Institutional aggression in the context of prisons

AO1

DE Importation model: Put forward by Irwin and Cressey. Prisons aren't completely insulate from everyday life outside prison. When inmates come in they bring their subcultere (typical of criminlity) e.g. beliefs, norms, experiences, and personal characteristics like race and religion. The likelihood of them using aggression reflects their lives before prisons. Thomas states that those who preyed on the streets will prey in prisons. They use this behaviour to negotiate with the frightening prison environment in which exisitng inmates use violence for status and access the resources. Those predisposed are more likely to use violence.

Research: DeLisi studed 813 juveniles in Californian institutions who had negative dispositional features like childhood trauma, substance abuse and history of violence. They were more likely to be involved in suicidal activity, sexual misconduct and physical aggression compared to a control group with less negative dispositional features.

SE Deprivation model: Clemmer. Harsh prison conditions like lack of freedom, heterosexual intimacy and services are stressful to inmates so they turn to aggression to cope. Deprivation of material resources increased competition between inmates which was accompanied with aggression. If the nature of the prison regime is unpredictable, this can create frustration and even less access to resources. Aggression is an adaptive solution to the problem of deprivation.

Research:…