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8-1 Project Three CJ 120
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Instructor’s Name
Course Code
Date Due
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8-1 Project Three CJ 120
Dear Members of the Civilian Office of Accountability,
I trust you are well,
My name is Nickson Dane and I had the privilege of presenting a training session on the
subject of building better relations between the community and the police. I am glad to be invited
to provide additional information on cultural perceptions, misconceptions, and recommendations
for improving relations with the multicultural population.
In this regard, I have attached a formal report with the title Cultural Sensitivity and Trust-
Building Suggestions for [Your Community Name]. It also presents the perception of different
cultural groups towards criminal justice professionals, cultural bias and conflict, and ways of
improving the interaction between police and the society.
The main idea of the community is that it is diverse. Thus, raising cultural awareness and
procedural fairness will help to increase the police legitimacy and public confidence. For more
information on other strategies and success stories on the community-police relations, you can
visit the U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office here.
You are welcome to go through the attached document at your earliest convenience. If
you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to arrange a meeting to discuss the ways of
implementing the above ideas, I will be glad to help.
I would like to express my appreciation for this chance to make a difference for the
better. Attached, please find the Suggestions Report that contains information on cultural
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sensitivity measures, as well as the picture illustrating the effective cooperation between the
community and the police.
Best regards,
Nickson Dane.
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Cultural Sensitivity and Trust-Building Suggestions
The social interactions between criminal justice professionals and the people in their
society are anchored on cultural factors, cultural backgrounds, and perceptions towards
authorities. The current relationship between the police and the people of color is tense because
the latter has traditionally been discriminated against or oppressed in the past. In order to achieve
effective policing and reduce tensions, the police force and citizens have to learn how to trust
each other and this can only be done through cultural sensitivity and positive interaction as well
as procedural justice. This paper covers the culture of Native American and Hispanic people and
refugees, the areas of stereotyping, and the measures that can be taken by professionals in the
justice system to increase cultural understanding and trust.
Criminal justice system is especially distrusted by Native Americans, Hispanics and
refugee populations but each of them has its own story. Native Americans have been through
treaty violations, forced removals, and abuses at the hands of policies that created a culture of
fear of the law enforcement rather than a protection from it. Similarly, Hispanic families,
especially immigrants may not embrace the police due to issues of racism, deportation or corrupt
practices as they experienced it in their countries of origin. Refugee communities, who come
from authoritarian countries or areas of war, have negative views about police as these are
representatives of government who use force, control the population (Braithwaite et al, 2022). It
is important to understand these cultural perspectives in order to enhance the interaction with
such organizations.
Some of the common causes of communication barriers between the common populace
and criminal justice professionals include language, religion, illiteracy, and disability such as
hearing impairment. Lack of communication can make an otherwise simple traffic stop or
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interview a complicated affair and can make interactions turn aggressive easily. Specific cultural
practices that may be violated include religious practices like prayer or dressing in certain attire
and may lead to harassment or even assault by officers who have no clue of the cultural
practices. On the same note, illiteracy makes things worse in that some people will not be in a
position to comprehend their rights or obligations under the law (Shivam, 2022). This is because
deafness makes some of the officers to interpret silence or strange movement as refusal to obey
the law. In all the described cases, the absence of cultural or situational sensitivity by the
professionals increases the likelihood of conflict, unfairness, and loss of trust.
Meeting these challenges entails the criminal justice professionals to adopt the cultural
sensitivity, procedural justice and positive interaction with the community. The officers need to
undertake diversity training that is not limited to simple training but should involve practical
diversity training. Learning about different cultures and the past and present issues and
achievements of different communities improves one’s ability to de-escalate situations. One of
the primary cultural values that should be followed in all interactions is procedural justice that is
based on four pillars, namely; fairness, respect, voice, and transparency. The departments should
ensure that they hire personnel that represent the diversity of the society and encourage the
officers to be involved in other activities other than enforcing the law in public events. The
institution of civilian review boards, language access services, and the general release of
information regarding the operations of the police departments and investigation processes are
some of the measures that would help in regaining the lost legitimacy across cultural divides.
It is essential to promote culturally competent policing to improve the relations between
the police and the communities and ultimately improve safety. The police need to learn from past
incidents, appreciate cultural diversity, work on language issues, and adapt to open and
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participative policing in order to regain the trust that is required for police-community
cooperation. The way to achieve better communities is not only to look at every civilian as a
helpful ally and approach every encounter with justice and kindness and courtesy.
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References
Braithwaite, A., Frith, M., Savun, B., & Ghosn, F. (2022). Government Targeting of Refugees in
the Midst of Epidemics. Perspectives on Politics, 20(2), 490–506.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592721001067
Shivam, S. (2022). Hardships of Legal Illiteracy and the Need for Pro-Bono Work in Law. Jus
Corpus LJ, 3, 242.
https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/juscrp3&div=522&id=&
page=
