4.8 • +11k Ratings
Save
Print
Edit
One of the core themes of prison life is the aggression and violence that surrounds it. Despite the reality, prison is portrayed as a place to be feared and where aggression and violence are rife. The media only contributes to this. Many TV TV shows and films perpetuate the idea of gang life and criminal behaviour in the prison environment, but this is contrary to the goals of the prison system.
However, we must ask ourselves why aggression is associated with prison in the first place. Is it because of the prisoners themselves? Or do prison grounds breed this behaviour due to the nature of the punishment? Sykes’ deprivation model addresses this question. The situational approach sees the problem in the situation, i.e., in prison.
In psychology, we distinguish importation and deprivation models of imprisonment and an interactions model, which we will dissect in this article.
Prisoner in jail, Flaticon
The deprivation model explains aggression in prisons. Gresham Sykes developed it in his 1958 book ‘The Society of Captives’.
Sykes’ model assumes that aggression is situational; it arises from external circumstances rather than internal factors. The model proposes five pains of imprisonment, i.e., types of deprivations that produce aggressive feelings and behaviours in prison inmates.
Sykes model proposes that aggression in prison inmates occurs due to multiple environmental factors. The five types of deprivation that Sykes describes are as follows:
Deprivation of heterosexual intimacy.
The deprivation of heterosexual intimacy describes how heterosexual inmates are mostly cannot continue or begin relationships or experience intimacy with their preferred gendered partner, leading to feelings of low self-worth, especially in male inmates.
Deprivation of security.
The deprivation of security describes how inmates may feel unsafe or that their safety is threatened whilst in prison.
These are the ‘pains of imprisonment’.
Sykes states these deprivations lead to many negative feelings such as helplessness and low-self worth, leading to aggression.
Prison deprivation, Pixabay
The deprivation model shows how these situational factors can affect the likelihood of exhibiting aggression. Here are some deprivation model examples of how you can see this:
An inmate who is usually independent on the outside has difficulty adjusting to the structure of his days in prison, causing him to feel frustrated and more likely to act aggressively.
On her first day in prison, an inmate sees a fight and shares a cell with the fight’s instigator, who physically intimidates her. She feels unsafe and may show aggression so that her new cellmate will not so easily attack her.
What evidence can we find for the Sykes deprivation model in psychological research?
A 2009 study by Benjamin Steiner investigated the deprivation model. In the study, he found that inmate-on-inmate aggression increased when there were more female staff on shift and when there was overcrowding, supporting the idea that situational factors increase aggression.
For three years, researchers observed young offenders in American prisons. They found that the more living space the inmates had, the less aggressive they became. This finding supports the deprivation model, as small living spaces can contribute to the deprivation of autonomy and security. This finding also supports the idea that situational factors cause aggression.
There are a few strengths to this theory.
Studies like Steiner’s and Mergargee’s help show how effective this model is at explaining aggression and the role of situational factors in aggression. Another study by Mark Cunningham (2010) also found similar results to Steiner, further supporting the theory. Their findings suggest this model is a reliable explanation for aggression in prison inmates.
Another strength of this is that it is easy to use to implement strategies to lower aggression and violence in prisons.
For example, allowing prisoners more personal freedoms such as choosing what time they’d like to have breakfast out of a few options may help reduce their feelings of deprivation of autonomy and, therefore, reduce their likelihood of behaving aggressively.
This example indicates that this research has practical, real-life applications that benefit inmates and broader society.
Similarly, the theory also has its weaknesses.
Despite a lot of supporting evidence, research also challenges the deprivation model. For example, a study by Hensley et al. (2002) found that when prisoners were allowed conjugal visits to still have intimacy with their partners, it did not affect levels of aggression.
Another weakness of this model is that it ignores any biological factors and their influence on aggression, such as testosterone levels (which have been found to increase aggression, Batrinos, 2012). It also ignores mental health conditions (Alcorn et al., 2013), such as antisocial personality disorder, which has also been shown to increase aggressive behaviour in some individuals. The importation model (Irwin and Cressey, 1962) explores these dispositional factors of aggression that challenge the deprivation model.
In a sense, the import model is the opposite of the deprivation model. Irwin and Cressey (1962) argued that the internal characteristics of the prisoners in question are brought into prison with them because they come from a violent/criminal background, as opposed to arguing that the confinement of prison produces violent/criminal behaviour through deprivation.
The importation model also emphasises the narrow view of the deprivation model and asserts that the deprivation model does not correctly explain the factors outside the prison situation that contribute to violent behaviour. It also highlights the problems with the model’s failure to account for past experiences or future experiences when the individual’s situation has changed.
As we may know, prisoners often have contacts inside and outside their environment, contributing to their behaviour and access to specific situations or opportunities.
Thus, the importation model builds on the deprivation model by acknowledging the factors the deprivation model does not mention and expanding on the factors that influence behaviour in a prison setting.
The interactionist model combines the approaches of both the deprivation model and importation model, rather than viewing them as competing ideas. This model suggests that a combination of dispositional (personality) and situational factors contribute to whether someone acts aggressively.
This model takes a more holistic approach as it considers multiple factors contributing to aggression. Humans are complex beings, so it is reductionist to explain behaviour by only viewing one explanation for inmates’ aggression.
Jiang and Fisher-Giorlando (2002) suggest that both factors affect different types of aggression. They suggested that dispositional factors better explain aggression amongst inmates, while situational factors better explain inmates’ aggression toward prison staff, such as guards.
Dobbs and Waid (2004) suggest an alternative interactionist perspective. They argue that all inmates will experience some form of deprivation when they enter prison, and whether or not these situational factors cause them to become aggressive is based on already present dispositional factors.
The deprivation model explains aggression within prisons, developed by Gresham Sykes in his 1958 book ‘The Society of Captives’. Sykes suggests that aggression is situational; it occurs due to external circumstances rather than internal factors.
The deprivation model explains aggression within prisons, developed by Gresham Sykes in his 1958 book ‘The Society of Captives’. Sykes suggests that aggression is situational; it occurs due to external circumstances rather than internal factors.
The five types of deprivation that Sykes describes are as follows:
The model suggests five pains of imprisonment, which are types of deprivation that cause aggressive feelings and behaviour in prison inmates.
Be perfectly prepared on time with an individual plan.
Test your knowledge with gamified quizzes.
Create and find flashcards in record time.
Create beautiful notes faster than ever before.
Have all your study materials in one place.
Upload unlimited documents and save them online.
Identify your study strength and weaknesses.
Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them.
Stop procrastinating with our study reminders.
Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying.
Create flashcards in notes completely automatically.
Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates.
Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.
