ABSTRACT
Bullying can be defined in various ways (see Chapter 1, this volume). Here I will define bullying as ‘any behaviour whose intention is to intimidate in order to get what one wants, and/or where seeing another rendered fearful and intimated is the purpose of the behaviour itself’. Given this type of definition, then, (unfortunately) it is easy to see that bullying is a very common social behaviour noted throughout human history and in many animals. Hence, before we look at bullying in prisons specifically it is useful to contextualize the discussion of bullying in a historical and cultural light. Bullying in prisons is obviously not some abnormal behaviour that is simply created by that ecology or pathological personalities. History shows all too well how societies and groups bully and exploit other groups and operate reigns of terror (Gay 1995). For example, the Roman Empire was well known for it use of crucifixation as a source of terror to maintain order and control; and, indeed, torture, fear and intimidation have been common ways for political elites to maintain their control (Millett 1995). Bullying and intimidation also operate in various subgroups including those ‘ruled’ by the various warlords, criminal and paramilitary groups who may use punishment beatings to bully and intimidate. In Northern Ireland, those beaten are often young men with little power to fight back. An evolutionary view might be that this is a good way to undermine (young) competitor male behaviour and force them to stay loyal to the hierarchy. In other cultures women can be bullied and intimidated in order to control their sexuality, especially when ‘male honour’ is linked to the control of female sexuality (Lindisfarne 1998; Figueredo et al. 2001).
