Discuss institutional explanations of aggression (24 marks)
Since prison aggression has been on the rise psychologists have tried to explain why aggression occurs in institutions. Two models have been developed: importation and deprivation. They focus on whether aggression is due to the persons characteristics or the situation they are in. Zimbardos prison experiment has also helped to contribute to research into this.
The importation model claims that those who engage in institutional violence are likely to have particular values/attitudes/experiences and that violence is a result of personal characteristics rather than the prison itself. It is also thought that because younger inmates have a harder time adjusting to the surroundings therefore are more likely to confront other inmates and staff with violence because they deem it an appropriate response. Other research has also shown that black people are more associated with institutional aggression because they ‘import’ cultural norms e.g. violence, from impoverished societies, into the prison therefore affecting other inmates and staff.
Harer and Steffenmeiser found that although white inmates had a higher level of alcohol and drugs misconduct, black inmates did display higher rates of violent behaviour. This supports the model because it shows that the racial differences and different characteristics that come with that are ‘imported’ into the prison. It was also found by Keller and Wang that high security inmates were most likely to assault staff. Inmates that had longer periods of unemployment and lower levels of education were also more likely to take part in prison violence (kane and janus).
However McCorkle claims that the model provides no insight into how to manage prison violence and that although the model believes that prior gang membership results in increased levels of violence, DeLisi found no