Institutional aggression - Situational factors

Question 1

What are situational factors ?

Answer 1

The reason for prisoners aggression is external to their personal characteristics and is due to the prison environment.

(Stressful/unpleasant)
(Design/Organisation of prison management)

(Criminogenic)

Question 2

What does it mean to say the prison is criminogenic?

Answer 2

The prisons itself is the cause of prisoners aggressive behaviour.

Question 3

What are physical characteristics of prisons?

Answer 3

Poor layout - Cramped spaces - excessive noise - access to improvised weapons.

CCTV blind spots can lead to fear of being attacked.

Lack/poor facilities like gyms - workshops - libraries - Education
Can lead to boredom/frustration

Question 4

Explain the characteristics of prison staff

Answer 4

Large numbers of poorly trained guards so cannot diffuse aggressive situations.

Racial/Gender mismatch between staff and prisoners.

Question 5

What is the deprivation model?

Answer 5

Prisoners are deprived of,
Freedom/autonomy
Sense of safety
Lack heterosexual relationships

(Can link to humanistic approach)
(Maslow hierarchy of needs)
(Rogers - Concurrence - Ideal/Perceived self)

Question 6

What does deprivation and the physical situation of the prison cause ?

Answer 6

Frustration fear - Lead to aggression
(Expressive violence)
It is an unplanned response of aggression to the conditions.