Overview
In this assignment, you will be able to describe different cultures’ views on criminal justice professionals and identify incidents of misunderstandings. You will also be able to explain the current professional practices as well as the best practices that can help create cultural sensitivity in criminal justice professionals.
Prompt
At the beginning of the term, you discussed Culture in Communication and the ways in which individual implicit bias and stereotyping can lead to negative interactions between law enforcement professionals and members of the community. You then developed your own diversity training to assist sworn officers in reducing these incidents. Understanding the need for cultural awareness and sensitivity in law enforcement can help bridge the gap as well as build trust between sworn professionals and the community. This will also assist you in completed Module Five Assignment Onein this module.
In Project One, you chose a civilian role. In Project Three, your success in the first project has been recognized, and you will be asked to provide a report to the “Office of Accountability,” which would like to hear your thoughts on other relevant issues.
To help prepare you for this report, in this assignment you will focus on one culture or subculture and how its views of and past misunderstandings with criminal justice professionals might impact interactions between the groups. Choose a culture or subculture group other than your own that you would like to examine further. For each section below, provide the following:
Views
Summarize, in 150–300 words, an example of each of the following:
- Viewpoints your chosen culture or subculture group might have about criminal justice professionals
- An explanation of why this group might hold those views
Misunderstandings
Provide an example of a misunderstanding this culture or subculture group has had with criminal justice professionals. You may wish to consider one of the following areas. (Hint: You will need to provide an example of each of these areas in Project Three, so you may want to choose one of them now.)
- Language
- Religion/Beliefs
- Deafness
- Illiteracy
Professional Practices
Next, explore each of the professional practices listed below. For each practice, in 50–100 words, describe the practice and then bullet point some of the possible outcomes of instituting it. This will help prepare you to explore each of these practices and make recommendations to the “Office of Accountability” in Project Three. Refer to the Professional Practices Example PDF document for expectations and formatting guidelines for this section of the assignment.
- Understanding the public
- Diversity training
- Procedural justice
- Police legitimacy
- Diverse hiring practices
Specifically, the following rubric criteria must be addressed:
- Explore the viewpoints of a culture or subculture group and why that group might hold those views.
- Provide an example of a misunderstanding between a culture or subculture group and criminal justice professionals.
- Describe professional practices and possible outcomes.
Guidelines for Submission:
This assignment must be completed in written format. Any references must be cited in APA format. For more information on APA style, review the Shapiro Library APA Style Guide.
