To prepare for this assignment:

• Review Chapter 16 in the course text Handbook of Forensic Mental Health with Victims and Offenders: Assessment, Treatment, and Research. Reflect on potential cultural considerations and challenges related to working with diverse forensic populations.
• Review the APA Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services to Ethnic, Linguistic, and Culturally Diverse PopulationsLinks to an external site.. Consider the importance of applying these guidelines to the treatment of forensic populations. Focus on specific guidelines that relate to treating diverse forensic populations.
• Review the article "The Place of Culture in Forensic Psychiatry" in this week's Learning Resources. Focus on how culture may impact the treatment of forensic populations.
• Review the article "Ethics and Multiculturalism: Advancing Cultural and Clinical Responsiveness" in this week's Learning Resources. Think about the importance of diversity awareness as it relates to ethical standards in forensic treatment settings.
• Identify a culturally diverse forensic population that is of particular interest to you.
• Conduct an academic literature search in the Walden Library and select at least one scholarly article from a peer-reviewed journal that discusses the unique characteristics, considerations, and/or challenges related to working with this population in a forensic setting.
• Consider the unique characteristics of your selected forensic population and reflect on what you should consider when treating members of this population.
• Consider the challenges that you might encounter when working with a client from your selected population and how you would address these challenges.

The assignment (1–2 pages):

• Cite the research article and state the specific diversity population that you researched.
• Briefly summarize the research article and explain how the role of culture is addressed in the treatment of the specific forensic population in the study.
• Analyze the role of culture in the treatment of forensic populations, in general. Use specifics from your selected research article to support your analysis.
• Explain the challenges you might encounter when working with a client from this population and state how you would address these challenges.
  (Note: Be sure to protect the identity of any persons you may refer to.)

 Resources:

• Handbook of Forensic Mental Health with Victims and Offenders: Assessment, Treatment, and Research
  • Chapter 16, "Overrepresentation of African Americans Incarcerated for Delinquency Offenses in Juvenile Institutions"
• Gallardo, M. E., Johnson, J., Parham, T. A., & Carter, J. A. (2009). Ethics and multiculturalism: Advancing cultural and clinical responsivenessLinks to an external site.. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(5), 425–435.
• Kirmayer, L. J., Rousseau, C., & Lashley, M. (2007). The place of culture in forensic psychiatry. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the LawLinks to an external site., 35(1), 98–102. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from
  http://www.jaapl.org/content/35/1/98.full