NCJ Number
227410
Journal
Criminal Behavior and Mental Health Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: 2009 Pages: 28-42
Date Published
2009
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the structure of a new attitudinal scale, the Prison Bullying Scale (PBS), with adult men and women in prison and with young male prisoners.
Abstract
The PBS has potential for furthering research into the association between attitudes and aggression. It was proven to represent an internally reliable measure with a general convergence on the majority of factors across samples. Findings show that attitudes towards prison bullying were shown to comprise a number of factors. This is consistent with previous research on the development of general aggression scales which shows that attitudes are better represented by a range of factors rather than a single one. Findings suggest that this can be extended to the offender population and is consistent with the prediction that attitudes are multidimensional, not one-dimensional. The analysis of the PBS indicated seven core factors: justifying bullying; negative views towards victims; negative views towards bullies and bullying; respecting bullies and the consequences of their actions; considering bullies as strong and skillful; viewing victims as attention-seekers who cause bullying; and viewing victims as deserving of bullying. The exploratory analysis demonstrated the existence of views explicitly supportive of bullying, including justifying aggression and respecting perpetrators. Data were collected from 1,037 prisoners (718 men, 148 women, and 171 young male offenders) using a questionnaire. Tables, figures, and references