The courts and the token economy: An empirical approach to the problem

Abstract

Administrators and staff involved with token economies in mental institutions should be taking steps to deal with impending court actions which may restrict the allowable contingencies. Legal opinion indicates that the judiciary may evaluate such contingency programs in terms of both their effectiveness and aversiveness. The approach suggested in this paper therefore is that investigators gain empirical evidence concerning the relative effectiveness and aversiveness of contingency token economy programs. To date, the evidence supporting contingency programs in either area is minimal—although available evidence does favor contingency programs, in particular those which have included some form of increased decision-making responsibilities for the patients.