Institutional Aggression In The Context Of Prison

Question 1

What is the importation model

Answer 1

Put forward by Irwin and cressey and proposes that an individual imports their characteristics and traits into the prison when they enter. They said if an individual comes from a history where violence is the norm, then they will continue that violence in the prison. Criminals often live in a cukture of violence, where the norm is to use violence to settle disputes and this norm determines behaviour inside and out of prison.

Question 2

Who tends to be more violent

Answer 2

Younger inmates as they are more likely to find it harder to adjust to prison life and may therefore engage in more conflicts with others. The importation model suggest that it isn’t the situational pressures of the prison, but the disposition of the individuals within it that causes aggression

Question 3

What did Matt DeLisi et al find

Answer 3

They studied juvenile offenders in Californian institutions, all whom had negative backgrounds. They imported behaviour from these backgrounds into the institutions they were put in. They compared this to a group of inmates with none of these negative features and found that the negative ones were more likely to engage in suicidal activities and aggression supporting the dispositional explanation.

Question 4

Another study

Answer 4

Also found that those on gangs prior to imprisonment were more likely to commit hella misconduct in prison.

Question 5

Strengths

Answer 5

Study from adams found that in American prison black Bruddas were more aggressive as they tended to come from poorer backgrounds with higher rates of violence and crime, so this behaviour was imported.

Camp and gaes studied 561 inmates with similar criminal history and half were placed in low security with half placed in high security prison. After two years there was no significant difference between the number of aggressive acts committed by the prisoners. 33% for low security and 36% for high security. It not due to environment but disposition

Question 6

Weakness

Answer 6

It ignores other key factors that could be relevant in explaining aggression in prisons. Dilulio found that it ignores other factors like the way the prison is run. He proposed the administrative control model that states that poorly managed prisons are the reason for inmate violence.

Gender bias - only male prisoners. Can’t assume that because males behave this way thwy females do to. There may be other factors when it comes to female aggression.