Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice Potential pitfalls and dangers. Based on the...
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Transcript of Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice Potential pitfalls and dangers. Based on the...
Multicultural Implications of Restorative Justice
Potential pitfalls and dangers. Based on the research by Umbreit
& Coates
The Office of Victims Advocates
• Victims decide whether or not to participate
• Both victim and offender must both be treated with respect
Victims are granted a choice in:
• Location
• Timing
• Structure of session
• A right to stop participating at any stage in the process
People from different cultures & world views have different ways of:• Speaking
• behaving
Natural cultural differences can easily lead to:
• Misunderstandings
• Destroy the best efforts at conflict resolution
• End the hopes of restoring and repairing relationships
The key to progress in RJ is:
• Increased sensitivity to cross-cultural issues
• Dynamics that affect RJ programs
• Often the cultural background of victim, offender and program staff member are different
• Great danger can occur with overgeneralizations
Proximity – comfortable with standing closer together:
Africans Arabs
Black Americans South Americans
Indonesians The French
Latin Americans
Body Movements:
• Posture
• Smiling
• Eye contact
• Laughing
• Gestures
• And many others…..
Examples:
• Asians may by puzzled or offended by a White person who smiles or grimaces
• Whites may conclude that an Asian person has no emotion.
Eye contact
• American Indians: Disrespectful to look an elder or person of authority in the eye
• Blacks make more frequent eye contact when speaking than when listening
• Whites tend to make eye contact when listening than when speaking
Paralanguage
• Hesitations
• Inflections
• Silences
• Volume
• Pace of speaking
Silence
• To American Indian culture it is valued as sacred
• Each human must have the opportunity to:• Reflect• To translate into words• Shape the words
What silence means to others:
• French = agreement
• Asian = token of respect or politeness
• Whites= time for them to talk
Volume
• Asians – speak softly
• Whites – founder than Asians
• Arabs – prefer higher volume
Density of language
• Blacks – sparse and concise
• Asians & American Indians – will use many more words to say the same thing
Other defining characteristics that can have an impact
• Race
• Socioeconomic status
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Religion
• Sexual orientation
• Rural vs. urban residence
Characteristics of culturally skilled Restorative Justice Practitioners
• There are a total of five
• All are necessary for RJ
#1
• CSRJ is aware and sensitive to his or her cultural heritage
• Values and respects differences in culture
#2
• CSRJ is aware of their own values and biases
#3
• CSRJ is comfortable with the differences that exist
• Between themselves and clients
• In terms of race & beliefs
#4
• CSRJ is sensitive to circumstances that may dictate referral of a minority client to a member of their own race/culture
• Or to another CSRJ
#5
• CSRJ acknowledges and is aware of their own racist attitudes, beliefs and feelings
Other things to remember:
• Do not make quick assumptions about others
• Look at the world through the eyes of another
• Listen to key informants
Meaningful mediation requires:
• Anticipating possible problems
• CSRJ may need to help other participants understand each other’s viewpoints
• Communication styles
• Prior to mediation session