Forensics - Dealing With Offending Behaviour: Behaviour Modification

Question 1

3 Types of Behaviour Modification

Answer 1

Token Economy
Restorative Justice
Anger Management

Question 2

Token Economy

Answer 2

Behaviourist theory based on operant conditioning
Aims to bring specific changes in behaviour - extinguish undesirable behaviours & establish desirable ones
Rewarding appropriate behaviour & withholding rewards for ‘inappropriate’ behaviour
Tokens exchanged for privileges

Question 3

Token Economy evaluation

Answer 3

Advantages:
Hobbs & Holt: Token economy with young delinquents - significant improvement in positive behaviour as a result
Rice et al: adult prison - increase in positive behaviours but when stopped - desirable behaviours reduced significantly

Limitations:
Blackburn: TE have little rehabilitative value & positive changes may quickly be lost when offenders released
Basset & Blanchard: benefits of TE lost when staff applied rules inconsistently

Question 4

Anger Management

Answer 4

Form of CBT - aim to change the way a person thinks & way they act
Novaco - identify triggers & allow offenders to deal with the situation in a positive & calm manner
Conducted in small groups
Cognitive preparation
Skills acquisition
Application practice

Question 5

Cognitive preparation

Answer 5

Reflect on past behaviours that have made them angry
Identify situations/triggers that provoke anger
Thought patterns challenged - recognise response is irrational & think f situation as non-threatening
Recognise own triggers for anger

Question 6

Skill acquisition

Answer 6

New coping skills learned to enable them to avoid triggers & deal with situations more rationally
Relaxation techniques, effective communication
Control emotions
Assertiveness training

Question 7

Application practice

Answer 7

Role-play a variety of scenarios to practice new skills to control anger
Done in controlled & safe environment

Question 8

Anger management evaluation

Answer 8

Advantages
- Ireland: 50 prisoners completed CALM
Rated themselves lower on anger questionnaire - 92% showed improvements on at least one measure of aggression
- Keen: Offenders reported high levels of self-control & increased awareness after the course
- Changes the way an offender thinks & behaves
- Prevent reoffending

Weaknesses:
- Lack of evidence in long-term
- Not all crimes motivated by anger
- Prisoner must be motivated to attend & want to change
- Expensive

Question 9

Restorative justice

Answer 9

Focuses on rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victim/victim families
Supervised mediation meeting between victim & offender
Offenders see impact of crimes
Seeks positive outcome
Acceptance of responsibility
Gain victim’s perspective

Question 10

Restorative justice evaluation

Answer 10

Advantages:
85% satisfaction from victims who had taken part
Sherman & Strang - 20 studies 11% reoffender after RJ compared to 37% control
every £1 spent of RJ would save govt £8 through reduced reoffending
Most effective with young, first-time offenders

Limitations:
Costs involved in training mediators
Only works if offender feels genuine remorse
Only works if there’s an obvious victim
Inappropriate for domestic/sexual abuse cases