Bullying behaviour among women in prison

Most research on violence and bullying in prisons, or indeed research in prisons generally, focuses on men. As 95 per cent of the prison population worldwide is male, this is hardly surprising. Violent offences are a more common reason for men to be sent to prison; likewise, violence is a more prevalent feature of prison life among men. The research that has been done on women in prison shows, however, that bullying is an important feature of their imprisonment as well (see, for example, Loucks 1998; Grant 1999; Alarid 2000). Moreover, studies of bullying among women hold important lessons for understanding the dynamics of bullying and aggression and for refining definitions of these.