Bullying in prisons : bringing research up to date

Bullying among prisoners is a topic of particular interest on a number of grounds: academically, you have the opportunity to explore aggression between sex-segregated groups representing extreme samples of the general population, samples who are residing in unique environments that arguably serve to promote bullying behaviour (Ireland, 2005); and on practice-grounds, there is a need to refine and evaluate prison-based anti-bullying strategies and approaches, accounting for the elevated levels of bullying reported in comparison to other populations, and the absence of theory evident in current strategies (Ireland, 2005). The current chapter aims to provide readers with an outline of some core findings and developments in this important field of study, developments that have occurred over the last decade. The ultimate aim is to provide a timely and current understanding of prison bullying which can serve to promote empirical research and drive the development of theoretically and empirically justified intervention programmes. Developments across the last decade have been most significant in the areas of defining prison bullying; the nature and extent of bullying and the influence of methods of measurement; in predicting and defining group membership; and in recognising the role of the environment and the underpinning value of theory. Each of these areas will be considered in turn, with the chapter concluding by identifying, based on the research and theoretical developments, how bullying within prisons can be effectively managed.