According the U.S. Census bureau (2010), the United States population is increasing at record speeds. The population as of 2010 is approximately 310 million two hundred million of which are White, and 100 million of which are of minority status. This document is designed to discuss the pros and cons that of contemporary cultural diversity that exist within the criminal justice systems correctional facilities, court systems, law enforcement, and legislative body.
On November 23, 2010, the Cape Coral police department was under investigation by the department of justice as a result of numerous reoccurring complaints filed by citizens from the Black Race, and Latino Origin. Members from both the Black and Latino community stated officers on the Cape Coral police department discriminate against Blacks and Latino’s during motor vehicle stops, on the street, and when requesting assistance (Cape-Coral-Daily-Breeze, 2010).
At the department any individual seeking to file a complaint against an officer must speak to a supervisor prior to filing a complaint. Complaint forms are not present for citizen access and the wait time to speak with a supervisor is approximately one to two hours. When speaking with an administrator regarding police misconduct, citizens are threatened and intimidated directly and indirectly on grounds of perjury (Cape-Coral-Daily-Breeze, 2010).
What is Contemporary Cultural Diversity?
Contemporary cultural diversity is a group of people residing in a geographical location in modern day whose beliefs differ in numerous ways from that of one’s neighbor as a result of religious and spiritual practices, family values, morals, and ethnic background.
Issues in the criminal justice system concerning cultural diversity?
Many issues exist in the criminal justice system as a result of cultural diversity. Bias, prejudice, and discrimination can be witnessed in the court correctional, law enforcement, and legislative body of all which negatively affects minorities and women.
New ideas can be shared for the purpose of establishing a system that is fair, just, and equal to all individuals legal and illegal here in the United States charged with a crime.
Cultural diversity in the correctional system
1. Diversified correctional staff – can offer a wide-range of benefits, such as alleviating prison violence as a result of ignorance within a culturally diverse prison population. Correctional staff will be provided with training focuses on detecting and preventing issues before problems escalate to a serious dangerous level (Tarver, 2001).
2. Problems with diversity in the prison and jail population – creates numerous problems, such as verbal and physical confrontations resulting from lack of miscommunication, and understanding of another inmate’s cultural beliefs. A culturally diverse prison population drastically increases violence, such as sexual, physical, and verbal assaults all of which cause unnecessary stress, anxiety, depression, suicide, injury, and death (Tarver, 2001).
3. Benefits of a multicultural population – Inmates who take the incentive to enter and successfully complete rehabilitation programs will do so in a culturally diverse atmosphere. These inmates will learn one’s ethnic background does not justify prejudice, racism, and discrimination, which are the primary causes of the growing number of hate crimes in the United States (Tarver, 2001).
Cultural diversity in law enforcement
1. Diversity within the department-creates an atmosphere allowing individual officers the ability to share creative ideas that can produce an effective, efficient, department.
2. Enhances community policing strategies-society will witness officers from different ethnicities working together without conflict. This in return, displays people from different cultures can coexist. Law enforcement will be better capable of obtaining assistance from society during investigations as a result of establishing trust, and a rapport with community members of all ethnic backgrounds (Harley, 2008).
3. Cultural diversity classes – educates law enforcement officers in areas of religion and spiritual beliefs, personal beliefs, morals, and effective communication. In return, law enforcement is provided with tools necessary when attempting to prevent unethical behavior, bias, prejudice, and discrimination during discretion towards individuals of color, sexual preference, gender, age, and religious-spiritual beliefs (Harley, 2008).
4. Benefits – improve policing, reduce misunderstandings that can create confrontation, alleviate Civil Rights violations, civil litigations, criminal charges against civilians and officers, alleviate police misconduct and brutality, departmental reprimand, and negative media attention. In addition, provides equal opportunity to all individuals (Johns, 2004).
5. Negatives – reduces racial profiling, Civil Rights violations, loss of trust in law enforcement, unwillingness by society to cooperate with law enforcement, and increases dangers to citizens and law enforcement (Johns, 2004).
Cultural diversity in the court system
1. Positives – Judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and courtroom work group will be better prepared to deal with individuals from different cultural backgrounds as a result of relating to and sympathizing with an individual’s cultural beliefs (James, 2002).
2. Negatives – Unfair sentencing procedures and practices as a result of disparity and discrimination in the court system. Judges apply bias, prejudice, and discriminatory action against minorities as a result of personal beliefs. Prosecutors apply discriminatory actions and consider extralegal factors during plea negotiation, when deciding to move forward with a case, and when deciding to drop a case (James, 2002).
Cultural diversity in the legislative body
1. Laws are implemented on a majority vote or by people in power. The majority can put into practice laws that punish people more severe who are considered subordinate and hold a low socioeconomic status than individuals in power.
2. Law can be developed and implemented creating equality for all society members not just one particular group.
1. Researchers, professionals, society, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system, are provided through vigorous research an explanation and understanding with the difficulties minorities face in society, and the criminal justice system. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and so forth can be evaluated in numerous areas explaining an increase-decrease in crime, socioeconomic status, education, healthcare, crime trends, and so forth (James, 2002).
2. Strategies can be developed for the purpose of deterring, detecting, preventing, and apprehending criminal wrongdoers.
3. Programs and treatments focused on rehabilitation will be more effective when keeping minority’s in mind.
4. Inequality exists for minorities with judicial sanctions, such as a life sentence, and capitals (James, 2002).
References
Cape-Coral-Daily-Breeze. (2010). Department of Justice investigating how CCPD handles Complaints: Local News. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/520897.html?nav=5011
Harley, D. (2008). Social Justice and Cultural Diversity Issues. Rehabilitation Education, 237-248. Retrieved December 11, 2010, from EBSCOhost database.
James, L. (2002). Criminal Justice Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States:2002 Term, 445-461. Retrieved December 12, 2010, from EBSCOhost database.
Johns, N. (2004). Ethnic Diversity Policy: Perceptions with the NHS, 73-88. Retrieved December 11, 2010, from EBSCOhost database.
