Institutional aggression in prisons Flashcards
What are the 2 explanations of institutional aggression?
Situational and dispositional
What is institutional aggression?
Aggressive acts within violent institutions like prisons
What is a dispositional explanation?
It emphasises the cause of behaviour being a personal characteristic of the individual
Who created the importation model?
Irwin and Cressey
What does the importation model suggest?
That aggression in prisons is caused by the violent personalities of the prisoners
What is a situational explanation?
It emphasises the cause of behaviour being due to the context an individual is in
What are the conditions like in prisons?
Unpleasant
Who proposed the deprivation model?
Sykes
What does the deprivation model suggest?
That institutional aggression is the direct result of situational losses
What four aspects are mentioned in the deprivation model?
Security, goods, relationships and autonomy
What three situational factors not mentioned in the deprivation model can also lead to institutional aggression?
Noise, temperature and overcrowding
Who provides research support for dispositional explanations of institutional aggression?
Mears et al
What did Mears et al test?
The theory that inmate behaviour stems from imported characteristics
What type of study did Mears et al conduct?
A longitudinal study
Who did Mears et al study?
Children from areas with lots of gangs