Methods of Modifying this Behaviour
Methods of Modifying this Behaviour
Methods of Modifying Criminal Behaviour
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- This explores the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, providing the offender with strategies to manage their thoughts and change behaviour.
- CBT can help the individual to challenge irrational thought patterns and develop alternative, pro-social thought processes.
- Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is a form of CBT often used to help manage anger, a common issue in offenders.
Therapeutic Communities
- These are structured environments designed to reduce offending by improving individual’s social, psychological, and emotional well-being.
- Therapeutic communities are often used in prisons and involve a democratically run, group-based approach to treatment.
- Key principles include the promotion of self-help, responsibility, and positive interpersonal relationships.
Restorative Justice Programs
- Restorative justice seeks to repair harms caused by crime, involving both offender and victim in a dialogue.
- It focuses on making amends, taking responsibility and healing the harms caused by criminal behaviour.
- This approach aims to reduce recidivism by improving offender empathy and accountability.
Behaviour Modification
- Aims to change unhealthy or criminal behaviours through reinforcement strategies, either by implementing rewards (positive reinforcement) or removing undesirable factors (negative reinforcement).
- It employs key principles of Operant Conditioning, such as punishment to decrease likelihood of negative behaviour.
- Success can depend on consistency, timing, and the significance of the reward or punishment used.
Social Skills Training
- These programs are designed to teach prosocial behaviours and skills to improve relations with others.
- Techniques such as modelling, role-playing and reinforcement are used to develop skills like communication, empathy, cooperation and problem-solving.
- This approach assumes that criminal behaviour arises due to a deficiency in these prosocial skills.
Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation
- Programs are designed to tackle substance misuse which is often a contributing factor in criminal behaviour.
- Strategies include detoxification, behavioural counselling, medication, and long-term follow-up to prevent relapse.
- Rehab programs aim to build healthier coping strategies and behaviours to replace dependency.