Waikato study tackles prison violence and gang culture

Changing the design of New Zealand prisons to allow more natural light and better ventilation could help to reduce the risk of violence, according to a University of Waikato clinical psychologist.

Armon Tamatea is working on a major national research project investigating three issues. These are the nature of prison violence, the role of gangs as a prison culture and community, and the impact of prisons as functional environments.

The NZ Department of Corrections is providing data for the project.