Tess Chalmers

Citation

Thesis Title
Exploring Maori Identity Behind Closed Doors: an investigation of Maori cultural identity and offender change within Waikeria Prison's Maori Focus Unit Te Ao Marama.

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Maori are continually over-represented within New Zealand’s incarcerated population. An attempt to address this concern led to the development of the Maori Focus Unit (MFU). The MFU aims to strengthen offenders tikanga Maori values, in the hope that offenders become less criminally motivated. Ms Chalmers investigated whether participating in Waikeria Prison’s MFU- Te Ao Marama (TAM), resulted in attitudinal and behavioural change in offenders, and explored offenders’ perceptions of what they believed contibuted to any change experienced. Results suggested significant change across wellbeing, anti-social attitudes and cognitions, and pro-social and anti-social behaviour over time spent in TAM. Furthermore, offenders predominantly reported that their experience in TAM had strengthened their Maori cultural identity, and that as a result, they had experienced the changes across the aforementioned constructs.  In conclusion, Ms Chalmers’s study may potentially provide information in the establishment of other therapeutic environments aimed at increasing Maori cultural identity.

Supervisors
Dr Mei Wah Williams
Mr Jhan Gavala