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Ethical dilemma within the criminal justice system
Ethical dilemma associated with police officials
The role of ethics for police
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Introduction
In this research, the researcher will discuss a pattern or a practice that was used in the past by the criminal justice system and considered ethical, but not so by today’s standards. The researcher will explain what change resulted in a societal acceptance of a higher ethical standard making sure to apply an ethical theory. An existing criminal justice practice that is unethical and should become a thing of the past will be presented and supported with evidence methodology for considering the shift.
Political Activities and Law Enforcement
Law enforcement officers are quickly to be stereotyped by society whether they are wearing their uniform or not. Basically, they don’t have a normal life compared to civilians who don’t wear that uniform. Law enforcement officers are held to a higher standard even when it comes to politics. These officers are expected to abide by a strict guideline of rules in regards to political campaigning. However, if these agency’s ethical principles are broken by law enforcement officers, disciplinary actions are taken against these officers.
The Criminal Justice System is considered to very political. This system includes officers that have to be elected by civilians. In the past, there have been so many unethical acts committed by law enforcement officers.
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They aren’t allowed to host a political fundraiser, hold a political party, run for office, or work to register voters for the running candidate. There is no harm for an officer campaigning. Police officers are just like other civilians. Society has given these officers this title and expectations. Yes, police officers should abide by a code of ethics. However, an officer not being able to participate in elections is going to cause unwanted problems within the department that may lead to bigger problems such as
There are many people who are blind to police corruption and there are many who aren’t. As stated before police corruption has been going on for several years, and continues to go on. Officers with high ranks most of the time are the leaders of this action. Somewhere down the line all the bad they have done while wearing that uniform, will catch up with them. Most of the time the subculture will be the cause of an officers actions.
The job of a law enforcement officer sometimes can be tough. Officer are sometimes plagued with situation that test their ability to enforce the law and maintain order. Police officers today face a constant battle to maintain higher ethical standards. This mission becomes tougher each day when one considers the importance of fighting terrorism, drugs, human trafficking,
Serve and Protect are common words associated with police officers, however some law enforcement officers taint the honor and integrity of the job. Police Corruption is a serious problem affecting nearly every city across the country and world. Curbing police corruption is a tall order; however, improving the recruitment and training process and internal controls can bring this issue to an abrupt stop.
In conclusion, either while watching television or listen to the news you hear of how certain things are tainting our criminal justice system or that certain things or people are being corrupted in the system.
Decision some officers make compromise their loyalty, to the community they swore to protect. It is a stressful situation when deciding to be loyal to the job or to fellow officers. “Many departments have officers swear an oath to serve and protect without allowing personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships influence their actions”, however, the code exists (Lawrence, 2015). Not the code of ethics or the code of honor, but the “cop code”, which bonds unethical officers to a code of silence to protect each other.
Even with the increased training and accountability that came with the Peelian model of policing, the next sixty years of policing were dominated by politics. Policing was one large part of the political patronage system, a system where political candidates would reward those citizens who provided support during the election (Roberg et al. 2012). After elections, public officials rewarded individuals by providing them with police jobs. As a result of political pressure, the police were now used as a tool in the political machine’s fight to maintain control (Roberg et al. 2012). The character of police departments would frequently change after every new election.
Police officers have a substantial amount of responsibilities that are required to be upheld on an everyday basis. They are said to be the “front-line soldiers” in the criminal justice system (Fleming, Ramcharan, Dowler, & de Lint, 2007, p. 2) meaning they’re the first in the government to have face-to-face communication with the potential offender. “To Protect & Serve” is a broad motto that sums up the duties of a good police officer. Their role begins when a report to the police is made, actions or suspicions of a crime is present, and/or following an investigation made by the law enforcement (Fleming, Ramcharan, Dowler, & de Lint, 2007, p. 2). Typical tasks officers are engaged in are: to preserve the peace, prevent crime, enforce the law, investigate crimes, lay charges, etc (Fleming, Ramcharan, Dowler, de Lint, 2007, p. 105) but there is more to what is generally mentioned by the public, online sources, articles, books, and even the police themselves. Officers not only conduct a criminal investigation, but they also decide whether or not to proceed with obtaining an arrest which is a serious step in the justice process (Fleming, Ramcharan, Dowler, & de Lint, 2007, p. 2 & 4). Authors of The Canadian Criminal Justice System (2007, p. 4) states that because it is impossible to convict every single person who has broken...
Schmalleger, F. (2009), Prentice Hall, Publication. Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for the 21st century
Martin, Rich. "Police Corruption: An Analytical Look into Police Ethics." The FBI Enforcement Bulletin May 2011: 11+. Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Although corruption has a basic generic definition, it is altered to fit the circumstance to which it is applied. Political corruption could be totally different than police corruption and for that, there must be a universal legal definition of police corruption. According to the Legal Dictionary, “Police corruption is the abuse of police authority for personal gain. Corruption may involve profit or another type of material benefit gained illegally as a consequence of the officer's authority. Typical forms of corruption include bribery, extortion, receiving or fencing stolen goods, and selling drugs. The term also refers to patterns of misconduct within a given police department or special unit, particularly where offenses are repeated with the acquiescence of superiors or through other ongoing failure to correct them,” (Law Library). The different forms of corruption can vary from moderate to severe depending on the nature of the corrupt officer to the person they are exploiting. A more moderate form of bribery would be a police officer accepting money in...
This paper is intended to examine ethical issues in Criminological research and criminal justice. This paper will analyze the multitude of ethical concerns, as well as discuss the confidentiality requirements as it pertains to criminological research.
A police officer acts as an official representative of the government; he is required and trusted to work within the law. The officer 's powers and duties are conferred by statute. The fundamental duties of a police officer include serving the community; safe-guarding lives and property; protecting the innocent; keeping the peace; and ensuring the rights of all to liberty, equality and justice.
The police handle an essential part in society as its protectors. The law enforcement officers look out for the citizens and try to protect their safety and happiness whenever possible. Throughout the years, however; the society has questioned the use of force, racism and internal corruption as well as other forms of misconduct by officers of the law. Some people claim that many of these problems are misconstrued by the media and blown out of capacity; these officers are simply doing their job. Others argue that these circumstances can be drawn back to poor training and policies. Others maintain that the whole system needs to be changed and that with the rise in crime; officers have become enforcers more than protectors.
Banks, Cyndi. Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2009. Print.
Out of the four responsibilities of an American police officer, I would have to say that enforcing laws is the most important. Laws are very important, because they dictate what is acceptable and what is not within a given society. Police officers must uphold these laws to keep society in balance and the people within it safe. If police officers did not enforce laws, then society would be in utter chaos. There would not be any consequences for crimes unless someone was enforcing the laws and arresting those who violated them. I think that enforcing the law is also very important because it can act as a deterrent for crimes. If individuals see that someone was arrested for a certain crime, then they make think twice about doing it. This is