Institutional aggression

Irwin and Gerry

Developed the importation model of aggression suggesting that prisoners import their characteristics into the institution. Aggression is due to their aggressive disposition

Climmer

Developed the deprivation model. Suggested that because inmates are deprived of basic needs like food, safety and heterosexual relationships, inmates cope via aggression

Delisi

Studied juvenile delinquents who had several negative dispositional traits such as high levels of anger and found that they engaged more in suicidal behaviour and sexual and physical violence

Steiner

Found that inmate on inmate violence was more common in prisons with a high number of female staff or overcrowding

Camp and Gaes

Studied 280 and 281 prisoners who committed similar crimes and placed them in low/high security prisons. 33% of prisoners in low security and 36% of prisoners in high security were involved in aggressive behaviour

Diculio

Importation model does not account for role of prison officials

Cunningham

Analysed 35 prison homicides and found links to the deprivation model e.g. disputes over homosexual relationships