Institutional Aggression

• What are the two main explanations for prison aggression?

  Dispositional and Situational factors
• What is the dispositional factors explanation for prison aggression?

  Aggression is due to personal characteristics of prisoners
• What is another name for the dispositional factors theory?

  Importation model
• What is the situational factors explanation for prison aggression?

  Aggression is due to environmental factors of the prison
• What is the term used to describe the criminally aggressive behavior caused by environmental conditions?

  Criminogenic
• What is the deprivation model?

  Depriving people of autonomy, access to relationships, and safety leads to stress and aggression
• Who conducted a study on the quality of prison conditions and its association with aggression?

  Bierie
• What did Bierie's study find about the relationship between prison conditions and aggression?

  Violence was higher in prisons with poor conditions
• Who conducted a study on the personal characteristics of prisoners and its association with aggression?

  DeLisi
• What is the interactionalist approach?

  A combination of dispositional and situational factors
• What did DeLisi's study find about the relationship between personal characteristics and aggression?

  Certain dispositional factors made aggression more likely
• What is institutional aggression?

  Aggression within any human organization
• How does gang membership contribute to prison aggression?

  Gang members bring their baggage and alliances into the prison
• What is the impact of alcohol and drug addiction on prison aggression?

  Many prisoners suffer from addiction, which can contribute to aggression
• How do testosterone levels relate to aggression in prisoners?

  High testosterone levels in young males may contribute to aggression
• Why is prison staff experience and training important in reducing aggression?

  Inexperienced staff may not know how to handle and diffuse conflicts
• How does the racial and gender background of prison staff impact prisoner experiences?

  Staff background can affect prisoner experiences and contribute to aggression
• What is expressive violence?

  Aggression in response to stress, not pre-planned
• What is instrumental violence?

  Aggression used as a tool, such as to show dominance
• What are the key factors that contribute to prison aggression according to the dispositional factors theory?

  * Biological factors (e.g. high testosterone levels)

  * Impulsivity

  * Learned aggression

  * Socialization into expecting and accepting aggression

  * Gang membership
• What are the key factors that contribute to prison aggression according to the situational factors theory?


  * Poor prison conditions (e.g. noise, poor hygiene, lack of privacy)

  * Inexperienced prison staff

  * Racial and gender background of prison staff

  * Deprivation of autonomy, access to relationships, and safety
• How can the interactionalist approach be used to understand prison aggression?


  * Combining dispositional and situational factors to understand how they interact and contribute to aggression

  * Recognizing that prisoners may be more predisposed to aggression due to personal characteristics, but that situational factors can trigger or exacerbate aggression