Week_8

Final Assignment pg.1 WEEK 9 FINAL EXAM Final Assignment pg.2 I have learned through out the last nine weeks that a code of ethics plays a very important role in who we are and in how society perceives us. Professional ethics are are applied ethics of certain professions or groups. In the criminal justice field, I learned that most professionals in this field exhibit many of the same professional ethics. They also seem to share many of the same subculture characteristics as well. Those in criminal justice career are challenged to uphold the law and set aside some of their personal ethics to do so. I however have my own personal code of ethics that I live by. I have learned that officers of the law and correctional officers are often expected to stand by one another no matter what and protect each other as a tight knit brotherhood. No criminal or outsider should ever come between them. It goes deeper than that as well. Attorneys are willing to certain testimonies slide in court and even allow false evidence to be admitted into a trial just to see a criminal be brought to justice. Then there are judges out there that are allowing high class celebrities commit crime after crime and walk away with minimal punishment. As of yesterday one particular celebrity, Lindsey Lohan, that has had more than her fair share of legal problems was just released form a jail when her sentence was 120 days. She served one and now out on bail, again. Does this mean money can buy freedom' From the outside looking in, it looks like criminals are being released by other criminals. I do realize that not all people in the criminal justice field share these same ethical codes but it is hard to find a single professional that is going to stand against his or her fellow brothers and sisters knowing that there is ridicule and harassment to suffer from it. My personal code of ethics is easily described like this, every choice has a consequence and that every person is to be treated the same regardless of race, creed, color, social class, or religion. To me we all are one race and that is human. Everything else is just a unique quality about a certain individual but not one that anyone should be judged for. As for every choice has a consequence, this is so very Final Assignment pg.3 true. We all are consciously aware of our actions unless mentally handicapped. So if someone chooses to do something that is against the law yet no one is around to witness it, there is still potentially a consequence for their action later on down the road. I believe everyone should be punished for their crimes no matter how small those crimes are. I do realize that giving probation is more feasible for tax payers and keeps jail and prison cells from being over crowded, but it does show younger generations that can get away with petty crimes with just a mere slap on the wrist.I do realize that our government is in an economic crisis but I honestly believe if we were to come up with a more harsh and swift form of justice that we could deter criminal from committing crimes in the future. My personal code differs from the unwritten code of law officers and correctional officers because I would be forced to treat everyone as equals. Criminals or not, they are still human. The may not have certain right due to their situations as criminals, but the do have rights as humans. My ethical point of view gives everyone equal rights no matter what. But I also believe everyone must own up to their mistakes and actions and take full responsibilities. I know that officers of the law are not usually willing to rat out each other and do what it takes to lock up what they believe to be a criminal. This is something I would not be able to be able to abide by. Like a mentioned earlier, all people are equal according my code of ethics. There is no brotherhood to me, a job is still a label, we are humans first. Every human being has certain rights and those rights should never be ignored or taken away. I can understand those rights being restricted once incarcerated but even then criminals are often treated like animals. I also am a firm believer in innocent until proven guilty, but as we all know society often suggest that a person is guilty until proven innocent. One example of this is when a person is arrested for a charge such as domestic violence and then found out to be not guilty. That person still has an arrest on their record, still had to spend time in jail, and still had to pay quite a bit of money to be released on bail. Why is the arrest not removed from their record once they are proven to be innocent' Why are they not refunded the money that it cost them to post bail once it is discovered that they did Final Assignment pg.4 not actually commit the crime' I will tell you why, because they are considered guilty until proven innocent. And even after they are proven innocent, society still sees that person as a criminal because the arrest follows that person forever. It is not removed from their criminal record. To me this is an injustice to the innocent. If I were to work in law enforcement I would choose to see everyone as equals. The would be no brotherhood or blue code for me to abide by. If I chose to do so I would be putting myself towards a biased side. I know I would be alienating myself but in time I would hope that other officers would catch on to what I was doing and possible follow my code of ethics. I do believe that there are innocent people behind bars, so why should they be treated unfairly too. We all know that the criminal justice system is not 100% effective, there is room for error. For that reason I would offer everyone the same liberties as my job allowed me to. I would compromise my job by any means by breaking any law for any convict. They would still have have to abide by the laws the are held to under the penal code and that I am to enforce but I would come to work with an open mind. Treating people as I would want to be treated is a good way to some it up, as well as letting everyone know that for every choice they make in life, no matter how small, there will be a consequence. My personal code of ethics helps me resolve many dilemmas. For one, I am allowing myself to be held accountable for my own actions. If I commit a crime I am willing to accept full responsibility for it. I know that every choice I make will have a consequence. If I have to think twice about doing something, then I probably should not do it in the first place. If I know I am guilty of a crime, there is no reason for a long drawn out trial, I will have no choice but to turn myself in and plead guilty. I know this sounds irrational, but there is no honor in lying and hiding from the law. I would not be setting any kind example to my daughters if I were to be any other type of person. I am also a religious person, and know that when I do wrong I should be punished. I stress this everyday with my own children, I would be a hypocrite if I did not practice what I preached. Final Assignment pg.5 I characterize the ethical framework that I used to form my personal ethical code of ethics as bits of pieces from religious ethics, ethics of virtue, and of course deontological ethics. I use religious ethics because first and foremost I am a child of God and follow the laws he has laid down before me. Ethics of virtue shows compassion in the criminal justice field. And deontological ethics suggest whether an act is moral rather than its consequence. I believe using these three systems together for my own personal code of ethics will make me a better person in all that I do. My personal code of ethics might not match any ethical standards in the criminal justice field, but as of right now a career in criminal justice is only a back up plan for me. I will eventually start and run a non-profit organization that makes a change in the world. I do believe that my personal code of ethics will benefit my career choice. I want to believe that everyone is equal in all aspects of life and I am very compassionate towards everyone. Joe Cantu  jujucantu@email.phoenix.edu central time zone