Behaviour Modification

• Behaviour modification as a way of dealing with offending behaviour

  • Limited rehabilitative value
  • Positive changes in behaviour may quickly be lost once offender is released
  • Only effective in prison where offenders are rewarded for their behaviour and cannot be generalised to everyday situations
• Behaviour modification


  • Easy to implement
  • Cost-effective
  • No need for specialist professional to be involved
  • Token economy can be designed and implemented by virtually anyone
  • Easy to follow once workable methods of reinforcement have been established
• Behaviour modification techniques can be established across most prisons and accessed by most prisoners
• Behaviour modification


  • Does not focus on the underlying causes of offending behaviour
  • Token economy focuses on addressing offending behaviour in a passive way through rewarding offenders with secondary reinforcers whilst in prison which can eventually be exchanged for a primary reinforcer
  • Only effective in the short-term
  • Negatively impacts rates of recidivism
• Behaviour modification


  Offenders are simply showing desirable behaviours in exchange for a reward
• Other treatments such as anger management

  Behaviour is dealt with actively as the underlying causes are found and dealt with
• This therefore reduces the effectiveness and practical applications of behaviour modification