NCJ Number
216933
Date Published
2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This chapter identifies and discusses five key challenges in the cross-cultural practice of psychology in a legal setting.
Abstract
One challenge is preparing to work with minority individuals in a diverse society. Such preparation is important because immigrant groups and people of color often need legal services because of their immigrant status and racial profiling by law enforcement professionals. A second key challenge in providing psychological services to racial minorities is addressing racism and cultural discrimination in their lives. This requires learning about the features and impacts of racism and cultural discrimination as well as identifying and addressing racism issues in legal settings. A third challenge is to eliminate personal and professional biases in professional practice. Mental health practitioners should recognize the conditioning of their own cultural backgrounds. Any prejudices and biases they bring to working with minority clients should be identified and corrected. A fourth challenge is to understand the power and impact of the judicial system in the lives of minorities in the United States. Mental health practitioners who work within a legal setting should become familiar with historical and contemporary court decisions that continue to impact minority groups in the United States. The tension between court decisions that adversely impact minorities and the potential for progressive action in the legal system is experienced by minority clients involved in litigation. In addition, police brutality against minority individuals and the failure to prosecute such brutality has fostered widespread mistrust of the legal system's commitment to justice for minorities. A fifth challenge is to debunk judicial "colorblindness" and race neutrality while helping the courts to better understand the interface between court practices and the distinctive experiences of racial minorities. 55 references