Cultures and Psychology APS IG Newsletter - APS Member Groups

Cultures and Psychology APS IG Newsletter
April
2012
staff. This is the case for many of my CALD clients. Such problems are
illustrated by my client. Antonio.
Antonio’s case
Antonio is an educated middle –aged man, married, with two grown up
children. On arrival from Latin America, he was arrested at the airport for
possession of drugs. Antonio cannot speak the English language. He is from an
upper middle class family and well established in his employment position. His
crime, he said, attracted media attention. News of his crime was shown on TV
and newspapers in his country of origin, bringing feelings of shame and
disgrace to Antonio and his family. As a consequence of his imprisonment,
both his wife and oldest son are currently undergoing psychiatric treatment.
Antonio stated that he could only count on the emotional and financial help of
his younger son, as he appears to be the stronger one in the family. The effect
of Antonio’s isolation produces in him waves of anger and frustration. On top
of that, with his family being far away, he is unable to receive any visits, and
can only contact them by phone. The lack of emotional and financial support
from his wife, parents and other relatives, drive him sometimes to despair and
hopelessness. Not only does he experience alienation from other inmates due to
his lack of English, but the separation from his family make Antonio’s prison
days extremely painful.
Differences in values
In working with Spanish-speaking inmates and CALD inmates, they often
suggest that they would like, and would benefit from, the spiritual support of
their own religious faith. Knowing the nature of Spanish-speaking people, I am
sure religious support would be so beneficial that in some cases it could even
decrease the need for psychological support.
Religious support is therapeutic and beneficial for the moral and mental health
of inmates, preventing feelings of despair, hopelessness, stress and isolation.
Another area in which there appears to be a difference in values is the question
of conjugal visiting. Since the 1940s some Latin Americans countries have
allowed conjugal visits. In Mexico, for example, prison visits took place in
private cubicles throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It has been claimed that in
Mexican prisons from 1941 to 1949:
not only does (conjugal visiting) combat homosexuality, it often changes the
entire behaviour of a convict. It should be remembered that Mexico has a
Culture and Psychology APS IG Newsletter July 2011 Page 10