The following will critically assess major ethical conflicts within the criminal justice system that can be found within the CCA Corrections Corporation of American and the Stock Market, College Students and Local Policing the Role of Informants, and the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. Each ethical conflict will be assessed by applying Lebacqz’s work, Six Theories of Justice in order to identify the ethical breaches within each case, and prescribe ethical corrective actions based upon the six theories found in Lebacqz’s work. Although each ethical conflict is distinct in content and each has particular relationships to the criminal justice system, there are common ethical breaches among each case. One can find that within each ethical conflict people, whether they are incarcerated, in post-prison reentry programs, or a student informant are viewed in terms of their value for the …show more content…
This is also called the greatest happiness where happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain. In could be argued that each ethical conflict does in some way produce the greatest happiness for society. In the case individual weather it be the students or the inmates, individual rights are overridden by the consideration of the happiness of others. However, one could argue that although this may produce a short term happiness for society it is not certain what the long term effects are upon societies happiness. Moreover, there are increasingly large amount of individuals that are becoming part of the criminal justice system which greatly impact US citizens’ happiness. Families with a parent within the criminal justice system are at a higher risk for sever struggle or even breakdown. As a result this causes for higher risks for social problems such as high drug and crime rates. Therefore it is difficult to say that these decisions are in fact promoting happiness among the wider society long
Each position in criminal justice holds power and responsibility, and therefore, it is very important that said people in those positions do not abuse it. Unethical behavior in the criminal justice system takes away trust and respect from authority, and as a consequence, the law is more easily disregarded if the people lack faith in the system. It can, also, contribute to crime and/or cause citizens to not report crimes. Society should have indubitable confidence in the men and women of the criminal justice system. Law enforcement officers violating even the smallest rule could lead to more serious infractions. Syed (1997) states, "Every instance of corruption bends or violates a rule or law and, similar to the granting of impunity, may contribute to an officer's perceptions of the law as applying differently to different people and increase the ease with which violations can be rationalized." Having less than ethical persons in our criminal justice system can lead to a weakened society, the ruining of lives, and even add to crime.
As stated in the textbook, police often have to make decisions on their own, with only their moral compass to guide them. Most ethical dilemmas that police officers face derive from their powers of discretion. Moral dilemmas that police officers face are often frequent and unavoidable. They are often unpopular with many people, resolved quickly, and are often dealt with alone.
The criminal justice system is a group of institutions that work together to protect a society, prevent and control crime, and maintain justice; enforcing the laws regulated by society. As the years have gone by and society has evolved; so have the criminal justice system and its methods to accomplish its role in society. This short analysis will evaluate the main facts that have been affecting the criminal justice system for decades and have influenced the evolution the justice system is enduring in a changing society (Muraski, 2009). Amongst the changes in the system, we will discuss the effect the changes have had on the citizens and how their perceptions have evolved as well.
It is undeniable that mass incarceration devastates families, and disproportionately affects those which are poor. When examining the crimes that bring individuals into the prison system, it is clear that there is often a pre-existing pattern of hardship, addiction, or mental illness in offenders’ lives. The children of the incarcerated are then victimized by the removal of those who care for them and a system which plants more obstacles than imaginable on the path to responsible rehabilitation. Sometimes, those returned to the community are “worse off” after a period of confinement than when they entered. For county jails, the problem of cost and recidivism are exacerbated by budgetary constraints and various state mandates. Due to the inability of incarceration to satisfy long-term criminal justice objectives and the very high expenditures associated with the sanction, policy makers at various levels of government have sought to identify appropriate alternatives(Luna-Firebaugh, 2003, p.51-66).
In chapter 11 of our book Criminal Justice in Action by Larry k. Gaines/ Roger LeRoy Miller, one of the main consequences of high incarceration rates mentioned is the fact that incarceration destroys families and communities which is true and a very serious problem , the impact that this has in the economy is important as well.
Criminology as a genre is defined as the scientific study of crime, as well as its causes, law enforcement interaction, criminal behavior, and means of prevention. In its own way criminology is the history of humanity. As long as people have been on earth there has been criminal activity. Much like most other work atmospheres, it was a male dominated field. A woman seeking to work in criminology was unheard of. Men filled the jobs as police officers, lawyers, judges, and politicians. However, in the 1860s Belva Lockwood became determined to pave the way for women in criminology. As a women’s rights activist, she became one of the most influential women in criminology.
The ideology of increased arrests rates and more likely incarceration has greatly contributed to the growing prison population. As some analysts argue that the billions spent by the federal, state, and local governments on the crime problem is “paying off” (American Corrections, 2016), some results may show otherwise. In the
This work aims to show the ethical issues that surround our justice systems correctional institutions to try and get a better understanding of how moral standards can be brought down in prisons. The issues in this paper will further bring into question the people who guard civilians from the most dangerous and volatile inmates who sit behind bars. The goal here is to determine the underlying issues or morality and justice that seem to be broken within the confines of this prison system. More and more goes into protecting the inmates and the institutions from the employees of the correctional field than ever before. Why is it that correctional officials drop morals and break ethical codes? This paper will focus on the deviance that officers commit, as well as, the deontological and utilitarian side of the actions taken. A look into what can be done to put an end to ethical issues will be assessed also.
Ethics referrers to the moral philosophy which involves making moral judgment about what is right or wrong, and how individuals live their life. In the prison setting, line staff, management, and supervisors are facing ethical challenges when making decisions in their everyday work practices. Gorsira, Denkers, and Huisman (2018) noted, “organizations can influence their ethical climate, for instance, by paying attention to the ethical issues employees may face in the workplace, by stimulating open discussion about these issues”. Correctional staff is trained annually how to avoid unethical practices and how to report and document events that occur Ethical Dilemmas in Corrections This paper is to inform the readers about ethical dilemmas that
There is a plethora of data within the last 10-15 years that repeatedly show family, friends, and entire communities or neighborhoods being drastically affected by the consequences of mass incarceration as well. The data focus primarily on the effects on the partners, children, families, friends, and caregivers of those incarcerated; particularly the economic, emotional, and personal relationships between incarcerated individuals and those the data also
The United States criminal justice system is broken down into three different parts, first is the Law enforcement in the American justice system. It is responsible for upholding the law, investigating crime and apprehending the individuals responsible for committing the crime. Second, the courts in the American Justice system. The court ensures that an individual right is not violated, and a fair trail takes place. Finally, corrections in the American justice system, it ensures that a convicted offender serves his or her sentence as advised by the courts and supervises the convicts as they service their sentence.
The definition of justice and the means by which it must be distributed differ depending on an individual’s background, culture, and own personal morals. As a country of many individualistic citizens, the United States has always tried its best to protect, but not coddle, its people in this area. Therefore, the criminal justice history of the United States is quite extensive and diverse; with each introduction of a new era, more modern technologies and ideals are incorporated into government, all with American citizens’ best interests in mind.
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.
Introduction It seems that of expert witnesses in common law courts have always the more Influence and dependence in the court to help the justice to find the truth and give each one his/her right, but some time it has been unfair for some people. Reading the comments of lawyers and judges, it is easy that expert witnesses are intruders who disrupt the truth. The expert is one of the people who will be invited to the court to participate in the case and he will be questioned with many questions by the judge to share his knowledge and experience to find out the truth in a clear picture and the court expecting from the expert to play a large role in the case. Also sometime the expert can be called other expertise to participate with his opinion to resolve issues or disagree in other issues in the court. To be an expert
Criminal Justice professionals make decisions everyday and they have to be able to recognize when an issue involves ethical considerations. Therefore, in order to recognize these issues and make appropriate and correct decisions, it is important that the criminal justice professional study ethics. In order to make a good ethical decision the professional will have to have the ability to apply knowledge of ethics, know the ethical terminology and the concepts needed in making a good ethical decision.