Integrity

Integrity 1 Role of Integrity in Criminal Justice Twyala Pennell CRJ220: Ethics and Leadership in Criminal Justice Professor Singh March 14, 2010 Integrity 2 It is imperative that the working criminal justice professional have a full understanding of the concept of integrity and how it affects their respective profession. They are seen as the first line of defense against the deterioration of our contemporary society. They are seen and perceived as the moral role models not only by their employing institutions, but also the community that they will eventually impact by their actions. One profession where the concept of integrity is integral would be the Undercover Narcotic Agent. This professional literally lives two lives; one that upholds the law, the other participates and allows transgressions to be committed against society to build evidence against the accused. This analysis will provide a working definition for integrity, and how the Undercover Narcotic Agent must remain steadfast when presented with opportunities of corruption. The Criminal Justice Professional’s actions not only affect how the institution that employs them is perceived, but also the opinion of the environment that the professional inherited from their socioeconomic status. Integrity becomes an issue when the Professional no longer adheres to the guidelines set forth by their employing institution or the community that socialized them (William & Arrigo, 2008). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as: “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; incorruptibility, an unimpaired condition of soundness, the quality or state of having complete or undivided honesty” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2010). This concept has been marred by years of corruption on behalf of those individuals who compromise their moral duties by rationalizing their actions with self interests. A prime example of how the Undercover Narcotic Agent’s integrity can be tested or compromised would be the movie “Training Day” starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. Training Day is a story about the first week of an undercover agent in training by a Integrity 3 corrupt supervisor (Berman & Guggenheim, 2001). Denzel’s character shows how some individuals in this respective field have lost their moral compass so to speak, by taking advantage of the accused that they encounter on their daily patrol of Los Angeles. Mr. Washington’s character set aside his moral and ethical views of right and wrong and replaced them with personal interests and opportunities to capitalize financially on drug busts that they set up. Ethan Hawke’s (the rookie) idea of right and wrong is thoroughly tested by Mr. Washington and his counterparts. On one hand the group’s rationale is they are taking a drug dealer off the street and making a significant amount of money on the side, but the rookie sees it as being no better than the person who was accused of the transgression. He is then forced to make a decision about how the group that he is working with perceives him on a day to day basis, as opposed to doing the right thing and alerting his superiors to the corruption that he witnessed. The consequences for either choice Ethan Hawke made were influenced by the concept of integrity. If he chose to turn a blind eye to the corruption that he witnessed he places more emphasis on monetary gains than the adherence of routine protocol. If he chose to alert his superiors about the corruption then he not only puts his life in jeopardy, but also the lives of his immediate family as well. The community in which he works is also impacted by his actions. If he chose the first option he is perceived as just another dirty cop who only has their own personal interests at hand, if he chooses the latter than he is perceived as someone trying to make the community a better, safer place to live. There should be no question as to the choice he should make, but alleged cases of corruption still remain prevalent within the judicial and correctional systems (Berman & Guggenheim, 2001). Integrity 4 References: Berman, B., & Guggenheim, D. (Producers). Fuqua, A. (Director). (2001). Training Day [Motion Picture]. Los Angeles, California: Warner Bros. Integrity.2010. In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/integrity Williams, C.R., & Arrigo, B.A. (2008). Ethics, crime and criminal justice. New Jersey: Pearson – Prentice Hall.