Considering practice frameworks for culturally diverse populations in the correctional domain

Abstract

It is a ubiquitous pattern around the globe that indigenous peoples who have endured historic and ongoing collective trauma (e.g., colonization) are overrepresented in negative life outcomes such as poverty and imprisonment. Part of the colonizing imperative is to undermine indigenous knowledge as a valid and viable knowledge system, particularly via the hegemony of dominating Western scientific values and practices. We discuss some of these conceptual issues in relation to correctional practice and the position of indigenous Māori peoples in Aotearoa-New Zealand. We then examine the utility of the Practice Frameworks theory introduced by Ward and Durrant (2021) in relation to bicultural practice, and highlight some of the epistemic, social, and ethical factors for consideration. A preliminary exemplar is provided via examination of the potential collaborative relationship of the Good Lives Model and Te Whare Tapa Whā for intervention development. This exemplar highlights the rich array of therapeutic knowledge available when more than one knowledge system is drawn upon to provide culturally responsive intervention. • Critical issues with offender intervention development and cultural responsivity are examined. • Inequities in the treatment of indigenous knowledge systems compared to Western scientific knowledge systems are highlighted. • The potential of ‘cultural collaboration’ in intervention development is examined. • The Good Lives Model and Te Whare Tapa Whā, an indigenous Māori model of human functioning, are presented as an exemplar.