NCJ Number
28968
Journal
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGY AND CORRECTIONS Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (APRIL 1975) Pages: 154-164
Date Published
1975
Length
11 pages
Annotation
BEHAVIOR THEORY'S MATCHING LAW OF EFFECT AND DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY'S SOCIAL REINFORCEMENT STATEMENT ARE USED TO DEVELOP TWO PREDICTIVE MODELS OF FUTURE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.
Abstract
THE MATCHING LAW STATES THAT THE RATIO OF THE OCCURRENCE OF ANY SPECIFIED TYPE OF BEHAVIOR TO THE OCCURRENCE OF ITS ALTERNATIVES EQUALS THE RATIO OF THE REWARDS AVAILABLE FROM THAT TYPE OF BEHAVIOR TO THE REWARDS AVAILABLE FROM ITS ALTERNATIVES. THIS LAW WAS USED TO MATHEMATICALLY PREDICT THE RATIO OF ILLEGAL EARNINGS TO THE SUM OF ILLEGAL AND LEGAL EARNINGS. IT WAS FOUND THAT DATA ON PAST ILLEGAL AND LEGAL EARNINGS EXPERIENCE PROVIDED 'QUITE GOOD' PREDICTIONS OF FUTURE ILLEGAL AND LEGAL EARNINGS. THE SOCIAL REINFORCEMENT THEORY STATES THAT THE AMOUNT OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IS A FUNCTION OF THE TIME SPENT ASSOCIATING WITH DELINQUENTS AND/OR NONDELINQUENTS. DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION WAS DEMONSTRATED TO BE HIGHLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE RATIO OF ILLEGAL TO THE SUM OF ILLEGAL AND LEGAL EARNINGS. A PREDICTIVE MODEL, SYNTHESIZING THESE BASIC ELEMENTS OF BEHAVIOR THEORY AND DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY, WAS FOUND TO HAVE APPROXIMATELY DOUBLE THE PREDICTIVE CAPABILITY OF OTHER DEVICES, SUCH AS THE BASE EXPECTANCY SCORE. THE AUTHOR SUGGESTS THAT THIS MODEL BE USED IN INMATE PROGRAMMING TO DETERMINE AND THEN INCREASE LEGAL EMPLOYMENT HABIT STRENGTH WHILE DECREASING ILLEGAL EMPLOYMENT HABIT STRENGHT. SUGGESTED TRAINING FOR BOTH INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS INCLUDE VOCATIONAL AND ACADEMIC INMATE TESTING AND TRAINING IN PROFITABLE LEGAL OCCUPATIONS, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OFFENDERS TO ENGAGE IN ILLEGAL, NEGATIVELY REINFORCED EMPLOYMENT, AND EMPHASIS ON COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS INVOLVING STRUCTURED NONDELINQUENT ASSOCIATIONS. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED.