A union for prison officers believes taking a softer approach to dealing with inmates including using their first names is upsetting the prison hierarchy and leading to more guards being assaulted.
The Corrections Association or CANZ says prison officers are being encouraged to call prisoners by their first or last names as part of a shift in justice system aimed at treating inmates in more a more human way.
Some prisons are using the Māori word Paihere instead of inmate - it means to bundle or tie together.
Lisa Owen asked CANZ president Alan Whitley how he would address an inmate.
