Bullying

Introduction

There is debate surrounding the concept of bullying, particularly when it is applied to a prison population. According to Sutton, Smith and Swettenham (1999) bullying is generally unprovoked, repeated and based on a power imbalance, and it includes an intention to cause harm and involves some form of physical, psychological and/or verbal abuse (p. 435). Yet there remains no universally agreed-upon definition of bullying. Nansel (2003) investigated the occurrence of prison violence and suggest that there are four defining features of prison bullying (p. 348). These include one individual establishing a position of dominance over another; the use of intimidation to create a position of dominance; the abuse of power to exploit another; and the persistence of exploitation over a period of time.

Discussion

Thompson, Whitney and Smith reviewed the occurrence of bullying in prison and suggest that bullying behavior, particularly physical and verbal bullying, is more prevalent among younger prisoners than adult prisoners (p. 103). Similarly, the authors suggest that male and female prisoners engage in similar types of bullying behavior but that this differs in the frequency within which it occurs. Based upon a review of the literature, Ireland proposes that physical bullying appears to be more prevalent among male prisoners, while psychological bullying seems to occur more frequently among female prisoners. However, Ireland concludes that more research needs to be conducted before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

Types of Bullying

Physical

Psychological

Verbal

Social

Strike

Insults

Gossip

Kicking foot

Insults

Rumors

Give punches

Comments about appearance or manner of speaking

Act as if the person does not exist

Pushing, or shoving

Threats

Do not include a person in the group's activities

Fly

Sexual harassment

Violence in dating relationships

Comments based on ethno-cultural

The public tends to inform social issues in the media rather than in trade journals or research papers. The news media, both television and print media, attract public attention to bullying incidents. However, media coverage can dramatize an issue, with all the unintended consequences that this may cause. Sensationalist titles like "Attack with a knife in a school, a student is arrested," "Young offenders and their victims are armed and dangerous" and "Massacre at a school in the Maritimes avoided through a pipe" lead parents to fear escalating violence in school. In fact, the opposite happens: the shootings and knife attacks remain rare and isolated incidents.

Fears felt by parents to read the tragic incident reports presented by the media can have beneficial effects in that they encourage community members to join their efforts to find solutions. However, pressure from the public, sometimes leading to expedients that can have unfortunate consequences. For example, according to research conducted and the solutions that emphasize repression at the expense of cooperation such as zero tolerance policies in schools (who advocate the expulsion, the use of metal detectors and surveillance cameras) do are no good means of prevention against bullying by several researchers.

Further coverage of bullying, the popular media influence on children by exposing them to violence in television, movies, music and video games. Aggressive children are more likely than others to be attracted by violence exposed in the media and take ...