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Treatments: token economy and anger management

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Punishment is not the only option. Treatments aim to rehabilitate offenders: reduce criminal and antisocial behaviour and increase pro-social (helpful, positive) behaviour.

Token economy programmes

Based on operant conditioning. Prisoners earn tokens (secondary reinforcers) for good behaviour, such as following rules or keeping their cell tidy.
Tokens are swapped for privileges (rewards) such as phone calls, extra visits or treats. Tokens can be lost for bad behaviour.
Strengths: easy to set up and staff can be trained to use it. It can quickly improve behaviour inside prison, making prisons safer.
Weaknesses: good behaviour may stop after release, when there are no tokens. Staff must be consistent, or it fails. It only changes behaviour, not the thinking behind crime. Withholding privileges raises ethical questions.

Anger-management programmes

Based on cognitive behavioural ideas: changing how offenders think about and respond to anger. Programmes usually have three stages:
1. Cognitive preparation: the offender learns to recognise their own anger triggers and patterns.
2. Skill acquisition: they learn ways to control anger, such as calming down, counting, breathing or walking away, and being assertive rather than aggressive.
3. Application practice: they practise the skills, often through role-play, in a safe setting.

Evaluating anger management

Strengths: it tackles a cause of violent crime (anger), not just the behaviour. Offenders learn skills they can use after release.
Weaknesses: it only suits crimes linked to anger, not crimes such as fraud. The offender must be motivated to take part. Role-play is artificial, so skills may not be used in real, heated situations. Programmes take time and trained staff, so they cost more.
Worked example

A prison wants to reduce fighting in the dining hall. Explain how a token economy could help.

  1. Prisoners earn tokens for eating calmly without fighting.
  2. Tokens can be exchanged for privileges such as extra phone calls, so calm behaviour is reinforced.

Answer: Reinforcing calm behaviour with tokens that buy privileges makes it more likely to be repeated.

Key idea

Token economy programmes use operant conditioning: tokens for good behaviour are exchanged for privileges, but effects may not last outside prison. Anger management teaches offenders to recognise triggers, learn control skills and practise them through role-play, but needs motivated offenders.

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