NCJ Number
238407
Date Published
July 2009
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This report examines the effectiveness of incentive systems to manage offender behavior.
Abstract
Contingency management programs in the form of individual and systemic incentives are the focus of this discussion, with examples drawn from both correctional and non-correctional settings. Overall, the results regarding the effectiveness of incentive systems to manage offender behavior is mixed. Similar to offender programming, there is increasing consensus regarding what not to do but far less consensus regarding viable next steps. This document contains a two-part report on offender incentives and behavioral management strategies. Part 1 contains a literature review examining the effectiveness of incentive systems in managing offender behavior. It presents evidence for and against the use of incentive schemes in correctional setting. This literature describes broad approaches to reducing misconducts that essentially fall into punishment versus incentive and treatment efforts. Some summary comments are provided regarding the limitations of an offender management model that focuses on the more traditional goal of reducing misconducts. Such misconducts are relatively infrequent, with the majority being committed by a small number of offenders. Part 2 contains a discussion of measurement, policy development, and implementation issues. 1 table, 18 references, and 4 appendixes