Multiculturalism and Diversity

Brianne Antoine

CJ 100-03

Unit 4 Assignment

11 June, 2017

                        Multiculturalism and Diversity

        Out of the numerous amounts of various populations in the world I chose three to talk about. The ones I chose was Human Trafficking (international issue), Drug Addictions (All populations), and Terrorism and Bombing (Iraq). All three of these have a huge impact on the world today. Unfortunately, the issues just keep growing. What comes to mind when you hear Human trafficking or Bombings?

        Human Trafficking is a crime against the person because of the violation of the victim’s rights of movement through coercion and because of their commercial exploitation. Human trafficking is the trade in people, especially woman and children. Each year, thousands of individuals fall into the hands of traffickers. This act happens all over the world.  With human trafficking, there are three elements. The first one is The Act which means what is done. Its the recruitment, transportation, transfer and harboring. The second element is The Means which means how it’s done. That means threat or use of force, abduction, fraud, giving payments of benefits to a person in control. The third and final element is The Purpose which means Why it is done. This means for exploitation, which includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, or forced labor. Human trafficking is thought to be one of the fastest growing activities of trans-national criminal organizations. The average cost of a human trafficking victim today is USD $90 whereas the average slave in 1800 America cost the equivalent to USD $40,000.

        The second one is Drug Addictions. Drug addictions is a serious and expensive societal problem with the U.S. Drug addiction is also a serious problem for individuals with up to 13% of Americans abusing alcohol and 25% of Americans smoking cigarettes. Drug addiction is not a character flaw or lack of will power but is actually a mental illness and should be treated as a medical issue, just as any other illness. What is drug addiction you may ask? Well it’s when the drug user has developed a drug tolerance, needing to consume increasingly/ greater quantities to experience the desired effect. Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a dependence on a legal or illegal drug or medication. When you’re addicted, you’re not able to control your drug use and you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes. Drug addiction an cause serious, long term consequences, including problems with physical and mental health.

        The third and final one is Terrorism and Bombing. Terrorism is the use of violent actions to achieve political aims or to force a government to act. In America, on September 11, 2001 two planes were used as missiles and two buildings were hit with them. The tactics of terrorism are diverse. The different tactics that terrorist groups utilize can be very simple to extremely complex. Terrorists tactics tend to favor attacks that avoid effective countermeasures and exploit vulnerabilities. There are over 100 definitions of “terrorism”.  Terrorist attacks are not just happening in America its happening all over the place.  Law enforcement officials appear to be getting better at thwarting terrorist attacks, but they can’t stop all of them.

        With all three topics comes multiculturalism and diversity. Multiculturalism consists of race, religion, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, and disability. Diversity is along the same lines of multiculturalism. Diversity is conflict, lifestyle, acceptance, ethnic differences, gender, harassment, communication, generation gaps, disabilities and consistency. To best describe these two concerns would be the movie Freedom Writers. That movie is based on a true story about how different races and ethnicity are treated in this world today. How does the criminal justice professional address the needs of a multiculturalism and diverse population? Well to answer that question the professionals need to understand the needs of all races and not just your own. All races need to be treated the same and not differently.

        Do you think that members of society are aware of the pertinent duties and responsibilities associated with the criminal justice professions? No, the reason is because people just want to stick their head in the sand and not pay attention to the things of importance around them. I do not believe that they are aware the criminal justice system is very complex unless they’ve been on jury duty and understand the criminal process then they probably have no idea.

        What are the perceptions that society has about professions? People are way too quick to judge. Some say things to the press that shouldn’t be said due to ruining an investigation. One’s perception of anything can sometimes be wrong because we base many of our perceptions on the media. In other words, it’s like the saying Don’t judge a book by its cover. In this case don’t judge a person until you know them. Perception affects the way people communicate with others. When you become a parent, the time will come when you need a babysitter. That’s when perception happens. You try to make sure you have the best sitter for your child and that the sitter isn’t going to do any harm. I’m very skeptical on who watches my son. It’s the same with a judge. Not only does the judge go by the paperwork, but they also watch and listen to be see if the person is guilty or not guilty.