Diversity: A Challenge for Criminal Justice - Coursework Example

Diversity- An ongoing challenge for criminal justice s Submitted by s: Introduction Diversity is not an attribute that describes population that is either new or pathological but is basically a matter of fact about human groups. Groupings that are larger such as nations and continents are normally more diversified than the ones that are smaller. This does not mean that smaller groups are not diversified since even the simple families have diversity in terms of age and gender, economic status, religion as well as sexuality. Small groups display fewer characteristics of diversity and in some groups; diversity is exclude as the case in retirement homes. Groups that are larger put in efforts to try to reduce diversity where states come up with laws that limit immigration and at same time attempt to make the immigrants adopt the domestic culture (Maguire, Morgan, & Reiner, 2007, p. 158). In the times that our liberal democratic societies were more homogeneous and less multicultural than they have become today and the societies less linked, it was relatively easy to overlook the inner challenges that were posed by diversity. Diversity that is associated with belief, custom, as well as institutional construction a lot to acclaim it as an expression of the many varied ways in which human beings can be able to flourish and live lives that are fulfilling and good (Kleinig, 2008, p. 19). The link that exists in relation to policing and equal opportunities has generally been focused around issues of race and racism. Before the 1950s policing was regarded as essentially even-handed and supported all the communities but this reputation progressively faded and there were increasing complaint that were directed towards racism in policing. It was realized that the police service was by and large fine but there were a number of officers that made the whole service to be perceived as bad (Barton and Johns, 2013, p. 114). Diversity is a concept that is perceived to be difficult to grasp and understand as far as criminal justice is concerned. This though has not stopped it from joining worlds like democracy and freedom in moving the masses. For the people that have always had an interest in the United Kingdom that is directed towards dealing with discrimination, the escalation in the concept of diversity must have surprised them (Pycroft and Gough, 2010, p. 51). Race There has been an escalation in globalization, political and social cataclysm all over the globe as well as changing patterns of migration whose result is an increase in the number of refugees and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom. The increased ethnic diversity that is seen in the population has come with new challenges that affect the society and also the criminal justice system. The cases that are associated with racism and race relations are progressively becoming broader and their complexity has also increased with the increase in diversity that is being experienced (Bhui, 2009, p. 138). The word community has become widespread in attributing the problems and the promise of current criminal justice practices and it connects to the politics of identity and also to current movements in government crime policy which make it an important issue for analysis. Communities have always predated the coming up of nations and state. The defining attributes as far as far as communities are concerned have always varied but the socially constructed or imagined bonds such as ethnicity, language, custom and tradition that is coupled with geographical proximity (Goldsmith and Israel, 2000, p. 2). All the characteristics associated with criminal justice are generally influenced by ethnic and race issues and these two factors play a major role in shaping and the process and outcome of criminal justice. When the composition of the population in prisons is considered, it implies that the people that belong to the minority ethnic groups are imprisoned disproportionally (Hucklesby and Wahidin, 2013, p. 267). The ethnic monitoring system that currently employed in the criminal justice system makes it hard to get information pertaining to specific ethic groups since they are presented within wide racial categories. Previously, a nine point classification of race and ethnic monitoring had been employed by the agencies of the criminal justice system and these were related to the categorizations that had been used in the 1991 National Census. On the other hand, the manner in which statistics have been gathered and evaluated statistically is in accordance to an enhanced four point scale that relates to black, white, Asian and Chinese and other where Chinese and other are categorized together (Spalek, 2008, p. 47). The concept of black has come out to be a particularly political word that encompasses African-Caribbean and the people that hail from south Asia. It incorporates a political subject that inscribes politics of resistance against racism that is centred on colour (Goulbourne, 2001, p. 225). This non western societies demonstrate in ways that are differing evidence of racial diversity and in most of them class seems to take precedence over race in discussions that are associated with crime in spite of the evidence that points towards racial inequality in the broader social structure. The inequality that is considered originated from slavery that existed in the past centuries and this is particularly evident in the in the societies like Jamaica where the existence of many of the black population seems to introduce some uncertainty as to whether race matters (Kalunta-Crumpton, 2012, p. 268). Religion and belief Religion is the source of individual ethics that is applied in most of the situations and can be defined as a body that consists of beliefs which address fundamental issues like the importance of life and the difference between good and evil. Religion also plays a part in giving individuals moral directions on the way that life is supposed to be lived (Pollock, J. M. 2007, p. 32). The social grouping that is identified by their faith mainly encompasses a multiplicity of varied religions and belief systems. Conversely, religious identities have in the past been neglected by agencies of the criminal justice system and policy makers as well as academics. This is mainly because the academic discipline of criminology is considered to be secular and this displaced the religious structure of appreciating crime and the criminality that was there in the pre-modern times. Religious affiliation can be considered to be a vital factor as far as the self identity of an individual is concerned especially for the people that are a part of the minor ethnic societies. A religious identity is a more elemental facet of the self identity of the minority ethnic groups when compared to many of the White Christians. The Muslims have an importance to self-identity that is only second to the family. Nevertheless, ethnic identities have always been at the centre of research, policy and practice while religious identity is pushed to the sidelines. This situation is progressively changing and the scientists are more and more inquiring about the exclusion of the religious identities in the modern policy making and research. In spite of the impacts of clarification, religion is continually used by people as a cultural resource. In addition to this, Britain has a considerable and rising Muslim population which has been the source of impulsion towards the increasing focus upon religious identities within criminal justice. Qualitative studies that focus on Muslims and crime are rare and the neglect has become the attention of academics. There has been new research that has been started by the interest that the government and other institutions have in the Muslims that are in Britain after what happened in September 11th 2001. One of the most all-inclusive evaluations of the Muslims in Britain and criminal justice was commissioned by the Open Society Institute in January 2005 and it concluded with a report by Doctor Basia Spalek of the Institute of Applied Social Studies at the University of Michigan. The report availed a thorough assessment of the depiction and studies of experience of the Muslims in Britain and the criminal justice system. The paper went on to offer direct policy advice that is meant to restrict racism and exclusion while at the same time promoting a fair treatment of the Muslims by the criminal justice institutions in Britain. The recommendations entail developing diversity training for the police to consist of Islamophobia and discrimination on religious grounds as well as the experiences of crime for Muslims, disaggregating crime data from broad based Asian categorization and coming up with a booster sample of Muslims in the next British Crime Survey (Quraishi, 2005, p. 46). Gender There is also an issue that is raised of the diversity that exists among women. This can be seen in the situation where lesbians and black women may be deterred from making reports of crime as a result of the experiences that they went to in prior occasions that were characterized homophobia or racism that was against themselves and the architect. The women that have disabilities also have issues that require to be addressed by the different agencies of the criminal justice system. The female victims of domestic violence that might be affected by mental health issues need significantly sensitive reactions to their predicament. Gender also encompasses men and there is a broader acknowledgement is progressively increasing. According to various quarters, there are several types of masculinity and this makes it vital to recognize diversity that exists in masculinity constructions and the order that they are placed in a hierarchy since some of the forms of masculinity take up positions that are hegemonic in the society (Spalek, 2008, p. 49). Accounts of sex differences in terms of criminalization characteristically focus on what is perceived to be the leniency that is accorded to by the criminal justice system as well as the notions of chivalry and paternalism which come up with different reasons for according women a treatment that is less severe than that which is given to men. The women are thus recipients of justice that is chivalric to the point that male lawyers, judges and juries are disposed to respect womanhood. They look at women as upholders of morality and therefore behave towards them with mildness and courteousness (Tonry, 2011, p. 371). There is an escalating requirement to display equality, even-handedness and multiplicity in Britain within the general organizations as well as the criminal justice sector and this has now been strongly entrenched into public policy after the enacting of the Equalities Act 2006 and the gender equity duty in 2007. The discrimination that the women that work in the criminal justice organizations are subjected to is more subtle that the one that their counterpart faced in the previous times. Behaviour that is discriminatory has become less obvious and visible and therefore to identify it, we have to take on an approach that is more complex (Silvestri & Crowther-Dowey, 2008, p. 165). There is an argument that women generally face systematic disadvantage all through the criminal system whether as employees, victims of crime or as women who are accused or convicted for offenses. This has come up as an institutional sexism remains deeply embedded in the practices and attitudes towards women in the criminal justice system even though the existence of this predicament is seldom recognized (Joyce, 2013, p. 447). Summary In the studies that involve criminal research, people have always been categorized in terms of gender, age, race and religion. It is common knowledge that most of the discussions that involve criminology in which rationality and scientific analysis have taken a privilege position have led to the oversight of any reflection of the spiritual underpinnings to the lives that people lead (Muncie and Wilson, 2004). From the issues that have been raised, it can be seen that two themes that are dominant are coming up from the equality and diversity agenda that exists within the public sector and in particular within the criminal justice system. The collectivises of groups in terms of ethnicity, gender, faith and age as well as sexual orientation are the social groupings that equality provisions are based on. The trend that is coming up seems to be one that is characterized by an escalating harmonization in the levels and forms of protection that is given to particular groupings. All together, the considerable height of diversity that can be found within these broad-based groupings is being increasingly recognized by both researchers and policy makers. This develops another vital tendency which appears to be a focus on specifying experiences when documenting and responding to the needs of individuals. Bibliography Barton, A. and Johns, N. 2013. The policy-making process in the criminal justice system. Routledge. New York. Bhui, H. S. 2009. Race and criminal justice. SAGE. London. Goldsmith, A. J. and Israel, M. 2000. Criminal justice in diverse communities. Federation Press. Annandale, NSW. Goulbourne, H. 2001. Race and ethnicity. Routledge. London. Hucklesby, A. and Wahidin, A. 2013. Criminal justice. Oxford University Press. Oxford. Joyce, P. 2013. Criminal justice: An introduction. Routledge. New York. Kalunta-Crumpton, A. 2012. Race, ethnicity, crime and criminal justice in the Americas. Palgrave Macmillan. New York. Kleinig, J. 2008. 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