Aggression: Institutional aggression in prisons

Question 1

What are the two explanations of institutional aggression in prisons?

Answer 1

Situational: deprivation model
Dispositional: importation model

Question 2

What does the deprivation model suggest about institutional aggression?

Answer 2

The aggression/behaviour is a result of the context an individual is in as opposed to personal characteristics.

Question 3

What conditions did Cooke et al. identify as causing aggression in prisons?

Answer 3

Overcrowding
Heat and noise
Job burnout among staff

Question 4

Evidence for overcrowding causing aggression?

Answer 4

Government report UK showed an increased number of murder, suicide and assault rates in prisons to increased overcrowding in British prisons.

Question 5

How can heat and noise cause aggression in prisons?

Answer 5

High temp and noise levels exacerbate effects of overcrowding, leaving inmates predisposed to aggressive behaviour. May make inmates more frustrated.

Question 6

How does job burnout contribute to aggression in prisons?

Answer 6

Psychologically worn out and exhausted staff causes loss of care about people they work with. Leads to deterioration of relationships with inmates, impacting functioning of prison and creating hostile environment.

Question 7

AO3: Situational explanation for institutional aggression in prisons

Answer 7

+Research evidence
+Real-world application

Question 8

(+AO3) Explain research evidence for the deprivation model

Answer 8

McCorkle 371 US prisons studied.
Found situational factors (overcrowding, lack of privacy, lack of meaningful activity) significantly influenced all assaults. Shows that peer violence used to relieve deprivation experienced in institutions.

Question 9

(+AO3) Describe a positive real-world application of the deprivation model.

Answer 9

Creating better prison environments = safer environments. For example, prison units set up with radio (less noise) and air con (less heat). Found almost eradicated assaults reported. Shows importance of such conditions in prisons around the world.

Question 10

What does the importation model suggest about aggression in prisons?

Answer 10

Behaviour is a result of personal characteristics rather than the situation they are in.

Question 11

Explain what the ‘code of the streets’ is and how it influences institutional aggression.

Answer 11

Set of informal rules governing interpersonal public behaviour, including violence, imported into prisons from culture outside.
At the heart of the code is the need for respect: gang membership and aggression are key parts of this.

Question 12

Explain how gang membership influences aggression in prisons.

Answer 12

Gang members in prisons have been found to account for a disproportionate number of serious and violent crime in prisons.
Shows importance of aggression in gang culture, and how imported characteristics influence institutional aggression.

Question 13

What other dispositional characteristics have been found to be associated with aggressive behaviour in prisons?

Answer 13

Angry and anti-social personality type
Impulsivity
Low self-control

Question 14

AO3: Dispositional explanation

Answer 14

+Supporting research
-Contradicting research

Question 15

(+AO3) Describe research support for the importation model.

Answer 15

Mears et al. measured street code belief system and the prison experiences of inmates. Results suggested ‘code of street’ effected inmate violence. Particularly pronounced in gang members and those without family support. Shows experiences before incarceration influence aggression.

Question 16

(-AO3) Describe research (sort of) contradicting the importation model.

Answer 16

DeLisi et al. found that inmates with prior street gang involvement were NO more likely to engage in prison violence than others.
However, lack of association here may be due to previous gang members being isolated from other prisoners, reducing opportunity for violence.
Highlights that research around prisons is difficult and must be investigated and applied with caution.