Institutional Aggression in Prisons

Question 1

Dispositional explanation

Answer 1

The importation model

Question 2

The importation model plus research

Answer 2

• Irwin and Cressey’s (1962) importation model argues that prisons are not completely insulated from everyday life outside in the real world: Prison inmates come from the outside world, and they bring with them (import) a subculture typical of criminality.
• This includes beliefs, norms, attitudes, and a history of learning experiences as well as other personal characteristics such as gender and ethnicity.
• This dispositional explanation is based on individual nature (e.g., inherited temperament) and also nurture (e.g., social environment).
• The willingness of inmates to use violence inside prison to settle disputes reflects their lives before they were imprisoned.
  Thomas and McManimon (2005):
• People who prey on others on the streets also prey on others in the prison.
• Inmates import such behaviours and characteristics which then influence their use of aggression to establish power, status, influence, and access to resources.
• Therefore, aggression is the product of individual characteristics (disposition) of inmates and not of the prison environment.

Question 3

Thomas and McManimon (2005):

Answer 3

• People who prey on others on the streets also prey on others in the prison.
• Inmates import such behaviours and characteristics which then influence their use of aggression to establish power, status, influence, and access to resources.
• Therefore, aggression is the product of individual characteristics (disposition) of inmates and not of the prison environment.

Question 4

The importation model

Answer 4

• Irwin and Cressey’s (1962) importation model argues that prisons are not completely insulated from everyday life outside in the real world: Prison inmates come from the outside world, and they bring with them (import) a subculture typical of criminality.
• This includes beliefs, norms, attitudes, and a history of learning experiences as well as other personal characteristics such as gender and ethnicity.
• This dispositional explanation is based on individual nature (e.g., inherited temperament) and also nurture (e.g., social environment).
• The willingness of inmates to use violence inside prison to settle disputes reflects their lives before they were imprisoned.

Question 5

Prisoner characteristics linked to outcomes

Answer 5

• DeLisi et al. (2011) studied a group of juvenile offenders in Californian institutions who had negative backgrounds (e.g., childhood trauma, anger, histories of substance abuse and violent behaviour).
• These individuals were importing these characteristics (and the resulting dispositions) into prison. The researchers compared this group with a control group of inmates who did not have these negative features.
• The ‘negative’ inmates were more likely to engage in suicidal activity, sexual misconduct and acts of physical aggression.

Question 6

Evaluation
Research support

Answer 6

• Camp and Gaes (2005) studied 561 male inmates with similar criminal histories and predispositions to aggression.
• Half were randomly placed in low-security Californian prisons and half randomly placed in high-security prisons.
• Within two years, there was no significant difference between prisons in the number of prisoners involved in aggressive misconduct (33% and 36%).
• The researchers concluded that features of the prison environment are less important predictors of aggressive behaviour than characteristics of inmates.
• Strong evidence for importation because of random allocation of inmates.

Question 7

Ignores key factors

Answer 7

• Dilulio (1991) claims that the importation model ignores other factors that influence prisoners” behaviour, such as the way the prison is run.
• Instead, he proposed an administrative control model (ACM) which state that poorly managed prisons are more likely to have inmate violence.
• Poor management includes weak leadership, a thriving culture of unofficial rules, staff who remain distant from inmates and few opportunities for education.
• Therefore, importation is an inadequate explanation because institutional factors are probably more important than inmate characteristics.

Question 8

Determinism and free will

Answer 8

• May be determinist.
• Prisoners are aggressive because of ‘negative dispositions they import into prisons’.
• They have little control over their dispositions, implying that prison aggression is inevitable and that it is not the ‘fault of prisoners’.
• However, it could be argued that aggression in prisons is the outcome of prisoners exercising their free will.
• Cognitive factors also play a role. Aggression in prisons is therefore not inevitable and is the responsibility of individual prisoners.