Why Cultural Competence?
What is cultural competence, you might ask… well let me tell you.
Cultural competence is simply being able to effectively interact with people of diverse cultures, and it involves making sure that the needs of all different communities and cultures are met.
Easy enough, right? Then why is it an increasing problem in the work force? This simple concept should be upheld regardless of the field you work in, but especially in the criminal justice field. Those of us who work within the criminal justice system must always keep in mind that regardless of who we are working with at any given moment, their cultures and backgrounds should not interfere or change the justice process we are guiding them through.
As we work, we must always consider the culture of those we are interacting with. By culture, I don’t just mean race or ethnicity. I mean many other human characteristics too, such as age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, income level, education, profession… When keeping these different cultures and communities in mind when working and interacting with them, we should never cease being respectful and responsive to their needs and practices. This is cultural competence. And it’s an ongoing process – being culturally competent does not happen over night, and the learning process should never stop. Education is crucial when it comes to cultural competence, and our field should focus on that even more.
The criminal justice system involves people from all cultures and backgrounds, and we should embrace that instead of running from it. It is normal to not feel comfortable or confident in certain situations, but remember – just because it’s different it does not mean it’s wrong. The criminal justice system seeks justice for us all, but we don’t all have the same beliefs and practices. The system should keep this in mind when offering resolutions for cases or difficult situations. How can we expect the same consequence or resolution to be effective for people with different needs? Practicing cultural competence in this field means ensuring that all members of a community and culture are represented and included when reaching resolutions.
As I mentioned, those of us who work in the criminal justice system target different communities depending on what we’re working on. To inspire a positive change and encourage cultural competence in our field, we must first understand the cultural contexts of these target communities. We must always be willing to learn about cultures that are different from our own if we truly want to make a difference. Drawing on different community and cultural values as well as their customs is an enriching experience. Just as you would like others to understand who you are and where you came from, you owe it to everyone else to spend some time learning about who they are and where they came form as well.
Without cultural competence, our entire criminal justice system would be based on cultural devaluation. This is when one community or culture is the target of another, using them as a scapegoat for anything negative that may arise. This concept would take away from the fair and just system we want to have and be a part of. Blaming others for negative behaviors does not work. It only encourages more harm, starting an extremely destructive cycle that is difficult to break. Cultural competence is being supportive of each other’s cultures and wanting them to prosper as much as our own.
This may sound like a difficult task, but enhancing cultural competence in our field is actually not as tough as it sounds. It can start simply by believing that you can and will serve individuals of different cultures. It is as easy as engaging in dialogues with some of your own colleagues that are of different background about their beliefs and customs. As long as you always keep exploring your own culture as well as others, you will continue to improve the criminal justice field.
Remember, diversity is a beautiful thing.
Laura