Institutional aggression in prisons

• Institutional aggression


  Institutional aggression refers to aggressive behaviour adopted by members of an institution.

  
  

  An institution is any formal, organised setting, with strict rules - such as a prison.
• Dispositional explanations - Importation Model


  Put forward by Irwin and Cressey (1962)

  
  

  The Importation Model argues that prison inmates bring with them, from the outside world, a subculture typical of criminality.

  
  

  This includes beliefs, values, norms, attitudes and a history of learning experiences as well as other personal characteristics such as gender, race and class.

  
  

  The willingness of inmates to use violence inside prison to settle disputes reflected their lives before they were imprisoned. They will have high self-efficacy and a tendency to react aggressively.
• Role of aggression


  Aggression is a means of negotiating their way through the unfamiliar and frightening prison environment in which existing inmates use aggression to establish power, status and influence and access to resources.
• Situational explanations - Deprivation Model


  Put forward by Clemmer (1958)

  
  

  The Deprivation Model places the causes of institutional aggression within the prison environment itself.

  
  

  Harsh prison conditions are stressful for inmates, who have to cope by resorting to aggressive and often violent behaviour.

  
  

  These conditions include being deprived of freedom, independence, goods and services, safety and heterosexual intimacy.

  
  

  Deprivation of material goods increases competition amongst inmates to acquire them, and is accompanied by a corresponding increase in aggression.
• How to reduce institutional aggression using the Deprivation model

  Giving the prisoners more space/liberty - eg: individual cells, avoidance of over-crowding

  Allowing access to material goods, services, visits etc.. - to avoid deprivation

  Implementing more interesting daily routines - such as activities, learning opportunities - to avoid boredom

  Giving the prisoners some choice/influence over their daily routine to allow autonomy/control

  Eg: using prisoner representatives to contribute to decision-making
• Role of prison regimes

  Aggression is also influenced by prison regime. It is unpredictable and regular use of 'lock ups' to control behaviour creates frustration and reduces access to interesting activities like TV and exercise.
• Delisi et al (2011) - procedure


  Studied 813 juvenile delinquents confined in institutions in California.

  
  

  These were inmates who bought into confinement several negative dispositional features such as experiences of childhood trauma, high levels of anger and irritability, a history of substance abuse, and a history of violent behaviour.
• Delisi et al (2011) - findings


  These inmates were more likely to engage in suicidal activity and sexual misconduct and committed more acts of physical violence that were brought to the attention of the parole board.

  - compares with a control group of inmates with fewer negative dispositional features
• The Interactionist Model


  Proposed by Jiang and Fisher-Giorlando (2002)

  
  

  Suggested the importation model is a better explanation of violence between inmates, and the deprivation model is more useful in understanding aggression against prison staff.

  
  

  Inmates entering prison for the first time suffer deprivation but that doesn't necessarily lead to violence unless or until it combines with individual characteristics imported into the prison by inmates which influences prison culture.
• Understanding prison violence: a rapid evidence assessment

  REA into the causes of physically violent assaults by male adult prisoners. The REA reviewed research studies.
• Key findings - dispositional factors


  Imported characteristics - the personal characteristics of men who are violent in prison

  
  

  Imported characteristics associated with prison violence include history of earlier violence in prison or with violent convictions, low self-control, anger, mental health problems, antisocial attitudes or personality.
• Key findings - situational factors


  Prison environment - physically poor conditions, highly controlling regimes, or circumstances in which rules are unevenly applied or where prisoners don't see staff decisions as fair or legitimate.
• Key findings - crowding

  Crowding as a direct cause of violence was fairly weak.

  
  

  Research suggested that the effects of crowding are mediated through staff-prisoner interactions and that the crucial factor in maintaining order is the availability and the skills of unit staff.
• Key findings - features of prison activity that make violence less likely


  Prisoners can engage in purposeful activities they consider valuable, such as workshops or education, and are less prone to be the site of aggression.

  
  

  Violence is more likely to occur in places that offer less purpose, have fewer formal ground-rules, and lower staff oversight.
• Key findings - reducing violence

  Could be oriented towards situational control -

  Staff training in the use of styles and patterns of interaction that wield authority and instil respect

  Clear formal ground rules - clarity about what is and isn't condoned
• Limitations with the REA

  Gender bias -

  androcentric, only looked at aggression in male prisoners.

  can't generalise to female inmates due to higher levels of testosterone in males - which has been associated with aggression

  
  

  Issues with temporal validity -

  Reviewed studies published since 2000

  Type of criminal has changed - small offences aren't being as frequently sent to prison

  More overcrowding now

  Legislation, regulation, and prison settings may have changed
• There are practical applications in our understanding that the prison environment can lead to aggression.

  Wilson set up 2 units in HMP Woodhill where the overcrowding was reduced, music was introduced to reduce noisy conditions, and the temperature was carefully controlled.

  He found that initiating these conditions was a successful way to lower levels of aggression.