Week 8 RF-Culture and Diversity in Forensic and Clinical Practise Flashcards
Define Culture
Culture is a social pattern that is heritage within a society. It determines what is important and unimportant, right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable. Culture encompasses explicit and tacit values, norms, attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and assumptions.
Culture is a broad concept
Define Cultural Diversity
Cultural diversity (also known as multiculturalism) is a group of diverse individuals from different cultures or societies. Usually, cultural diversity takes into account language, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, age and ethnicity.
Define Cultural Bias
Cultural bias occurs when people of one culture make assumptions about the behaviour of people from another culture based on their own cultural norms and practices.
Define Unconscious Bias
For race and ethnicity we need to understand that we (rightly or wrongly) are representing structures where we are aware that there is a vulnerability to bias
What is the Forensic Specialist Role?
The Forensic Specialist (FS) recognises and values individual and group differences, diversity, and culture and appreciates their impact in the psycho-legal context. The FS recognises the effect his/her own cultural worldview and biases may have on professional work. The FS is sensitive to and skillful in working with individuals, groups and communities representative of all aspects of individual and cultural diversity (e.g., ethnicity, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability status, and special populations).
2020-Is it time for a change in Forensic Psychology
-The adverse impact of COVID-19 on black, minority and ethnic groups and the events triggered by the murder of George Floyd have put into sharp focus the inequalities that exist for individuals from some BME/BAME groups.
-Increase in immigration trends are also rapidly changing the ethnic and cultural landscape
What evidence is there to suggest forensic risk assessments consider cultural diversity?
-A Canadian Federal court challenged the administering of 5 risk assessment instruments with Canadian Aboriginal prisoners.
-Fujii et al (2005) found some risk measures showing good cross cultural validity but it is important to recognise the unique ethnic differences in prediction of violence risk.
-Effectively, forensic clinicians and researchers can no longer overlook the role of culture in risk assessment (Shepherd et al, 2016)
-Multicultural groups are diverse not only in their beliefs and expectations, but also in their assumptions about what the clinician can do for them (Katz & Algeria, 2009)
What Cultural Factors are there?
- Respect the numerous culturally specific ways in which individual and community distress is expressed
- Reflect on how/if different cultural experiences fit into a diagnostic model
- Work in culturally appropriate ways
- Make sense of it – listen to their narrative – don’t assume
- Establish culturally relevant issues as treatment targets in Forensic Practice
- Its not like they have culture and we don’t – culture is here and there
-This should also include establishing culturally relevant issues as treatment targets in forensic practice. For example, issues of identity, pride and group allegiance may be useful avenues to pursue in working with offenders to address their criminogenic needs.
-Crucially with respect to offence-specific treatment, offenders should be encouraged to develop an understanding of the ways in which their needs for identity have informed their behaviour and, moreover, to develop skills by which they may make other, more prosocial choices in offence situations, particularly those that challenge identity.
Why is it important to be responsive to differences?
-Ethnic and racial minority families from the US may also differ in their explanations about mental illness and treatment (Novins et al., 1997).
-For example, African American and Native American families may have alternative explanations of mental illness such as supernatural or spiritual forces (Cheung & Snowden, 1990)
-In order for clinicians to work in culturally sensitive ways with offenders within the forensic treatment process, this may even include working collaboratively with cultural representatives in order to develop a more responsive treatment process (Andrews & Bonta, 2007). Consider own cultural competence (Weiss & Rosenfeld, 2012)
Why is it important to work with differences?
-To better explore, understand and address the difference in access to and engagement in services for service users with protected characteristics a working group in HMPPS has been set up to focus on the issues of race and equality.
-Also we have a BPS Presidential Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion – good news on the increased focus on this matter
What is the impact it has on us all? (David Murphy Society President, March 2020)
‘At present people from certain backgrounds face significantly greater barriers at every stage in their psychology career; as an undergraduate, securing a place on a training programme and flourishing as a trainee, finding a job and developing in their career as a psychologist. It’s true that the BPS can’t influence all of these barriers directly, but the first thing we have to do is to make the Society a welcoming place to people from all minoritised and marginalised backgrounds and ensure they are represented at every level.’
Give an example of a Risk Assessment
-Request to complete risk assessment for honour based violence (HBV)
-Need to use interpreter (consider working with intepreters, guidelines for psychologists, November 2017, BPS)
-Identify limitations to assessments
-Refer to the literature to guide formulation and understand culture of client
Example:
“Given that issues concerning culture and religion form an important part of black, and minority ethnic women’s identities, those who are religiously observant can experience feelings of further distress, anxiety and shame if public agencies do not meet their need. This can lead some to feel that they are being treated with a lack of dignity and respect as well as feelings of lessened value and a sense of “double victimization” (Gill, 2004). Services must therefore be culturally sensitive and this would be relevant for Ms X”
What is an Intervention/Therapy Example? (Cowburn et al., 2008).
-Nigerian Prisoner undertakes the Prison Core Sex Offender Treatment Programme
-Western values did not apply to his – saw sex differently
-Issues related to cultural constraints in talking about sex and also how an individual’s identity and personal change are construed. The ways in which non-western cultures approach issues of gender and how sex is (or not) discussed may affect how willing a person may be to participate in groups where there is an expectation that the detail of sex offences is shared and discussed.
-Whilst the BME sex offender may successfully learn the language of Western cognitive-behavioural therapy, the question of how relevant this will be to his survival in a non-western community is yet to be asked.
Give a Research Example (Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care, 2001)
-Research samples should reflect the diversity of the population
-Consider language or literacy barriers and other practicalities such as avoiding running groups at prayer time and being sensitive to global events that may impact on individuals
-Research and those pursuing it should respect the diversity of human culture and conditions and take full account of ethnicity, gender, disability, age, and sexual orientation in its design, undertaking, and reporting. Researchers should take account of the multicultural nature of society. It is particularly important that the body of research evidence available to policy makers reflects the diversity of the population.
