Criminal Justice Case Study

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Ethics is “a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of questions of right and wrong and how we ought to live” (Banks, 2013). Also it involves making moral judgments about what is right and or wrong, good or bad. In the process of everyday life, moral rules are desirable, not because they express absolute truth, but because they are generally reliable guides for normal circumstances. Ethics or moral conduct, are of major importance in the criminal justice field today. If the police force condoned unethical behavior, there would be very little, if any, justice being served. A system of rules and principles helps to guide in making difficult decisions when moral issues arise. Ethics has been shown to be a central component in decisions involving ethical dilemmas. It is “concerned with standards of conduct and with “how I ought to act”, and standards of conduct may vary among different societies” (Banks, 2013). An ethical dilemma arises only when a decision must be made that involves a conflict at the personal, interpersonal, institutional, or societal level or raises issues of moral character. Richard Hare argues that we initially use an intuitive level of moral thinking when we consider ethical dilemma. There are “six steps in analyzing an ethical dilemma and they would be as follow” (NASW, 2014): 1. Determining whether there is an ethical issue or/and dilemma 2. Identify the key values and principles involved 3. Rank the values or ethical principles which are most relevant to the dilemma or issue in your judgment 4. Develop an action plan that is consistent with the ethical priorities that have been determined as central to the dilemma 5. Implementing your plan, utilizing the most appropriate practice skills and competenci... ... middle of paper ... ... bomb or know the information about the bomb, which will kill many innocent lives if it is not defused. The ticking bomb example is frequently used to justify the use for torture while its terms can be taken either as setting the bar too high to justify any actual torture or alternatively as opening the door to torture in other cases. Reference: Banks, C. (2013). Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice, Edition 3. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. CESL. (2008). Ticking Time Bomb and Torture. Retrieved from: http://www.cesl.edu.cn/upload/201209206165923.pdf NASW. (2014). Essential Steps for Ethical Problem-solving. Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/oepr/steps.asp William, Hubert. (2002). Core factors of Police Corruption across the World. Retrieved from: www.u4.no/recommended-reading/core...of-police-corruption

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