psychiatric hospitals

  Aims to achieve social control by re - shaping immates behaviour patters so that the conform to what the institution requires
• Token economies and operant learning theory

  • Token economies are based on B.F Skinner's operant learning theory
  • The basic idea of the theory is that if a particular behaviour results in a reward of some kind, it is likely to be repeated
• Token economies and operant learning theory

  • The rewards acts as an reinforcement of the behaviour
  • UK prisons use the incentive and earned privileges scheme
• Token economies - Desirable traits

  • Obeying the rules
  • Interacting positively with staff and other inmates
  • Staying drug free
  • Engaging in 'purposeful activity' EG Anger Management Programme
• Effectiveness of Token economies:

  • USA found that behaviour change lasted throughout the 14 month study
  • Other studies found that, when the offender leaves prison and the reinforcement stops, the desired behaviours disappear
• Effectiveness of Token economies:

  • However, the offenders return to crime more slowly compared to with those who have not undergone the programme
• Effectiveness of Token economies:

  • Token economy programmes make prisoners more managable while in prison
  • There is a risk that their behaviour is being modified to suit the institution. EG Give the staff a quiet life rather than to meet the prisoners rehabiltation needs
• Effectiveness of Token economies:

  • It may be that the programmes work simply because of the extra attention prisoners receive as a result