Token economies

• Operant conditioning argues that rewards are more effective of modifying individual behaviour.
• Token economy is a social policy applied in prisons which uses rewards to modify an offenders behaviour.
• How many components are there in token economies?

  3
• Token economy

  1.token distribution

  2. token exchange

  3. Monitoring and accountability
• Positive reinforcement - rewarding desired behaviours with tokens (rewards) so they become more likely to be repeated.
• Token economy aims to change criminal behaviour through operant conditioning by using positive reinforcement, negative punishment and extinction.
• Negative reinforcement - removing something unpleasant when the desired behaviour occurs, making it more likely to occur again.
• Punishment - imposing some form of punishment on undesired behaviour, reducing its likelihood of being repeated.
• Extinction - ignoring or not responding to certain behaviours, leading them to stop occurring.
• Negative punishment - removing something pleasant from the environment when undesired behaviour occurs.
• Token distribution: prisoners are awarded tokens as a reward for positive behaviour. This behaviour could include following rules, participating in educational or vocational programs, showing respect to staff and fellow inmates, maintaining cleanliness in their living area, or completing assigned tasks.
• Token exchange: prisoners can exchange their tokens for various privileges or rewards. These rewards could include extra visitations time, access to recreational activities or facilities, preferred job assignments, additional commisary items, or even reduced sentences through time off for good behaviour.
• Monitoring and accountability: prison staff closely monitor the behaviour of inmates and award tokens accordingly. Conversely, tokens may also be deducted as a consequence for rule violations or disruptive behaviour. This aspects ensures that the token economy remains fair and effective.