Aggression- Institutional aggression (prisons)

Question 1

what are institutions?

Answer 1

places where there are strict rules that give little choice to members of that institution

Question 2

give three examples of institutions

Answer 2

psych wards
prisons
orphanges

Question 3

what is institutional aggression?

Answer 3

aggressive behaviours adopted by members of an institution e.g. prisoners may form gangs that commit violence against other inmates

Question 4

what do situational explanations of institutional aggression suggest account for aggression in prisons?

Answer 4

aggression in prisons is the result of environmental factors, including crowded conditions and stressful environments

Question 5

what is the deprivation model?

Answer 5

this claims that it is the characteristics of the prison that accounts for violence. the experience of imprisonment causes inmates stress and frustration, leading to violence
-an inmate’s behaviour is a response to problems of adjustment caused by the pains of imprisonment and environmental deprivations

Question 6

name some features of the deprivation model

Answer 6

-deprivation of liberty
-deprivation of autonomy
-deprivation of goods
-deprivation of heterosexual relationships
-deprivation of security

Question 7

what is deprivation of liberty?
(deprivation model)

Answer 7

people are deprived of freedom, they are punished when sent to prison and forced to remain with no freedom
-prisoners often have to obtain permission to eat/ sleep, shower etc

Question 8

what is deprivation of autonomy?
(deprivation model)

Answer 8

no power and few choices- leads to a feeling of almost helplessness among inmates
= leads to frustration and aggression

Question 9

what is deprivation of goods?
(deprivation model)

Answer 9

restrictions with access to goods can cause resentment among prisoners= anger and aggression
e.g. mobile phones, most likely taken off them and unable to make calls as and when they please
-not allowed to contact family as often as they like may lead to tension arising

Question 10

what is deprivation of heterosexual relationships?
(deprivation model)

Answer 10

inability to form relationships and experience emotional intimacy with a person of the opposite sex- this is important to many
-some miss the chance to have sex
-leads to increased violence

Question 11

what is deprivation of security?
(deprivation model)

Answer 11

prisoners live in fear of aggression from other inmates= more physical threat
= more aggressive response as a form of defence
- this is due to a lack of safety

Question 12

name three characteristics of a prison that can influence aggression

Answer 12

overcrowding
heat and noise
job burnout

Question 13

describe prison characteristics as a situational explanation of aggression

Answer 13

violent prisoners may only be violent in certain circumstances

Question 14

how can the characteristic of overcrowding influence aggression in prisons?

Answer 14

evidence has found higher rates of murder, suicide and assaults linked with increased overcrowding in British prisons
-Japanese study found prison population density had an effect on inmate- inmate violence rates, even after controlling for other contributing factors

Question 15

how can the characteristic of heat and noise influence aggression in prisons?

Answer 15

prisons can be hot and noisy places, high temperatures and noise exacerbate the effects of overcrowding, can predipose inmates to aggressive behaviour
-high tempts and high pop density creates negative emotions, compared to when temperatures were comfortable and lower population density

Question 16

how can the characteristic of job burnout influence aggression in prisons?

Answer 16

job burnout among prison staff is the experience of being psychologically worn out and exhausted from a job and a gradual loss of caring about the people with whom they work with
-this may lead to violence because of a deterioration in relationships with inmates and the overall functioning of the prison

Question 17

name some strategies that could be implemented to minimise institutional aggression in prisons

Answer 17

-reducing crowding
-family/ partner visits
-more staff to reduce job burnout- guards get more breaks, therapy etc
-comfortable temperatures
-lower noise levels

Question 18

A03 situational explanations
supporting study for deprivation model- Hasbach 2016

Answer 18

E: research found that when prisoners watched nature videos, there was a 26% reduction in violent infractions among inmates- this improved behaviour
E: this supports the deprivation model as being deprived from liberty (limited time allowed outside in courtyard) may increase violence, exposing inmates to nature and outside may improve mental health
-this is a cost effective tool to reduce stress and improve prison behaviour
L: therefore, increases validity and credibility for deprivation model to explaining aggression

Question 19

A03 situational explanations
opposition to supporting studies- range of factors (McGuire 2018)

Answer 19

E: key findings from this report highlight how both dispositional and situational factors (prison environment) impacts levels of institutional aggression
e.g. aggression is impacted by the physically poor conditions and overcrowding of the highly controlled prison environment
E: violence is more likely to occur when places have low purpose etc, therefore, this highlights the importance of a more holistic account of institutional aggression that considers both dispositional and situational factors- not considered in isolation

Question 20

A03 situational explanations
debates- determinism

Answer 20

P: situational explanations provide a deterministic account of institutional aggression
E: this explanation suggests that the environment plays a role, characteristics of the prison and deprivation causes aggression, the prisoner is not to blame - no free will
E: therefore, this can be problematic as inmates do not take accountability for their aggressive behaviour in prisons, therefore do not feel responsible to try and behave better

Question 21

A03 situational explanations
practical applications

Answer 21

E: institutional aggression could be reduced by improving the conditions of the environment in prisons, such as reducing overcrowding, enhancing privacy and offering more recreational opportunities to reduce frustration and deprivation
E: therefore, such explanations are useful in helping to control levels of aggression within institutions

however
-this will take a long time to implement, is expensive and requires huge investment and change to the national prison system
-do poor conditions encourage prisoners to improve behaviour and be better?

Question 22

A03 situational explanations
prison riots support and refute this explanation

Answer 22

E: prison riots can occur when there has been a withdrawal of privileges or a lack of explanation as to why the daily routine has changed
E: supports- reduced outdoor time, restricted access to goods and less autonomy can increase aggression
opposition- riots can also flare up with no reason whatsoever- a situational influence cannot always be identified- suggests other factors must play a role e.g. dispositional- no clear cause and effect
L: therefore, holistic approach?- reduces credibility

Question 23

what model is used for the dispositional explanations of institutional aggression?

Answer 23

the importation model

Question 24

what is the importation model?

Answer 24

suggests that aggression in prisons is because of the individual/ personal characteristics that prisoners have brought into the prison with them
-people who are aggressive outside prison are also aggressive inside prison- behaviour has been imported

Question 25

what characteristics are linked to aggression that can be imported into prisons?

Answer 25

-personal views and attitudes -previous experience -genetics -testosterone levels -age -level of education

Question 26

explain how personal views and attitudes can import aggression into prisons

Answer 26

this may cause them to be violent, they may believe that violence is an acceptable response to conflict

Question 27

explain how previous experience can import aggression into prisons

Answer 27

e.g. belonging to a gang or having early experiences such as abuse, leaving with them issues that create antisocial behaviour- teaching them to be more violent

Question 28

explain how testosterone levels is linked with importing aggression into prisons

Answer 28

correlational evidence suggests that higher levels of testosterone in men are associated with increases in male-typical behaviours, such as physical aggression and anger -testosterone is an imported characteristic that might impact aggressive behaviour within an institution

Question 29

explain how genetics can import aggression into prisons

Answer 29

genetics may make an individual more prone to aggression e.g. carrying the MAOA gene or less activity in their prefrontal cortex meaning that they have less control over impulsive behaviour

Question 30

explain how age is linked with importing aggression into prisons

Answer 30

younger inmates may find it harder to adjust to prison life and be more violent as they engage in more crime and see aggression as an appropriate way of responding to situations

Question 31

explain how level of education is linked with importing aggression into prisons

Answer 31

a negative correlation has been suggested between education and institutional aggression -high levels of aggression correlated with low education levels

Question 32

A03 dispositional explanations supporting study- Kane and Janus

Answer 32

E: Kane and Janus 1981 found that the number of violent offences in prison was related to the learned history of the offender. prisoners with lower levels of education, more serious criminal record more time unemployment in their life- more likely to be aggressive and violent in prison E: this supports levels of education which is correlated with high levels of aggression -therefore, dispositional factors must play a role

Question 33

A03 dispositional explanations strength- debates

Answer 33

P: this explanation looks at prisoners in an idiographic way E: this theory argues that the effects of experience and predisposition accounts for aggression- considers individual experiences and background E: as such, this explanation explains why some institutionalised offenders are violent and others are not- it recognises individual differences

Question 34

A03 dispositional explanations opposition to supporting studies- McGuire

Answer 34

McGuire in 2018 demonstrated the importance of a range of factors in institutional aggression E: found that imported characteristics (e.g. age) and the prison environment itself (situational) impacts levels of institutional aggression e.g. youth, antisocial attitudes E: therefore, this highlights the importance of a more holistic account of institutional aggression that considers both dispositional and situational factors, neither should be considered in isolation

Question 35

A03 dispositional explanations application

Answer 35

P: it can be practically difficult to implement strategies to reduce institutional aggression according to this explanation E: personality personal views, genetics etc causes aggression, hard to address underlying cognitive distortions and personality issues etc- cannot change individual aspects E: therefore, this explanation cannot address and manage issues of institutional aggression whereas, the situational explanation can be directly changed as the prison environment can be altered e.g. reducing overcrowding

Question 36

A03 dispositional explanations extension point- gender differences

Answer 36

P: support for gender differences in institutional aggression E: Harer and Langan compared violence in male and female instituions, female serious violence rate was only 11% of the male serious violence rate- demonstrate male are more aggressive- genetic predisposition E: dispositional explaantion best explains this difference- both genders were in the same environment

Question 37

A03 dispositional explanations extension point- gender differences COUNTER POINT

Answer 37

however it is difficult to understand whether males and females experience similar levels of 'pain' and deprivation in prison, as they are contained in separate institutions, situational factors may differ e.g. women have maternity wards, men suffer from more deprivation due to higher security measures -this may downplay the importance of imported characteristics