Ethics_in_Criminal_Justice_Administration_Analysis

Ethics in Criminal Justice Administration Analysis Yasmeen T. McKnelly University of Phoenix CJA 484 April 22, 2012 Robert Metzger Ethics in Criminal Justice Administration Ethics in the criminal justice system is extremely important because the criminal justice system is about upholding the laws and values of a society. For order and safety to be the norm, instead of the exception, a society must trust that those sworn to ‘protect and serve’ are trustworthy and reliable. Without a standard of ethics and professionalism, society cannot rely on the criminal justice system. Critical thinking is skill that criminal justice administration workers must excel at. Critical thinking is important for understanding what standards and values are important to the profession, and for formulating plans for implementation and monitoring. Without critical thinking skills, it would be impossible for the criminal justice administration to determine the effectiveness of its choices, or to know when standards and values need updating or revision. One way the criminal justice administration can know that the rest of criminal justice workers understand the standards and values he or she must follow, is to provide seminars about current standards and values, and about any changes about to occur. These seminars can focus on particular trouble spots or can focus on a broad range of issues. Seminars permit the criminal justice administration to spread large amounts of information in a relatively short time, and ensure that criminal justice workers understand the standards and values that society expects its standards and values criminal justice workers to follow. The Relationship between Ethics and Professional Behavior A definite relationship exists between ethics and professional behavior. Part of professionalism is following a code of conduct, also known as a set of standards and values, which have been set down by the profession. This means that a professional does not behave in a certain way, if it is against the code of conduct. Portraying professional behavior also means displaying ethical behavior within a person’s profession. In the profession of criminal justice, ethics can mean the difference between possessing the respect of society, or losing its trust and cooperation. Ethics can help to guide decision-making when moral issues arise (Banks, 2009). A professional considers how his or her actions will affect others, and determines whether or not he or she should commit those actions. However, humans are fallible and do not always know what is or is not the right thing to do. By having a code of ethics to follow, the professional can avoid any ambiguities that may arise about whether or not a particular action is ethical. A criminal justice professional understands that ethics are important for guiding him or her in his or her dealings with the public and will behave in a way consistent with the standards and values set down by the profession. This is particularly important for those that form the criminal justice administration. Members of the criminal justice administration must be the most professional members of the criminal justice system, as they are the people responsible for setting down the rules that govern the profession. For a duty this important, administration personnel must possess the highest ethical characters, and display an advanced skill of critical thinking. The Role of Critical Thinking Critical thinking skills are the most important attribute that a professional criminal justice administration worker needs. One can define critical thinking as, "critical thinking is the identification and evaluation of evidence to guide decision making. A critical thinker uses broad in-depth analysis of evidence to make decisions and communicate his/her beliefs clearly and accurately” (The Critical Thinking Company, 2005, para. 2). Ethical issues require a person to use critical thinking so he or she can determine if a specific behavior is moral. Critical thinking about morality and ethics in the criminal justice profession is important because few actions or the lack thereof are devoid of moral or ethical consequences. As Albanese stresses in his book, an ethical person is ethical even when no one is looking (Albanese, 2006). However, there may be times when the ethics of a situation are ambiguous; it is times like this that critical thinking skills become important. Critical thinking involves considering the morality of an action, or a choice not to act. A person, especially one involved in the criminal justice profession must consider how his or her actions may affect others in the profession, the perceptions of society, and especially the health and safety of the public he or she has sworn to protect and serve. If a professional has the time to employ critical thinking, possessing the skills are beneficial. Many times, though, a person acting in the line of duty does not have time to stop and consider the ethics of his or her actions in a given situation; or he or she may not know what the ethical thing to do is. At this time the professional relies on the criminal justice administration to have a set of standards and values set in place for him or her to follow. This is why it is even more important for members of the criminal justice administration to possess critical thinking skills than it is for the average criminal justice professional. Once the criminal justice administration has set a code of conduct, and a code of ethics, it can use seminars to disseminate the information to the rest of the criminal justice professionals. Seminar Proposal Seminars are a valuable tool for the criminal justice administration to educate criminal justice professional about the standards and values of the criminal justice system. Seminars also permit the criminal justice administration to communicate any changes to those standards and values. Seminars can cover specific issues or can cover a broad range of subjects. At any time, issues about criminal justice professionals’ misbehaviors may arise. If misbehavior becomes commonplace, the criminal justice system could lose the respect and support of society and may lose the ability to uphold order. Five issues in particular should receive particular attention include: Off-duty behavior, bigotry, corruption, police brutality, and respecting the constitutional rights of citizens. Off-Duty Behavior Public perception is important for maintaining the good-will, respect, and cooperation of the members of society. If criminal justice professionals lose the respect of society they also lose the moral authority to tell society how it should behave. Without the ability to maintain authority, the criminal justice system cannot function. A criminal justice professional is on-duty in one form or another 24 hours a day. A criminal justice professional’s community knows that he or she is a criminal justice professional; the community expects a certain level of behavior. If the professional acts in a manner contradictory to his or her professional code of conduct, it may become difficult or impossible for him or her to do his or her job. For example: if a judge is known for giving exceptionally tough penalties to drunk driver and is caught drinking and driving, he or she loses the moral authority to pass judgment on others who drink and drive. However, by not committing an act that he or he is responsible for deterring others from doing, the judge sets an example for society to follow. Even when a criminal justice professional off-duty, his or her behavior reflects on the image and authority of the profession and can damage relations with the public. Bigotry Bigotry is another issue that the criminal justice professional must endeavor to avoid. The duty of a criminal justice professional is to uphold the law, and protect the health and safety of the public. Every citizen deserves equal treatment regardless of his or her race, religion, gender, age, or economic status. If the public perceives criminal justice professionals as bigoted, criminal justice professional may lose ability to control the public; as seen in the case of the L.A. riots after the Rodney King incident. When White police officers were exonerated for the brutal beating of a Black man, Blacks rioted and the police lost control. The riots lasted for six days, and 53 people died because the police lost the respect of the Black community and could not maintain order. The biggest complaint of the rioters was that the police were racist, and if Rodney King had been white, the police would have had to pay the consequences for their actions (WestlawInsider, 2012). Corruption Criminal justice must avoid corruption and the appearance of corruption. For the criminal justice system to be effective, it must treat every citizen equally and without bias. If society perceives that the criminal justice system is ‘for sale’ it will become impossible for society to trust that it can expect justice. This will lead to a breakdown of authority and a loss of social control. If a police officer must use force to subdue a criminal, and the criminal suffers serious injury or dies, the integrity f the office comes under scrutiny. Suspicion of corruption may mean the difference between exoneration and a prison sentence. Police Brutality Police brutality can be a major dividing factor in society. Police must sometimes use force to stop a criminal from escaping, or to protect him or herself from aggression. If the criminal is hurt or dies from the use of force, society is going to ask if the force was necessary; or if it was a case of police brutality. Sometimes using force is the only way an officer can do his or her job and remain safe. If the public cannot trust that the incident was not a case of police brutality, it may become impossible for the police to do his or her job without facing frequent legal action (Writing, 2012). Respecting the Constitutional Rights of Citizens Finally, it is important that the criminal justice system respects the constitutional rights of citizens. Amendments four through eight of the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights were written to protect Americans from unfair or abusive treatment by the government and the criminal justice system. The Amendments act as a safeguard against corruption and illegal actions committed by the criminal justice system (USConstitution.net, 2011). If a criminal justice professional violates the constitutional rights of a citizen, the Constitution provides for legal recourse. If the citizen is a criminal, especially a violent criminal, who has broken the law, and a criminal justice professional violates his or her rights, he or she may go free; to commit further acts of violence. Respecting the constitutional rights of citizens helps to ensure that offenders do not go free unnecessarily. The Reason for These Five Topics Off-duty behavior, bigotry, corruption, police brutality, and respecting the constitutional rights of citizens are behaviors that reflect not only the character of the criminal justice professional but also the integrity of the criminal justice system; they are inextricably linked. The ability to avoid negative behaviors and actions and to uphold the professional, moral, and ethical behaviors may be the difference between maintaining law and order and society descending into chaos. Understanding the need to avoid or uphold these behaviors can be the deciding factor in whether or not a criminal justice professional has the moral authority to require citizens of a society to follow the law also. Avoiding or upholding these five behaviors is particularly important for maintaining the trust, respect, and cooperation of society. The Benefits of This Training When society sees criminal justice professionals behaving in a manner consistent with his or her moral authority, it becomes easier for every criminal justice authority to enforce the laws of society. Following the standards and values of the profession shows the public that criminal justice professionals are worthy of trust, respect, and cooperation. Maintaining a good rapport with the public helps to ensure that criminal justice professionals can continue to do his or her job of maintaining law and order. Conclusion Ethics in the criminal justice system is extremely important because the criminal justice system is about upholding the laws and values of a society. The criminal justice administration is responsible for setting the standards and values that the rest of criminal justice must follow. He most important of these standards and values lies in professional behavior. Professional behavior means following the ethics of the profession, and ensuring that the highest level of integrity exists in the profession. Sometimes it is difficult to know when an action may not be ethical. Critical thinking skills can aid is determining the moral rightness of the action. The criminal justice administration professionals use critical thinking to determine how actions may affect society, and to determine if those actions will be helpful or harmful to society. Once the criminal justice administration professionals determine what standards and values are important, they can use seminars to educate and inform criminal justice professionals. Five, especially, important topics include: Off-duty behavior, bigotry, corruption, police brutality, and respecting the constitutional rights of citizens. These five behaviors can mean the difference between maintaining order and society descending into chaos. By following the same behaviors the public must follow, criminal justice professionals maintain the trust and respect of society and can continue to protect and serve society. References Albanese, J. (2006). Professional Ethics in Criminal Justice: Being Ethical When No One (3rd Ed.). Cranbury, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Banks, C. (2009). The Importance of Ethics in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from www.sagepub.com/upm-data/4031_Banks_Chapter_1_Proof.pdf The Critical Thinking Company. (2005). What is Critical Thinking' Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.com/company/articles/critical-thinking-definition.jsp USConstitution.net. (2011). The United States Constitution. Retrieved from http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html WestlawInsider. (2012). Today in Legal History. Retrieved from http://www.westlawinsider.com/today-in-legal-history/today-in-1992-the-rodney-king-riots-began-in-los-angeles/ Writing, A. (2012). Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_6028332_ethical-issues-criminal-justice.html