January 11, 2010 - EI

The January 8 New York Times magazine features an article titled “Prisoners of Parole“, which shows how mild short-term punishment in quick response to parole violations is much more effective than severe long-term punishment after numerous parole violations. The “new” strategy draws upon principles that are familiar from the perspectives of fields such as applied behavior analysis, prevention science, and behavioral economics, all of which in turn are based on a conception of people as biological organisms whose behavior is shaped by consequences in much the same way as other organisms. This article provides one of many examples of how public policy does not necessarily converge on strategies that are both highly effective and common-sensical from an evolutionary perspective.  The EI puts the same principles to use in its focus on childhood education.