Ethical Issues In Criminal Justice

Rational Orientation Introduction Within this discussion board, we will discuss the key purpose of criminal justice in regards to either rational or legal orientation of criminal justice. Then clarify what are the main assumptions of this orientation, and whether or not we share these assumptions and agree or disagree with the stated purpose, why or why not? The main purpose of rational choice Criminal justice, according to rational choice thinks that crime is brought about, and that “criminal behavior is no different from noncriminal behavior based on that person intentionally choose to undertake and that they choose to commit crime because it will be more rewarding and less costly for them than noncriminal behavior” (“Rational Choice Theory”,

Ethical means the correct or right way to make a decision based off the principles of ethics. Ethical decision making is an essential part of the police department because it helps them gain the confidence of the public in which the law enforcement/police officers serve. The ethical decision that the police officer might go with does not mean the rest of the officers will agree with him or her. This means that the police officers have to make ethical decisions between competing choices. There is framework to process the ethical dilemmas out there in the police force including personal rights, EAP procedures, legal issues, and ethical standards.

The ongoing issue of unethical practices in justice professions can be very unidentifiable if a person does not know what to look for. To be an ethical person it is essential to understand what it means to be ethical to oneself. A person with good ethics is someone who portrays a strong moral character, with the ability to determine the difference between good and evil duties. Duties refers to the actions a person takes in order to be considered a commendable act (Pollock, 2015).

Ethical dilemmas in policing is a serious concern. It is important for officers of the law to have ethics and morals in order to not be corrupt and then become bias against others. Ethics helps officers know when to use force against citizens and how much is appropriate. As long as people have power and authority over others, they will always be faced with ethical dilemmas.

Any intelligent person today will legitimately question the morality and ethics of the United States. Whereas morals refer to either an individual 's or a society 's beliefs of what is right and what is wrong, ethics refers to whether the actions of an individual or society is right or wrong. While morals and ethics have a strong connection with each other, they are not interchangeable. Those with integrity act based on their belief, whether or not that is just or unjust.

In the modern day, organized crime and criminals have expanded both their methods of communication and their methods of work. The criminal today uses the advancements in technology faster than law enforcement and the legal system can create properly worded laws that allow law enforcement to implement the same tools themselves, making it much more legally precarious to counter criminal operations. One of the primary reason that law enforcement officials face this dilemma is that law enforcement must constantly adhere to a code of ethics, whereas criminals can and do bypass any of the ethical constraints that potentially limits law enforcement, ultimately using ethics and legal wording or loopholes to their advantage. Criminals currently use

Today our reality is loaded with wrongdoing. The general population perpetrating these violations must have an outcome for their unlawful activities. The framework set up to continuing everything reasonable and safe is known as the criminal equity framework. This was placed set up to guarantee there is reasonableness and equity served to individuals who split the laws set up by the legislature. Criminal equity is a standout amongst the most critical majors one can think about because of the need to keep the boulevards sheltered and clean.

Assignment #1 Review questions Chap. 1 p. 26: 1. A single standard of ethics cannot be applied to all criminal justice agencies. The world is too complex to legislate morality and ethics. The cultures that make up each part of the world are not the same.

Ethics is two things. First, ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one 's ethical standards. Overall, Ethics establishes the rules and standards that govern the moral behaviour of individuals and groups. It also distinguishes between right and wrong conducts.

A police department’s “code of ethics” usually is separate from the official set of rules and regulations studied in the academy. Oftentimes, the code is still within the department rules, but law enforcement has come across a shift over the years in which agencies are starting a separate code of ethics upon their officers. A code of ethics is generally a bigger statement of expected agency goals and officer conduct. However, running against your department’s ethical code can have as much potential impact upon an officer’s career as a violation of a department rules. There is a right way to follow the police code.

Police and prosecutors have very crucial roles in the criminal justice field. Although their duties and job descriptions vary tremendously, they are both very important in the deliverance of justice, and they are held to high ethical standards. Police officers are responsible for apprehending and detaining offenders, and prosecutors present to the court a written statement of the charges and match the wits of the accused’s defense attorney. Both police officers and prosecutors have many ethical obligations to abide by. They must both be impartial, honest, reasonable, and professional.

As a society, we can choose to live our everyday lives, raising our families and going to work, hoping someone, somewhere, will do something to ease the tension—to smooth over the conflict” (Comey, 2015, p. 110). The examples you mention are very real and quite disturbing. Yes, they may be ethically and even legally wrong.

It is very important to make good ethical decisions because one unethical decision could ruin someones career. I learned that if criminal justice professionals will just stick to their ethical guidelines then their job would be more easy to handle. I believe that if criminal justice professionals approach situations the right way instead of the way that they want to then things would run a lot smoother when professionals come across situations where they have to handle a witness, an informant, a victim, or maybe even a criminal. I also learned that if a criminal justie professional makes unethical decisions then it could turn bad for the situation at hand. It is essential that criminal justice professionals make the best ethical decisions possible because it affects everyone in the situation.

Ethics can be explained as principles a society develops to guide decisions about what is right and wrong. Ethical principles that society has are influenced by religion, history, and experience of the people in the group. Meaning that ethics is based on guidelines we have learned while growing up, that helps us differentiates what is right and what is wrong. For example, some people think health care should be a human right as others think it should only be available to those who can pay for it. Each group of people is guided by the principles they believe in.

‘’Most officers enter law enforcement with minimal experience in the field or in handling the moral dilemmas that officers typically encounter. They learn how to perform their jobs, as well as recognize the organizational norms, values, and culture, from their peers and supervisors. While supervisors provide direct, formal reinforcement, officers’ peers offer friendship and informal rewards that, in many cases, hold greater influence than official recognition from the agency’’ (Fitch, 2011). Officers who come across situations where they are unsure what is morally and ethically best to do often turn to their peers for assurance and guidance. Good ethical behavior can easily be influenced by officers and those in law enforcement.