11. behaviour management: token economy systems

Question 1

Behaviour modification programmes are designed to

Answer 1

reinforce obedient behaviour in offenders while punishing disobedience in the hope that disobedience becomes extinct.

Question 2

TOKEN ECONOMIES

Are based on

Answer 2

operant conditioning.

Question 3

TOKEN ECONOMIES

Tokens are not rewarding in themselves but derive their value from

Answer 3

their association with a reward and thus are called secondary reinforcers.

Question 3

TOKEN ECONOMIES

Prisoners are given a token each time they perform a desirable behaviour.
Each of these behaviours and rewards would be made

Answer 3

clear to the prisoners before the programme is implemented. It would also be emphasised that non- compliance, or disobedience, may result in the tokens (and the associated privileges) being withheld or removed (a form of punishment).

Question 4

TOKEN ECONOMIES

In a prison the tokens might be exchanged for

Answer 4

a phone call to a loved one, time in the gym or exercise yard, extra cigarettes, or food (all of which are primary reinforcers i.e. they are directly rewarding

Question 5

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

Operationalise target behaviours: In a token economy, a target behaviour is operationalised by

Answer 5

breaking it down into component parts

Question 6

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

For instance, the target behaviour may be improved interaction with other prison inmates. This may be broken down into

Answer 6

not touching another prisoner as you pass them, speaking politely to others, etc.
These ‘units’ of behaviour should be objective and measurable and agreed with prison staff and inmates in advance.

Question 7

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

Scoring system: Staff and prisoners should also be made aware of the scoring system and

Answer 7

how much each particular behaviour is worth.

Question 8

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

Behaviours are hierarchical in the sense that some are

Answer 8

regarded as more demanding than others so receive greater rewards.

Question 9

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

Some token economy systems may award tokens directly whereas others may award points which are then converted to tokens.
In either case, the recommendation is

Answer 9

that reinforcements should outnumber punishments by a ratio of 4:1.

Question 10

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

Train staff: It is important that prison staff are given

Answer 10

full training in order to implement the token economy system successfully.

Question 11

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

Training may involve several hours for a number of weeks. The aim is to

Answer 11

standardise the procedures so that all prison staff are rewarding the same behaviours in the same way.

Question 12

DESIGNING AND USING A TOKEN ECONOMY

Staff must also record when they have awarded tokens so

Answer 12

the progress of individual prisoners can be assessed.

Question 13

AO3: strength of behaviour modification

RESEARCH SUPPORT - Holt

Answer 13

There is evidence to support the effectiveness of behaviour modification.
Holt introduced a token economy programme with groups of young offenders across three behavioural units and a fourth unit as control. They observed a significant difference in positive behaviour compared to the non-token economy group. Field et al. found a token economy programme used with young people with behavioural problems was generally effective, although several people did not respond. Later these youths were placed on a special programme where the rewards were more immediate and frequent, the results were more positive.
This suggests that token economy systems do work.

Question 14

AO3: strength of behaviour modification

EASY TO IMPLEMENT

Answer 14

Behaviour modification is relatively straightforward to set up in custody.
The appeal of behaviour modification rests largely upon the case with which it can be administered.
There is no need for a specialist professional to be involved as there would be for other forms of treatment such as anger management. Token economy systems can be designed and implemented by virtually anyone in any institution. They are also cost effective and easy to follow once workable methods of reinforcement have been established.
This suggests that behaviour modification techniques can be established in most prisons and accessed by most prisoners.

Question 15

AO3: limitation of behaviour modifcation

LITTLE REHABILITATIVE VALUE - Blackburn

Answer 15

Behaviour modification may not affect long term behaviour.
Blackburn suggests any positive changes in behaviour that may occur whilst an offender is in prison may be quickly lost when they are released. More cognitive based treatments such as anger management may be more likely to lead to permanent behavioural change, as they require the offender to understand the cause of their offending and to take responsibility for their own rehabilitation. In contrast, offenders can easily play along with a token economy system to access the rewards, but this produces little change in their overall character.
This may explain why once the token economy is discontinued an offender may quickly regress back to their former behaviour.