institutional (prisons)

• Institutional aggression 


  Aggressive or violent behaviour that takes place within the social context of a prison or other formal organised setting.
• Dispositional explanation 


  An explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of the individual's personality (i.e. their disposition).
• Situational explanation

  An explanation that identifies the causes of behaviour as existing within the environment, which may include other people.
• Irwin and Cressey's (1962) importation model argues that prisons are not completely insulated from everyday life outside in the 'real world'
• Importation Model - AO1


  Prison inmates come from the outside world and they bring with them (import) a subculture typical of criminality. This includes gender, ethnicity, beliefs, norms, attitudes and a history of learning experiences.
• The importation model is a dispositional explanation
• The importation model explanation is based on individual nature (e.g. inherited temperament) and also nurture (e.g. social environment).
• According to dispositional explanation...

  • Inmates import such behaviours and characteristics
  • Which then influence their use of aggression to establish power, status, influence and access to resources (the 'convict subculture')
  • Therefore, aggression is the product of individual characteristics (disposition) of inmates and not of the prison environment
• Clemmer's (1958) deprivation model places the causes of institutional aggression within the prison environment itself, i.e. a situational explanation.
• Harsh prison conditions are stressful for inmates, who cope by resorting to aggressive and violent behaviour.
• The Deprivation Model - AO1

  • Harsh conditions include psychological factors e.g. deprived of freedom and sexual intimacy and physical factors e.g. deprived of goods and services
  • Deprivation of material goods is closely linked to aggression because it increases competition amongst inmates
• One strength is the research support for the importation model

  • Camp and Gaes (2005) studied 561 male inmates with similar criminal histories and predispositions to aggression
  • Half were randomly placed in low security California 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%)