Bad Apples or a Corrupting Environment? Relational Origins of Organizational Deviance in Turkish Correctional Institutions

Despite the extensive literature on organizational deviance, little is known about how such behaviors emerge and persist through relational dynamics in correctional settings in Türkiye. Drawing on 284 newspaper-reported cases (2000–2025), this study employs thematic analysis to examine the relational production of deviance in inmate–staff interactions. The findings demonstrate that deviance is collectively and institutionally sustained through silence, hierarchy, and mutual dependency. Three forms are identified: deviance against inmates, deviance against the institution, and inmate-initiated deviance. The study advances the literature by conceptualizing a relational continuity–normalization–institutionalization trajectory and underscores the need for multilevel accountability, independent oversight, and ethics training.