Corrections_Today_May_June_2020_Vol.82_No.3

nEWS & vIEWS

Juvenile Justice News

The role of applied behavior analysis in juvenile justice settings By Kristen M. Brogan, John T. Rapp, Odessa Luna and Steven P. Lafreniere

A pplied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a branch of psy- chology with an emerging literature base in juvenile justice. Broadly speaking, ABA is a col- lection of procedures by which to change behaviors that are of utmost importance to society. A hallmark of ABA is the direct measurement of behaviors, which gives rise to

data-based decisions about inter- vention options. Currently, the public is aware of the professional discipline of ABA because of its ap- plication of behavioral interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental dis- abilities. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) are specially

trained professionals who deliver ABA services (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2019). At the heart of ABA practice is systematic identification and subsequent alter- ing of consequences for undesirable behavior and, thereafter, teaching socially appropriate behavior to produce the same outcome. In other words, BCBAs commonly use ABA to decrease undesirable behaviors by teaching desirable replacement behaviors. By teaching desirable re- placement behaviors, BCBAs reform an individual’s problem behavior and thereby reduce the likelihood that the individual will engage in the problem behavior again. Because the field of corrections also has an interest in reforming individuals’ undesirable behavior, the delivery of ABA by BCBAs in a juvenile justice setting may be highly beneficial to the individual receiving the service, the correctional facility, and society as a whole. Since the reform of the Juvenile Code of Alabama in 2008, the Ala- bama Department of Youth Services (DYS) has made a dedicated effort to fund local community programs

istock/Motortion

22 — May/June 2020 Corrections Today