Institutional

• What does dispositional explanation mean?


  Any explanation of behaviour thathighlights the importance of the individual's personality.The dispositional explanation for institutional aggression is the importation model.
• What is institutional aggression?


  Aggressive or violent behaviour thattakes place within the social context of a prison or other formal organised settings.
• The importation model


  the importation model was proposed by Irwin and Cressey (1962)Importing aggressive attitudes and behaviour into the prisonstherefore it is not the situation but the individual themselvesAggression = individual traits + subcultural characteristicsimport these aggressive attitudes and behaviours in order to negotiate theirway through the unfamiliar and frightening prison environment that they haveentered. Examples include existing inmates who use aggression to establish power, status and access to resources.Irwin and Cressetargues that there are three different types of subcultures that influence inmates.
• What are the 3 types of subcultures that influence inmates?

  Criminal/thief subculture: Must not tell on fellow inmates, promotes honour, trust and loyalty.Convict subculture: Strong hierarchy and much behaviour within the group depends on the position in the hierarchy. It attracts inmates from deprived areas familiar with gang culture.Conventional subculture: New to prison and one time offenders, try and steer clear of other two subcultures, less aggressive and more in common with prison guards.
• De Lisi (2011) - AO3 support

  Analysed 813 Juvenile delinquents confined in prisons in California looking at a history of dispositional features such as childhood trauma, high levels of anger, histories of substance abuse and violent behaviour.These inmates (compared to a control group) were much more likely to engage in suicidal activity, sexual misconduct or physical violencemeasured by incidents brought to the attention of the Parole board.This research supports the idea thatdispositional factors such as childhood trauma are more likely to account for misconduct within a prison than situation factors(the prison itself). This study (unlike lab experiments) gains validity as De Lisi studied real delinquents in the context of their own life experiences to draw their results. This means the result may begeneralisable to other offendersand why they commit aggression against others.
• Gaes et al (1985) - AO3 limitation


  Found thatovercrowding in prisons can be the causeof not just ill health and general misconduct, but also aggression and violence between inmates.
• What is the situational explanation?

  The cause of aggression in prisons is due to theprison environment itselfThe situational explanation for institutional aggression is the deprivation model which claimed that it is the characteristics of the prison itself rather than the individuals that account for prison violence.Skyes proposed the deprivation model and it has 5 key features.
• What are the 5 key features of the deprivation model?


  Liberty- Although this may be the purpose, this leads to feelings of rejection and unhappiness, especially if taken away from family members leading to aggressive outburstsAutonomy- There is no independence for inmates. They are expected to obey and conform and even small choices such as what to eat are not possible. This leads to feelings of anger and powerlessnessGoods and services- Access to goods is severely restricted in prisons. A relatively new issue for prisons is the absence of mobile phones. As inmates are so used to being connected in the outside world it causes anger and resentment which leads to violence
• What are the 5 key features of the deprivation model? p2

  Heterosexual relationships- Having no partner within prison can lead to sexual frustration and violent behaviour. This also includes the loss of companionship and emotional intimacy.Security- Prison is a dangerous environment and many inmates fear for their safety. This causes heightened tensions and anxiety leading to an overreaction in prison incidents.
• Gaes et al (1985) - AO3 support


  Found thatovercrowding in prisons can be the cause of not just ill health and general misconduct but also aggression and violence. overcrowding can heighten stress and therefore result in an overreaction to other factors in the institution. This research supports situational explanations for aggression due to factors within the prison environment.
• Hensley et al (2002) - AO3 limitation


  Studied 256 male and female inmates who were granted visits from partners to have sex,finding no link between involvement in these visits and a reduction in aggressive behaviour. This challenges the view that the deprivation model is the cause of inmate violence.
• McCorkle et al (1995) - AO3 limitation

  sampled 371 US prisons and foundlittle evidence to support the prediction that overcrowding in prisons leads to increased levels of violent behaviour. They also found that stress among inmates, such as feelings of loneliness and isolation, are relatively constant among inmates in all prisons, whereas serious outbreaks of violence such as riots are actually relatively isolated.They argue that the way a prison is managed is a greater predictor of serious violence than overcrowding and stress among inmates.