Description and Evaluation of Token Economy and Its Effects on Offenders
by Description and evaluation of token economy and its effects on offenders.
Token economy is a behaviour modification programme which involves rewarding offenders for positive behaviour with tokens which can be redeemed for coveted items or priveledges. Token economy can also be used in reverse wherein negative reinforcement is applied by removing priveledges when negative behaviour is displayed.
Token economies are usually used in closed institutions such as prisons and so their results cannot be generalised to wider society as such desirable behaviours may not be immediately rewarded when the offender is released and sotrhe offender may not be encouraged to act in a positive manner.
On the other hand it has been suggested that token economies can promote a sense of control within offendersover their actions and the rewards they can earn via them, whilst others believe the programme to cause learned helplessness where the offender feels they have to behave positively lest they have priveldges removed; this suggests that offenders may be responding to the negativeaspects oftoken economies as opposed to the positive rewards.
Critics have also suggested that tokens could become a form of contraband with inmatestrading themfor items or favours not avaiable within the scheme. It has also been noted that rewards for behaviours are inconsistant which may reduce the encouragement inmates feel to behave positively. Alternatively it has beenargued that clear rules allow staff to know when points should be awarded. Combined with the fact that anyone can award points whis means that thereis no delay between the desired behaviour and awarding of tokens.
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