ABSTRACT
Ethnic minorities are often overrepresented in prison populations and forensic mental health settings across many international jurisdictions. An emerging literature is identifying that Western models of forensic mental health service delivery have failed to recognise the importance of cultural identity within these minority groups and may be inadequate in identifying and meeting their needs. Developing and coordinating culturally based responses to these populations can be challenging and measuring outcomes of culturally based interventions perhaps even more so. This chapter discusses these issues and highlights the role of culturally informed clinical governance structures in developing models of care that are responsive to the cultural needs of these minority groups in Auckland’s Regional Forensic Psychiatric Services (the Mason Clinic) in New Zealand. In this service, 50% of service users are indigenous Maori and approximately 20% are Pacific Islanders. Although the operationalisation of a culturally informed clinical governance model is at times challenging, it has provided a dynamic and innovative approach to service planning and delivery for Maori and Pasifika peoples that may offer strategies for working with indigenous peoples internationally.
