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You have to hit some people! Endorsing violent sentiments and the experience of grievance escalation in Australia

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 08:02 authored by Sally Kelty, Hall, G, Angela O'Brien-Malone
Criminal justice statistics show that Australia is the fourth highest nation for non-sexual violent assault and that most assaults are not random events. We investigated how grievances escalate into violence in a series of in-depth interviews with male maximum security prisoners who had a record of violent offences. Our analyses focused on the experience of grievance escalation and the justifications offered for the use of violence. We found that grievances were often triggered by psychological harm (broken promises, insults, inconsiderate behaviour) and that, although most of the men thought about the grievances only in terms of themselves and one other person, significant others, such as girlfriends or friends, on occasions provided weapons or encouraged violence. The involvement of significant others in escalating grievances suggests that violence prevention programs should include training in impression management and in skills to counter the insistence of girlfriends, family, and others for an aggressive response.

History

Publication title

Psychiatry, Psychology and Law

Volume

19

Pagination

299-313

ISSN

1934-1687

Department/School

School of Social Sciences

Publisher

Routledge

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Rehabilitation and correctional services

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    University Of Tasmania

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