institutional aggression

• institutional aggression refers to aggression in prisons
• the importation model - dispositional

  prisoners import their own social histories, traits and aggression into prison

  result of the prisoners traits rather than the situation they're in

  not specific to the institution

  prisons are a concentration of aggressive members of society
• delisi et al

  studied 813 juvenile delinquents in institutions

  negative dispositional factors like trauma, neglect, substance use, anger. committed more acts of physical violence than a control

  prisoners sharing these negative dispositions were more likely to be violent, suggesting disposition as if it were situational all prisoners would behave aggressively in the same way
• dilulio 1991

  importation model ignores factors influencing how prisoners behave

  suggested administrative control model (ACM) which states poorly run prisons have higher levels of violence

  factors outside of disposition have influence on aggressive behaviour. if these factors didn't effect, there'd be no difference in aggression levels in poorly run prisons and well run prisons
• the deprivation model - situational

  sykes argued the origin of the prison subculture comes from within the institution

  behaviour is due to environment

  5 key deprivations inmates experience which increase stress levels and create an aggressive drive
• 5 key deprivations

  deprivation of liberty, autonomy, goods, heterosexual relations and security
• steiner

  512 US prisons

  inmate on inmate violence more common where higher proportions of female staff and male inmates

  independent of the disposition

  aggression caused by situation
• hensley et al

  256 males and females in missisipi where conjugal visits happened

  no link between involvement of these visits and reduced aggresion

  aggression should reduce here according to the model, but it hasn't

  if setting had impact, there'd be a reduction
• johnston found prison overcrowding led to increased aggression due to competition for resources, causing violent defensive behaviours to be nurtured