“Outline and evaluate one form of institutional
aggression”
PRISONS
A01 –
There’s two models to explain institutional aggression in prisons:
1. IMPORTATION MODEL
Proposed by Irwin and Cressey (1962)
Focuses on interpersonal factors.
Claim prisoners bring their own social histories and traits with them into
prison and this influences their adaption to the prison environment.
Argue prisoners are not ‘blank slates’ when entering prison.
Many of the normative systems developed on the outside would be
imported into the prison.
EXAMPLE –
Gang membership is consistently related to violence and other anti-social
behaviour.
Studies found gang members tend to engage in accts of prison violence.
Pre-prison gang membership appears to be an important determinant of
prison mis-conduct.
2. DEPRIVATION MODEL
Proposed by Paterline and Peterson (1999)
Focuses on situational factors.
Argues prisoner aggression is the product of the stressful and oppressive
conditions of the institution itself.
Conditions include crowding (assumed to increase fear and frustration
levels) and staff experience.
EXAMPLE –
Davies and Burgess (1998) found in prisons more experienced officers
were less likely to suffer an assault (lack of experience of some staff may
have acted as a source of frustration).
EXAMPLE –
Sykes (1958) found that the potential threat to personal security increased
anxiety levels in inmates, even if the majority of prisoners posed no
significant threat to them.
Some choose to withdraw through seclusion in their cell.
Others choose to rebel in the form of violence against other prisoner or
staff.
A02 –
RESEARCH 1 – Nijam et al (1999)
POINT – contradicts the deprivation model of aggression in prisons
EVIDENCE – conducted research in psychiatric institutions and found that
increased personal space failed to decrease the level of violent incidents among
patients.
aggression”
PRISONS
A01 –
There’s two models to explain institutional aggression in prisons:
1. IMPORTATION MODEL
Proposed by Irwin and Cressey (1962)
Focuses on interpersonal factors.
Claim prisoners bring their own social histories and traits with them into
prison and this influences their adaption to the prison environment.
Argue prisoners are not ‘blank slates’ when entering prison.
Many of the normative systems developed on the outside would be
imported into the prison.
EXAMPLE –
Gang membership is consistently related to violence and other anti-social
behaviour.
Studies found gang members tend to engage in accts of prison violence.
Pre-prison gang membership appears to be an important determinant of
prison mis-conduct.
2. DEPRIVATION MODEL
Proposed by Paterline and Peterson (1999)
Focuses on situational factors.
Argues prisoner aggression is the product of the stressful and oppressive
conditions of the institution itself.
Conditions include crowding (assumed to increase fear and frustration
levels) and staff experience.
EXAMPLE –
Davies and Burgess (1998) found in prisons more experienced officers
were less likely to suffer an assault (lack of experience of some staff may
have acted as a source of frustration).
EXAMPLE –
Sykes (1958) found that the potential threat to personal security increased
anxiety levels in inmates, even if the majority of prisoners posed no
significant threat to them.
Some choose to withdraw through seclusion in their cell.
Others choose to rebel in the form of violence against other prisoner or
staff.
A02 –
RESEARCH 1 – Nijam et al (1999)
POINT – contradicts the deprivation model of aggression in prisons
EVIDENCE – conducted research in psychiatric institutions and found that
increased personal space failed to decrease the level of violent incidents among
patients.
