This document discusses the importance of cultural diversity skills in community corrections. It outlines five key skills: flexible thinking, communication, teamwork, leadership skills, and overcoming personal and social barriers. Exercises are provided to help staff practice and demonstrate understanding of each skill, which are needed to better serve a diverse client population and ensure public safety.

1. Corrections and Substance Abuse Training By Rand L. Kannenberg Cultural Diversity Skills in Community Corrections

6. WHY do staff in community corrections need to have cultural diversity skills ? Write down your answers (3-5 sentences).

15. Exercise 1 Do individually. Write down your answers. Blanks (no answers) must be explained. “ Famous person” must have positively influenced society in past or present.

16. Communication being able to relate to others by sharing thoughts and feelings by speaking or writing SKILL #2 At work talking on the phone or face-to-face, in e-mail messages, writing reports or office memorandum, etc.

19. Exercise 2 Work in small groups addressing one to two problems each. Be very specific with your plan to be assertive. Talk about time, place and agenda. Discuss what you will do if the initial intervention is not successful.

21. Exercise 3 No talking or walking once the puzzle pieces are dumped out of the envelopes. What worked? What didn’t work?

22. Leadership Skills guiding and supporting people who are different to cooperate and achieve their goals (goals of all customers: clients, families, staff, referral sources, governing agencies, neighbors of program, etc.) SKILL #4

25. Exercise 5 Work individually. Answer all 4 questions (about the neighborhood you grew up in, your parents’ education and employment, your race/ethnicity and religion, and a culture different than your own that influenced you). However, you will not be required to talk about anything that you think is too private or personal. The goal is to determine what personal and social barriers we have been able to overcome and how this makes us more effective with our culturally diverse customers.

26. Post Test What are the five cultural diversity skills that an individual should be able to demonstrate before being hired for a position in community corrections? 1._______________________ 2._______________________ 3._______________________ 4._______________________ 5._______________________ If these five skills are not in your current job description, please ask that they be added as soon as possible. In addition, request that they be part of your ongoing performance appraisal to improve cultural diversity in community corrections.