Required book: McNamara, R. H., & Burns, R. (2009). Multiculturalism in the criminal justice system. NewYork, NY: McGraw-Hill. (ISBN: 978-0-07-337994-4)

Please read Chapter 12 and respond to the following Critical Thinking Questions. You will also respond to 2 of your peers:

How are correctional agencies organized? Do you believe that a centralized approach to corrections (e.g., in the form of one unified correctional system) would be more effective than our fragmented approach? Discuss the difficulties of being incarcerated? What particular challenges do Native Americans face upon incarceration? Why is concern for multiculturalism of significance to probation and parole officers? What steps can be taken to address this concern? Discuss the evolution of diversity in corrections. Why is it important for correctional agencies to incorporate cultural diversity into their staff?

The first deadline for posting is Tuesday November 3rd by 11:59 pm and the second deadline for responding to your classmates is Thursday afternoon by 12 pm. When responding to a student’s post, be sure to use and address the following:

Terms and Definitions from the chapter

Amnesty

Clemency

Community Corrections

Conditional Release

Discretionary Release

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Incarceration

Indeterminate Sentencing

Jail

Mandatory Release

Reprieves

Technical Violation

U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System

Your responses should reach beyond a simple “I agree with what you are saying.” Please use the following to begin your post when responding to your peers:

“I learned from you that..”

“I appreciated how you explained….”

First Peer’s Response: Ashley

How are correctional agencies organized?

I’m not understanding the question. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, which is within the Department of Justice, operates 114 institutions and 28 community corrections offices. It oversees roughly 193,000 offenders convicted of federal offenses. Included in these facilities are detention centers, which, similar to jails, hold those awaiting trial. The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System is responsible for assisting the federal courts with pretrial practices and supervising federal probationers. The Federal Parole Commission oversees federal parolees. Prisons are state-run correctional facilities administered by the executive branch of each state government. They hold inmates serving sentences of one year or more. Jails hold detainees awaiting trial and those sentenced to incarceration for less than a year. The organization of probation and parole, both forms of community corrections in which offenders are supervised in the community.

Do you believe that a centralized approach to corrections (e.g., in the form of one unified correctional system) would be more effective than our fragmented approach? Decisions are made at the top and communicated to lower-level managers for implementation would be more effective.

Discuss the difficulties of being incarcerated? Some difficulties of being incarcerated is Prison rape ; gang violence; overcrowded, medical needs not being met, labeling, Risk of getting AIDS, HIV.

What particular challenges do Native Americans face upon incarceration?

Native American culture differs from the dominant culture in that maintaining eye contact conveys disrespect. In corrections failure to maintain eye contact when communicating can play an integral role in miscommunication. The possession of items considered sacred by Native Americans is also problematic for the incarcerated and prison officials. Eagle feathers, bear claws, pipes, and other artifacts may be viewed by correctional officers as potential safety and health risks.

Why is concern for multiculturalism of significance to probation and parole officers?

Multiculturalism is of significance to probation and parole officers because it reveals the criminal to even more bad influences and practices which could get him/her in  more trouble. What steps can be taken to address this concern ?

In my opinion steps to be taken is new mindset. Training related to people issues such as team building, working and coping with difficult people and addressing the special needs of others/inmates. Training should include a focus on the avoidance of using stereotypes or stigmas and assumptions and maintained with the strictest professionals standards imposed in such training environments.

Discuss the evolution of diversity in corrections.

Culture shape our uniqueness, creativity, vision and personal development in the course of  prison management.

Why is it important for correctional agencies to incorporate cultural diversity into their staff.

Correctional agencies should respect and manage cultural diversity in order to complete those tasks  duties and responsibilities assigned to facility/inmate. If left out of the big picture it creates more conflicts between ethnical, political or other human related concerns even destabilizing and hindering the progress of sound correctional practices and compliance with all laws within such a domain or setting.

 

 

Second Peer’s Response: Brii

How are correctional agencies organized? The correctional agency setup is unique given that there are a plethora of organizational structures within the correctional field. The highest is the federal level. Federal Bureau of Prisons operates 114 institutions and 28 community correction offices (p. 280). The United States Probation and Pretrial services extends other offers for inmates the have been incarcerated. Probation allows an inmate to be released under a specific set of stipulations in addition to monitoring on a consistent basis. Probation and parole are both used to facilitate the reintegration of an inmate into society; parole is administered by the state board and they may or may not work in conjunction with state parole boards (p. 281). State facilities include prisons and jails. Prisons are used to detain serious offenses such as murder, trafficking, and other sentences that require more than a year of detainment. Jails are for inmates serving a sentence of one year of less for less severe charges. Do you believe that a centralized approach to corrections (e.g., in the form of one unified correctional system) would be more effective than our fragmented approach?I feel like it would not be as effective because there would be no specialized areas of studies. Keeping things like the correctional field broad and general can lead to confusion. May people may find themselves doing one side more than another leading to conflicts. It is important to keep things compartmentalized so that things can be organized and fulfill a task or goal without being bombarded with a load of unaccomplished tasks. Discuss the difficulties of being incarcerated? It is difficult to be incarcerated especially for long periods of time. People become desensitized to things and people around them and this can cause problems when it comes to reintegration for those that have no life sentences. The inmate code can transform an individual that might have had the ability to reform his or herself. Gang violence and other forms of abuse can lead to stress , suicidal ideation, and other ailments. Catching an illness is another major factor to consider when being confined with other people whose medical history is not accessible. This is especially true during times of COVID19. What particular challenges do Native Americans face upon incarceration?     The religious rights of many native Americans are jeopardized while they are incarcerated. Many ceremonies and rituals are banned while they are detained. The garments that are worn by native Americans such as eagle feathers, bear claws, pipes, and other artifacts may be viewed by the correctional officers as dangerous (p. 289). Many Native people feel as if they are misunderstood and undervalued in this American correctional system . Why is concern for multiculturalism of significance to probation and parole officers? Multiculturalism is significant when it comes to probation and parole officers. It is important to learn not to disproportionately harm or treat anyone with prejudice or malice on the basis of race, sex, age, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. These roles of probation and parole officers impede on the lives of others and those that impede must proceed with a multicultural lens so that discrimination is removed from practice.  It is important to consider the special needs of all different groups of people with different backgrounds or upbringings. Diversity and diversity training is essential so that any system serving the people can be as fair and just as possible. What steps can be taken to address this concern? Implementing diversity and diversity training can address this concern. It is essential that people recognize and respect each other without bias. Classes may also be offered to ensure that ethics are being established in the future.  Agencies need to be able to resemble the people that they are representing proportionately. Proper recruitment is another key asset. People should be evaluated to weed out those with extremist or prejudice beliefs.  Discuss the evolution of diversity in corrections. Recently, there has been an increase in women and minorities when it comes to those working in the correctional field. This is a major difference from thirty to forty years ago where things were specifically designated to white male counterparts. The Attics Correctional Facility riot in New York shed light on the fact on the lack of cultural representation and diversity; Black Muslims were the main demographic considering the prison diet was mostly pork and their religion forbids the consumption of pork (p. 297). After that event , positions started being filled with minorities and other vulnerable populations of people such as women. Why is it important for correctional agencies to incorporate cultural diversity into their staff? It is important for correctional agencies to incorporate cultural diversity into their staff. This is important because the cultural diversity is the backbone for humanitarianism. Everyone has a different way of life that must be respected and accepted so as long as it does not harm another individual. Many ideas that seem foreign to us wont be frowned upon because we understand and respect the history of those ideas. Cultural diversity training encourages tolerance and safety for those that are looked at or viewed as different.  This safety net promotes equality and actions that are just within the correctional system.

Bloody Sunday

In the late 1960s, Irish Catholic activists calling themselves the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association attempted to emulate the African American civil rights movement as a strategy to agitate for equality in Northern Ireland. They thought that the same force of moral conviction would sway British policy to improve the plight of the Catholics. Their demands were similar to those of the American civil rights movement: equal opportunity, better employment, access to housing, and access to education. This ended when mostly peaceful demonstrations gradually became more violent, leading to rioting in the summer of 1969, an environment of generalized unrest, and the deployment of British troops. After 1969, the demonstrations continued, but rioting, fire bombings, and gun battles gradually became a regular feature of strife in Northern Ireland.

On January 30, 1972, elite British paratroopers fired on demonstrators in Londonderry. Thirteen demonstrators were killed. After this incident, many Catholics became radicalized and actively worked to drive out the British. The Irish Republican Army received recruits and widespread support from the Catholic community. In July 1972, the Provos launched a massive bombing spree in central Belfast.

Black September

When Leila Khaled and her comrades attempted to hijack five airliners on September 6 and 9, 1970, their plan was to fly all of the planes to an abandoned British Royal Air Force (RAF) airfield in Jordan, hold hostages, broker the release of Palestinian prisoners, release the hostages, blow up the planes, and thereby force the world to focus on the plight of the Palestinian people. On September 12, 255 hostages were released from the three planes that landed at Dawson’s Field (the RAF base), and 56 were kept to bargain for the release of seven Palestinian prisoners, including Leila Khaled. The group then blew up the airliners.

Unfortunately for the hijackers, their actions greatly alarmed King Hussein of Jordan. Martial law was declared on September 16, and the incident led to civil war between Palestinian forces and the Jordanian army. Although the Jordanians’ operation was precipitated by the destruction of the airliners on Jordanian soil, tensions had been building between the army and Palestinian forces for some time. King Hussein and the Jordanian leadership interpreted this operation as confirmation that radical Palestinian groups had become too powerful and were a threat to Jordanian sovereignty.

On September 19, Hussein asked for diplomatic intervention from Great Britain and the United States when a Syrian column entered Jordan in support of the Palestinians. On September 27, a truce ended the fighting. The outcome of the fighting was a relocation of much of the Palestinian leadership and fighters to its Lebanese bases. The entire incident became known among Palestinians as Black September and was not forgotten by radicals in the Palestinian nationalist movement. One of the most notorious terrorist groups took the name Black September, and the name was also used by Abu Nidal.

Discussion Question:

Pick one of the following to answer.  Remember all of the required aspects to forums.

1. What role do you think these incidents had in precipitating the IRA’s and PLO’s cycles of violence?
2. Were the IRA’s and PLO’s tactics and targets justifiable responses to these incidents?
3. What in your opinion, would have been the outcome in Northern Ireland if the British government had responded to the Irish Catholics’ emulation of the American civil rights movement?
4. What, in your opinion, would have been the outcome if the Jordanian government had not responded militarily to the Palestinian presence in Jordan?
5. How should the world community have responded to Bloody Sunday and Black September?

Resources for week 2

Article on the psychological profile of terrorist:  http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/11/terrorism.aspx
Article casting doubts about any particular profile: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20150512-terrorists-personality-traits-indistinguishable-from-traits-of-the-general-population-experts

MUST BE AT LEAST 500 WORDS

MUST HAVE AT LEAST 2 REFERENCES

MUST BE IN APA FORMAT

Chapter 2

The Nature of the Beast

Defining Terrorism

Understanding Extremism

Defining Extremism

· Intolerance in what someone believes.

· Intolerance in how someone expresses their beliefs.

· Violent expression is not a universal characteristic.

· Understanding Extremism (continued)

Common Characteristics of Violent Extremists

· Intolerance.

· Moral absolutes.

· Broad conclusions.

· New language and conspiratorial beliefs.

· The World of the Extremist

· Different, often fantastic, worldview compared to non-extremists.

· Basic belief that unjust forces are arrayed against true believers.

· Clear sense of mission, purpose, and righteousness.

Defining Terrorism an Ongoing Debate

· Guerrilla Warfare

· Terrorism is not synonymous with guerilla warfare

· Guerilla translates to “little war”

· Guerilla warfare exists today

· A Sampling of Formal Definitions

· The use of illegal force.

· Subnational actors.

· Unconventional methods.

· Political motives.

· Attacks on “soft” civilian and passive military targets.

· Acts aimed at purposefully affecting an audience.

· The American Context: Defining Terrorism in the United States

· No single definition has been adopted.

· Definitions have been developed from time to time by government agencies.

· For example, by the Department of Defense, the U.S. Code, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of State.

· The American Context: Defining Terrorism in the United States (continued)

· Composite American definition: “Premeditated and unlawful act in which groups or agents of some principal engage in a threatened or actual use of force or violence against human or property targets. These groups or agents engage in this behavior intending the purposeful intimidation of governments or people to affect policy or behavior with an underlying political objective.”

· Types of Terrorism

· A general consensus among experts about the types of terrorism.

· State terrorism.

· Dissident terrorism.

· Religious terrorism.

· Criminal terrorism.

· International terrorism.

Perspectives on Terrorism

· Perspective 1: Four Quotations

· “One Person’s Terrorist is Another Person’s Freedom Fighter”

· “One Man Willing to Throw Away His Life is Enough to Terrorize a Thousand”

· “Extremism in Defense of Liberty is No Vice”

· “It Became Necessary to Destroy the Town to Save It”

 

· Perspective 2: Participants in a Terrorist Environment

· The terrorist.

· The supporter.

· The victim.

· The target.

· The onlooker.

· The analyst.

· Perspective 3: Terrorism or Freedom Fighting?

· Debate: Whether the use of political violence is justifiable.

· Governments and dissidents always cite noble aspirations to justify violence.

· Perspective 4: Extremism or “Mainstreamism”?

· Debate: Whether political violence is always manifested from a political fringe.

· Do some political environments make extremism justifiable within the mainstream?

The Political Violence Matrix

·

The Political Violence Matrix

· Combatant and Noncombatant Targets

· Indiscriminate and Discriminate Force

· Case in Point: The Orlando Mass Shooting

· The Terrorism Hate Crime Nexus

· Recall the opening viewpoint

· Religion-inspired mass shooting directed against a demographic group.