title: Violence in New Zealand women's prisons

authors: Lancaster, Fraya Eileen

subjects: violence

abstract: Female violence in institutional settings is a growing issue as female incarceration numbers have been persistently increasing over the past three decades in New Zealand. Women’s prison violence and misconduct behaviours currently possess minimal exploration worldwide due to violent women being small in numbers until recent years, and female prisoners have posed significantly fewer problems towards correctional facilities compared to male prisoners. With evidence of New Zealand’s women prison muster inflating and minimal research on women’s aggressive behaviour, there is an increased importance for the current study. This explorative study evaluated the prevalence of violent behaviour and misconduct in New Zealand’s three women’s prisons using the Department of Correction’s administrative data to examine the relationships between predictor variables and violent misconduct. Participants included 2,038 prisoners who had been cited for 11,368 rule violations between the years 2012 and 2017, with incidents including physical violence, verbal violence, property violence, and non-violent incidents. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics and distribution of the sample and data. Analysis of covariance was employed to investigate the effects of violation frequencies and gang membership on the prisoners’ risk of reconviction multiplied by risk of imprisonment (RoC*RoI) scores while controlling for the effects of age as a covariate. Non-parametric tests were used where appropriate to identify the differences between groups. The results illustrated that there were significant correlations between violation frequencies and RoC*RoI scores and that prisoners with a higher risk of reoffending had higher counts of violations. There was a significant effect of gang membership and RoC*RoI scores on violation frequencies, as gang-affiliated prisoners were more likely to have high RoC*RoI scores as well as higher rates of violations. A significant correlation between age groups and violation frequencies was identified, demonstrating that younger prisoners were more prone to engaging in violence and misconduct compared to older prisoners. Violation frequencies differed between prisons, as one prison reported lower numbers of violations in comparison to the remaining two prisons. This study established three key predictors of misconduct, which is a valuable contribution to the correctional literature.

text: Violence in New Zealand women's prisons Female violence in institutional settings is a growing issue as female incarceration numbers have been persistently increasing over the past three decades in New Zealand. Women’s prison violence and misconduct behaviours currently possess minimal exploration worldwide due to violent women being small in numbers until recent years, and female prisoners have posed significantly fewer problems towards correctional facilities compared to male prisoners. With evidence of New Zealand’s women prison muster inflating and minimal research on women’s aggressive behaviour, there is an increased importance for the current study. This explorative study evaluated the prevalence of violent behaviour and misconduct in New Zealand’s three women’s prisons using the Department of Correction’s administrative data to examine the relationships between predictor variables and violent misconduct. Participants included 2,038 prisoners who had been cited for 11,368 rule violations between the years 2012 and 2017, with incidents including physical violence, verbal violence, property violence, and non-violent incidents. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics and distribution of the sample and data. Analysis of covariance was employed to investigate the effects of violation frequencies and gang membership on the prisoners’ risk of reconviction multiplied by risk of imprisonment (RoC*RoI) scores while controlling for the effects of age as a covariate. Non-parametric tests were used where appropriate to identify the differences between groups. The results illustrated that there were significant correlations between violation frequencies and RoC*RoI scores and that prisoners with a higher risk of reoffending had higher counts of violations. There was a significant effect of gang membership and RoC*RoI scores on violation frequencies, as gang-affiliated prisoners were more likely to have high RoC*RoI scores as well as higher rates of violations. A significant correlation between age groups and violation frequencies was identified, demonstrating that younger prisoners were more prone to engaging in violence and misconduct compared to older prisoners. Violation frequencies differed between prisons, as one prison reported lower numbers of violations in comparison to the remaining two prisons. This study established three key predictors of misconduct, which is a valuable contribution to the correctional literature.

year: 2020

title: Accounting employers' expectations - the ideal accounting graduates

authors: Low, Mary

subjects: Accounting employers

abstract: This research examined what accounting employers are seeking in their ‘ideal’ accounting graduate and sought to provide clarification on the ‘expectation gap’ between what accounting employers require in their graduates, and the skills these graduates are exhibiting. Adopting a qualitative research method, this research paper draws on semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face with participants from key accounting employers. This research found that, in terms of technical skills, employers require at least a sound understanding of the fundamental technical accounting skills. However, beyond this, little more is expected technically of graduates as the requisite technical skills are learned ‘on the job’. Findings also suggest that the touted ‘expectation gap’ is not as pervasive as prior literature has suggested. Over half of employers also believed universities are preparing students adequately for the workplace, although this seemed to be moderated by an opinion among employers that this is “as well as an academic institution can do.” Based on the findings, some key recommendations were made. These include a greater inclusion of non-technical skills in accounting education through the incorporation of practical case study problems into accounting curricula, involving group discussion and the production of written reports and business presentations for their ‘client’ as well as the continued encouragement of internship opportunities within university degrees.

text: Accounting employers' expectations - the ideal accounting graduates This research examined what accounting employers are seeking in their ‘ideal’ accounting graduate and sought to provide clarification on the ‘expectation gap’ between what accounting employers require in their graduates, and the skills these graduates are exhibiting. Adopting a qualitative research method, this research paper draws on semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face with participants from key accounting employers. This research found that, in terms of technical skills, employers require at least a sound understanding of the fundamental technical accounting skills. However, beyond this, little more is expected technically of graduates as the requisite technical skills are learned ‘on the job’. Findings also suggest that the touted ‘expectation gap’ is not as pervasive as prior literature has suggested. Over half of employers also believed universities are preparing students adequately for the workplace, although this seemed to be moderated by an opinion among employers that this is “as well as an academic institution can do.” Based on the findings, some key recommendations were made. These include a greater inclusion of non-technical skills in accounting education through the incorporation of practical case study problems into accounting curricula, involving group discussion and the production of written reports and business presentations for their ‘client’ as well as the continued encouragement of internship opportunities within university degrees.

year: 2016

title: Parallel development: A model for the delivery of culturally safe social services

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: Social services

abstract: Like many other former colonies, Aotearoa/New Zealand has witnessed the assertion of the rights of the indigenous people, Maori, to be self-determining in an environment of Pakeha domination. (The term Pakeha is often used to describe white New Zealanders, most of whom are of British descent.) This has important implications for the development of social services where new models are being developed to better reflect Maori aspirations. One such model is parallel development.

text: Parallel development: A model for the delivery of culturally safe social services Like many other former colonies, Aotearoa/New Zealand has witnessed the assertion of the rights of the indigenous people, Maori, to be self-determining in an environment of Pakeha domination. (The term Pakeha is often used to describe white New Zealanders, most of whom are of British descent.) This has important implications for the development of social services where new models are being developed to better reflect Maori aspirations. One such model is parallel development.

year: 1995-06-01