FIVE: Diversity and CJ Assignment

A diverse workforce is seen as one of the critical needs in the criminal justice system.  One significant argument is that to get the community to support the system the system must reflect the community.  Police departments have struggled with the issue for years and they try to recruit and hire individuals that come from the communities they serve.  Unfortunately, many members of these communities do not trust police officers which leads to a lack of interest in joining the ranks.  Failure to understand cultural differences leads to distrust and inability to address criminal behavior.  A diverse workforce in criminal justice will help to shape the agencies to meet the needs of the communities they serve.  

• Read the following articles
  • Advantages in a diversified force
  • About Cultural Intelligence
• Follow these guidelines to complete this assignment.  Write a 1 page response answering the following questions:
  • Why is it important that criminal justice agencies look to diversify their employees and what are agencies doing to accomplish this? 
  • How can criminal justice agencies also integrate principles of cultural intelligence (CQ) in recruiting, training, and retaining competent law enforcement personnel?
  • How might hiring for diversity and educating all professionals in cultural intelligence (CQ) will help agencies better serve their communities?