institutional aggression

• dispositional explanation

  institutional aggression result of personality traits and social histories prisoners bring with them - many attitudes and behaviours developed in outside world imported into prison - prisoners may possess characteristics that increase violent behaviour like low self control, impulsivity and anger - e.g. gang membership (more likely to commit violent crimes in public so more likely to be aggressive in prison) important predictor of institutional aggression
• DISPOSITIONAL EVALUATION - Kane and Janus

  found number of violent offences related to learned history of offender - if prisoner previously had lower level of education, more serious criminal record and more time unemployed in life more likely to be aggressive in prison - indication that violence imported due to offender's previous experience
• DISPOSITIONAL EVALUATION - Poole and Regoli


  found best indicator of violence amongst juvenile offenders was their level of pre dispositional violence, regardless of situational factors in the institution
• DISPOSITIONAL EVALUATION - DeLisi

  found inmates with history of gang membership before being imprisoned were no more likely than others to engage in prison violence - aggressive tendencies not always imported into institutions and criticises dispositional - lack of relationship may be explained by fact that violent gang members tend to be isolated from general inmate population restricting opportunities for violence
• DISPOSITIONAL EVALUATION - practical applications

  Fischer - found isolating known gang members in special management unit reduced the rates of serious assault by 50% - suggests research can help reduce prison violence
• Situational explanation

  deprivation model - Sykes - institutional aggression result of prison environment and not necessarily individuals - occurs as result of stressful and oppressive conditions and deprivations inmates experience on a daily basis
• 5 deprivations

  Deprivation of liberty (freedom) - autonomy (independence) - goods and services (material possessions) - homosexual relationships (female company) - security (safety) - can lead to stress and frustration for inmates - more likely to act aggressively in order to both reduce stress and obtain the desired resources
• SITUATIONAL EVALUATION - McCorkle

  found from survey of prisons overcrowding, lack of privacy and lack of meaningful activity all influence peer violence - Megargee found aggressive incidents in prisons negatively correlated amount of living space available for each prisoner - deprivation of liberty and autonomy may help explain institutional aggression in prisons
• SITUATIONAL EVALUATION - practical applications

  early 1990s Wilson set up 2 units at HMP Woodhill less claustrophobic and gave view of outside world, masked prison noise with music and lowered temperature so it wasn't extremely hot - found changes virtually eradicated assaults on prison staff and inmates - suggests deprivation model can be used to help improve safety and security
• SITUATIONAL EVALUATION - Hensley


  found analysing 2 prisons in Mississippi that allowed conjugal visits (visits from partners for sex) that there was no link between involvement in theses visits and reduced aggressive behaviour - suggests deprivation of heterosexual relationships doesn't affect prison violence