Institutional Aggression

Question 1

Dispositional explanation

Answer 1

Emphasises the role of an individual’s personality, suggesting aggression in prison is due to personal characteristics of the prisoners

Question 2

Irwin & Cressey (1962)

Answer 2

Importation model suggesting aggression is imported into the prison from the outside world (eg. Prior gang culture, personal factors and biological factors)

Question 3

Situational explanation

Answer 3

Emphasises the role of social context and the environment, suggesting aggression in prison is due to the environment of the prison

Question 4

Clemmer (1958)

Answer 4

Deprivation model suggesting aggression caused by the prison environment itself (eg. Deprivation of freedom, autonomy, goods and heterosexual intimacy)

Question 5

Strengths of instituational aggression

Answer 5

• Supportive evidence for disposition (eg. Delisi found inmates with histories of childhood trauma, substance abuse and anger more likely to engage in suicidal activity, sexual and physical assault)
• Research supporting role of proximity (eg. Cunningham found in 35 Texas prisons many homicides involved cell-sharing inmates)

Question 6

Limitations of institutional aggression

Answer 6

• Neglects impact of prison officials and administration (eg. Dilulio administrative control model suggests poor management creates environments prone to aggression)
• Aggression not inevitable (eg. Hensley found no link between prisons allowing conjugal visits and reduced aggression)