NCJ Number
84905
Date Published
1969
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Corrections can improve its services to minority clients by increasing the number of minority staff members, developing relevant staff training, devising a strategy for serving ghetto residents, and nurturing a bias-free agency climate.
Abstract
The number of minority staff members can be increased if civil service or personnel staff adopt recruitment practices that target the situations and neighborhoods heavily populated by minorities. Further, the job examination process should rely more on direct evaluation in oral examination and an on-the-job test of ability. A 'new careers' strategy would also increase minority employment by developing service components that require less technical or professional skill. Improved staff training could also facilitate a more equitable treatment of minority offenders in the justice process. Such training should include an exposition of the social and cultural history of minority peoples and an analysis of the social and economic factors operating in inner-city areas. 'Sensitivity' training is appropriate for developing an understanding of the dynamics of personal interaction. A strategy for the ghetto should include (1) the coordination and integration of existing public and private resources, particularly in the areas of job training, recreation, and education; (2) the involvement of minority residents in the planning and implementation of resource development efforts in an urban center; (3) the use of indigenous minority organizations as resources. Further, agencies should regularly engage in systematic self-analysis so as to purge themselves of any patterns of discrimination toward minorities. Five footnotes are listed.