Institutional Aggression

What is it?

• Institutional aggression is the term used to describe aggression within an institutional environment, like a prison.

• There are two main approaches to explaining institutional aggression in prisons

  - the dispositional and situational explanations.

The Dispositional Explanation:

• Dispositional explanations argue that institutional aggression stems from the characteristics of the individuals in the institution (their disposition).

• Harer and Steffensmeier (1996) looked at data from 58 male prisons in the US. They found that levels of violent behaviour in prison were significantly higher among black inmates, whereas drug offences in prison were significantly higher among white inmates. Harer and Steffensmeier concluded that this supported the importation model, as these results mirror trends in American society outside of prison.

• However, this research has been criticised for being androcentric (see page 136), as it didn't include female prisons.

The Importation Model:

• Irwin and Cressey (1962) suggested that the characteristics and social norms that inmates bring with them when they enter prison are the main factors that lead to institutional aggression.

• This is called the importation model - inmates import characteristics from their life outside.

  • E.g. they bring in the norms of criminal gangs, where aggression may be a respected trait.

The Criminal Subculture:

• Follow the norms associated with being a thief or criminal

• Values such as not betraying each other or being trustworthy amongst other criminals are important.

The Convict Subculture:

• Have been raised in the prison system

• Look for positions of power or influence within the system

• This group are most likely to turn to aggression

• Influenced by deprivation prior to being imprisoned and bringing values of that subculture inside with them.

The ‘Straight’ Subculture:

• Tend to be one-time offenders

• Weren't part of a criminal subculture before going inside

• Rejects both other groups within the prison and identifies more with prison officers and staff

• Tend not to be very aggressive whilst in prison.

Gang Membership:

• Allender and Marcell (2003):

  • Pre-prison gang membership is a key indicator of prison misconduct

  • Gang members disproportionately engage in prison violence

  • Members of street gangs offend at higher levels than non-gang members and account for a disproportionate amount of violent crime

Drury and DeLisi (2011):

• Inmates who had been in gangs were significantly more likely to commit various types of misconduct in prison

  • Murder

  • Hostage-taking

  • Assault with a deadly weapon

Huff (1998):

• He found that gang members in the US were ten times more likely to commit murder and three times more likely to assault someone in public

• They were compared to non-gang members of a similar age and background

The Role of Dispositional Characteristics:

• Wang and Diamond (1999)

  • Anger (strongest)

  • Antisocial personality style

  • Impulsivity

  • Stronger predictors of institutional aggression than ethnicity or type of offence

• DeLisi et al (2003):

  • Low self-control (e.g. the tendency to lose your temper easily) is a significant predictor of aggressive behaviour

  • Both before and during prison

The Situational Explanation:

• Situational explanations claim that the environment in the institution causes institutional aggression.

• Megargee (1977) studied inmates in an American prison for young offenders over a period of three years.

  He found that crowding levels in the prison were significantly correlated with levels of disruptive behaviour.

The Deprivation Model:

• The deprivation model states that prison conditions (e.g., overcrowding) cause stress, which results in aggression. Sykes (1958) described the particular deprivations that inmates experience as the 'pains of imprisonment'.

• These include loss of autonomy, loss of liberty, loss of security, and so on.

• Paterline & Peterson (1999) argued that aggression in institutions is due to the oppressive conditions of the institution itself

Cooke et al (2008):

• Violent prisoners are only violent in certain circumstances:

  • Overcrowding: Positive correlation of inmate numbers and violence

  • Heat and Noise: In students, temperature and population density increased negative emotions

  • Job Burnout- Loss of care by staff about the people they work with

Situational Factors may also include staff experience:

• Hodgkinson et al (1995): Trainee nurses

• Davies and Burges (1998): Prison officers

• Found that the length of service made violent attacks less likely for both examples

The ‘Pains of Imprisonment’

• Sykes (1958) suggested that the deprivations that prisoners experience might be a reason for their aggression and the increase in violent behaviour within that environment

• Sykes found that anxiety increased in many prisoners (due to either a break or imagined threat)

Coping Strategies:

• Coping strategies to deal with the pains of imprisonment were usually withdrawal (seclusion in living space) or rebellion (violence against prisoners or staff)

Research Support for the Deprivation Model:

• McCorkle et al (1995) Found that overcrowding, lack of privacy and the lack of meaningful activity all significantly increased peer and staff violence

• Franklin et al (2006) Found a relationship between the age of inmates and crowding. More of an effect on 18-25 years old

Research Support for the Importation Model:

• Harer and Steffensmeier (2006):

  • 58 US prisons

  • Black inmates- A higher level of aggressive behaviour

  • Lower alcohol-related and drug-related misconduct that white inmates

  • Parallel racial differences in US society so support the model

Gang Membership- The Importation Model:

• DeLisi et al (2004):

  • Disagrees with the claims that pre-prison gang membership predicts violence in prison

  • Inmates with prior gang involvement were no more likely than others to engage in violence

• Fischer (2001) found that isolating gang members in a special prison unit reduced the rates of serious assault by 50%

  • This lack of correction might be explained by gang member’ isolation from the rest of the prison- Restricting their opportunity for violence

Combining the Importation Model and the Deprivation Model:

• Jiang and Fisher-Giorlando (2002) found support for both models.

  • Deprivation Model = explanation for violence against staff

  • Importation Model = explanation for violence against other inmates

• Poole & Regoli (1983) pre-institutional violence is the best indicator regardless of the situational factors

Wilson (2010) Real World Application:

• Most violence occurs in hot, crowded noisy environments.

• Set up 2 units for violent prisoners

  • Views to outside

  • Less claustrophobic

  • Reduced noise (radio)

  • Temperature lowered.

• Results:

  • Virtually eradicated assaults on staff and inmates

Politics:

• Political pressure stopped this from being implemented.

• "We can’t have the worst people getting the best

  things"