A young Vietnamese boy had been absent from school for a few days with a serious respiratory infection. His father, believing that coining would help cure him, rubbed heated coins on his back and neck. The boy's condition seemed to improve, and he was able to return to school. 

Upon noticing heavy bruising on the boy's neck, the teacher immediately informed the school principal, who promptly reported the "abuse" to the police (who then notified Child Protective Services). When the police were notified, they went to the child's home to investigate. 

The father was very cooperative when questioned by the police and admitted, in limited English, that he had caused the bruising on his son's neck. The man was arrested and incarcerated. While the father was in jail, his son, who was under someone else's custody, apparently relapsed and died of his original illness. On hearing the news, the father committed suicide in his jail cell (Shusta, Levine, Wong, Olson, & Harris, 2019, p. 28).

 

Do you think the authorities interpreted the situation with "cultural filters," based on their own cultural perspectives? Do you think the authorities should be required to make further inquiry into the cause of non-life-threatening injuries before incarcerating family members? Should cultural norms be taken into consideration?

Reference

Shusta, R. M., Levine, D. R., & Olson, A. T. (2019). Multicultural law enforcement: Strategies for peacekeeping in a diverse society (7th ed.). Pearson.