NCJ Number
225777
Journal
Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 70 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 14-16,20
Date Published
December 2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Based on her experiences as a member of the Detainee Capabilities Directorate in Afghanistan, which included mentoring and training Afghan soldiers at the Afghanistan National Detention Facility (ANDF), the author offers advice for anyone responsible for mentoring, teaching, or developing policies and procedures for international/national correctional facilities.
Abstract
First, she advises that it is impossible to use American or standardized policy and practices in a host nation with different values and norms. The only sound approach for effective mentoring and training of correctional facility soldiers from other nations is based in a study of their history, language, and culture. Second, learning a nation’s historical and current confinement practices allows a mentor to develop a successful strategy that produces a holistic and functional confinement regime. The objective of the mentoring and training should be to work within current cultural concepts of corrections within a nation, particularly within a detention context, in order to explain and interpret how correctional operations according to standards of the international community can both reflect and broaden a nation’s approach to corrections for the benefit of all concerned. Third, there should be an initial assessment upon arriving in a country. This involves learning about the society’s values and beliefs and their implications for corrections policies; for example, do not presume to instruct officers in a Muslim-based prison to conduct strip searches. This violates Islamic law, which is embedded in the cultural practices of Muslim societies. Fourth, enter into any mentoring situation with an open mind, patience, and understanding. Showing patience and respect for a person’s culture and beliefs is necessary as the foundation for imparting new knowledge and practices that do not violate cherished values and beliefs of the host country. 6 notes