Behavior Modification

What does Behavior Modification mean in American Law?

The definition of Behavior Modification in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

behavior modification [therapy]. Techniques to change behavior considered personally or socially pathological, e.g., phobias or violent criminal activity, either by associating the bad behavior with pain or other unpleasantness (as by giving an electric shock in association with drinking alcohol), or by associating a reward with good behavior (candy to an infant every time it shows some sphincter control). The former, often called “aversion therapy,” is frowned upon when used in prisons to modify prisoner behavior; but a prison, of course, like all punishments, itself is an attempt at aversion therapy.