Forensics: Behaviour modification in custody (prison)

Question 1

What is Behaviour modification in custody

Answer 1

• one of the methods used in rehabilitation of prisoners.
• behaviourist approach -> operant conditioning.
• Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment are used to increase desired behaviours and decrease undesired behaviours.

Question 2

What is the token economy

Answer 2

• Based on operant conditioning, token economy involves reinforcing desirable behaviour with a token that can be exchanged for some kind of reward.
• Prisoners are given a token each time they perform a desirable behaviour.
  -> That behaviour is then associated with that reward (secondary reinforcer).
• It would also be emphasised that undesirable behaviour would result in loss of tokens or privileges.

Question 3

What is the Conjugal visit (a reward example of token economy) (D’Alessio)

Answer 3

• scheduled visit in which an inmate of a prison is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visitor, usually their legal spouse.
  -> The parties may engage in sexual activity.
  -> Legal in 6 states in America.

Supporting evidence:
- D’Alessio -> may be useful in reducing sexual and physical violence in prisons.

Question 4

(-) Explain Reppucci and Saunders’s research into behaviour modification programmes (hard to implement)

Answer 4

• Reppucci and Saunders found that although the behaviour management programmes should be easy to run, in real life they are not.
• This was due to institutional pressures, limited resources, and inconsistency with staff.

Question 5

(+) explain Hobbs and Holt’s research into behaviour modification programmes (short term effectiveness)

Answer 5

• Found the introduction of a behaviour modification programme in three young offenders institutions reduced the amount of undesirable behaviour when compared with an institution that had no such programme (significant difference).
• This demonstrates the short-term benefits that behaviour modification can have.

Question 6

List the evaluations of behaviour modification programmes

Answer 6

Positive:
- short-term effectiveness (Hobbs and Holt’s)

Negative:
- Hard to implement (Reppucci and Sander’s)
- low rehab value (Blackburn)
- low value for token value (Cohen and Filipczak)

Question 7

(-) explain how behaviour modification lacks rehab value (Blackburn)

Answer 7

• Token economies, according to Blackburn, “have little rehabilitative value” – any positive changes may quickly be lost when offenders are released.
• Progress is unlikely to be assured upon release since law-abiding behaviour is not rewarded/reinforced on the outside.
• Rewards the offender receives from breaking the law (such as group status) may be more powerful than abiding by the token economy.

Question 8

(-) explain how the token economy lacks effectiveness (Cohen and Filipczak)

Answer 8

• Cohen and Filipczak:
• Compared a control group and token economy group within a prison. The token economy group showed more desirable behaviour than the control groups.
• After 2 years, the token economy group were less likely to have reoffended.
• However, after 3 years, rates of recidivism went back to reflecting national statistics.