ABSTRACT

In 2018 the Irish Prison Service (IPS) opened the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU), which became home to a small amount of prisoners managed under the Violently Disruptive Prisoner (VDP) policy, who were repeatedly engaged in very serious violence in prison. The NVRU shifted practice under the VDP policy to a joint operational-psychological approach, with the aim of understanding the violent behaviour of these prisoners and working with them to reduce it. This study explored NVRU prisoners’ understandings of the origins, experiences and expressions of their violent behaviour through the lens of the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF). Despite difficulties engaging this cohort, half (n = 3) of all prisoners residing in the NVRU during its first year participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants identified six themes: (1) power, (2) threat, (3) meaning, (4) threat response, (5) function of threat response and (6) moderating factors. In doing so they identified many a priori elements of the existing provisional PTMF, whilst also contributing novel elements related to their specific and subjective personal experiences. These findings are interpreted in the context of existing empirical research. Implications for future research, and policy and practice within and beyond the NVRU, are suggested.

摘要

2018 年，爱尔兰监狱管理局 (IPS) 设立了国家减少暴力部门 (NVRU)，该部门成为少数在暴力破坏性囚犯 (VDP) 政策下管理的囚犯的住所，这些囚犯在监狱中多次参与非常严重的暴力行为。NVRU 将 VDP 政策下的实践转变为联合行动心理方法，旨在了解这些囚犯的暴力行为并与他们合作减少暴力行为。本研究通过权力威胁含义框架 (PTMF) 的视角，探讨了 NVRU 囚犯对其暴力行为的起源、经历和表达的理解。尽管吸引这群人遇到困难，一半（n = 3) 居住在 NVRU 的所有囚犯在第一年期间参加了半结构化访谈。参与者确定了六个主题：(1) 权力、(2) 威胁、(3) 意义、(4) 威胁响应、(5) 威胁响应的功能和 (6) 调节因素。在此过程中，他们确定了现有临时 PTMF 的许多先验要素，同时还贡献了与其具体和主观的个人经历相关的新颖要素。这些发现是在现有实证研究的背景下进行解释的。提出了对 NVRU 内部和外部的未来研究、政策和实践的影响。