AGGR - 9 - Institutional Aggression

Poll

What is the cause of insitutional violence?

• Violent people get put into prison and behave violently

• The conditions in prisons cause people to become violent

Open Ended

Outline the dispositional explanation for institutional aggression and describe how this perspective accounts for aggression in prisons (4 marks)

Open Ended

An expert in institutional aggression focuses on how living conditions and environment can affect prisoner aggression. He visits Sharksville prison where there has recently been a prison riot. He observes the prison accommodation, prison conditions and how decisions about daily routine at the prison are made.

From a situational explanation/deprivation model, describe what the expert could recommend to reduce institutional aggression at Sharksville prison

Possible content:

•  ways of reducing the negative effects of five types of deprivation (Sykes 1958) – liberty, autonomy, heterosexual relationships, goods/services, security
•   recommend prisoners have more space/liberty, eg fewer prisoners per cell, individual cells, use of open prisons, avoidance of over-crowding
•   recommend allowing access to material goods, services, visits etc to avoid deprivation
•   recommend more interesting daily routines, eg activities (learning/study opportunities, for the acquisition of new skills) to avoid boredom/aimlessness
•   recommend the prisoners be given some choice/influence over their daily routine to allow autonomy/control eg use prisoner representatives to contribute to decision-making.

Poll

What is the cause of insitutional violence?

• Violent people get put into prison and behave violently

• The conditions in prisons cause people to become violent