People Respond to Incentives...or the Lack Thereof

I don't have any links for you on this one. Largely that's because I suspect some of your students could provide better references than I could.

I think the ongoing legal problems of a certain young starlet could provide a very real example of how incentives (the positive and negative reinforcements provided to correct behavior) or the lack thereof lead to certain predictable behaviors.

This certain starlet has been hauled before judges on various charges over the past few years and has had sentences passed. The sentences are then reduced or commuted to provide for help with problems. That help has been frequently ignored or cut short and the cycle repeats.

If there are no negative consequences for behavior, what makes the behavior stop? Personally if the process doesn't change, it will stop only when the actress does herself or someone else great bodily harm. I'd welcome your thoughts.