Ethical Violation Paper Ethics is “a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of questions of right and wrong and how we ought to live” (Banks, 2017, p. 4). Ethics play an important part in criminal justice system because it’s most effective when run in an ethical manner. When a member of the criminal justice system makes a mistake, the consequences could be costly. There are three ways ethics play a role in criminal justice which are police, attorney, and self-participation (Gruber, n.d.). People that work in the criminal justice system are held to higher standards by the public and under scrutiny because of their role. The press release I chose talks about a police officer acting unethically and violating the rights of the Latino community. …show more content…
Character was involved because the department wanted to be honorable, have integrity, be trustworthy and wanted justice for what the community went through. The trust was diminished, and they wanted to restore it with the community. What those officers did threatened the character of law enforcement officers who made an oath to protect and serve with honesty and integrity. Obligation was involved because the department wanted to be committed to their duty. Regardless of who does the crime, they must do the time and take their punishment. The officers were being fair to the people who had been harassed by those three officers and wanted to show the public that they can be depended on. The reported concerns or ethical violations that were identified included violating the civil rights of the Latino community.
Key Interest Groups Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is an interest group in relation to the ethical violation. Their objective is protecting and promoting the civil rights of U.S. Latinos through providing legal expertise and through litigation.
Release was Informative or
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The first is requiring every police officer get a certain amount of ethics training. The second is establishing a strong foundation with an ethics program. Writing a code, resources that provide information and advice about ethics, a way to report the ethical violations anonymously, and progress reports. The third is building it from the top to the bottom. Watching the bosses behave ethically will set the example to the other employees, holding everyone accountable even the leaders and reinforcing the consequences will show the other employees that there’s no special treatment. Showing the employees appreciation will also lower the chances of them behaving unethically. The final way is building a culture of openness and honesty. If people can see and hear what’s going on, it may help them speak out if something’s not
In this case study there are a few unethical behaviors that had occurred. One unethical decision was to commit the act of conspiracy. Bell, Forrest and Sillings teamed together to steal from an active crime investigation. The second unethical decision was when these individuals stole sums of cash and personal property from the victim while executing search warrants. The three individuals committed two primary crimes: conspiracy and theft. These officers were who took the oath to protect and serve the community were doing the opposite. Bell, Forrest and Silllings belonged
Dempsey, J. S., & Frost, L. S. (2012). Police Ethics and Police Deviance. An Introduction to Policing (6th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
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.
...ase that they have been assigned. Their loyalty to the case gives the impression that they are going to seek justice the right way. Their competence to the case gives the impression to the public that they are knowledgeable and diligent to the duties that they have been assigned and that they take their job very seriously. The show demonstrates that the police have a whole lot of integrity. They give the facts and only the facts. They do not give their opinions in these cases and they do not treat them in a personal nature. They will not lie to get what they want. All of these characteristics have an impact on the public, because the public will not trust an officer with information if he or she does not possess these characteristics.
Society impacts ethical behavior of law enforcement by holding them to a higher standard of expectation. Police officers act as protectors and liaisons in highly stressful situations with the power to make decisions over society. Holding this position requires trust and the ability to lead by example. Police officers may have to be able to recognize the ethical dilemmas, decide the
Martin, Rich. "Police Corruption: An Analytical Look into Police Ethics." The FBI Enforcement Bulletin May 2011: 11+. Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
This case took place right after a major disaster that came through New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina. The Police Department was in a state of chaos, and during this time the Police Officers were desperately trying to take back their city (Bohm, Haley, 2014). Even though this could be used as a reason as to why the New Orleans Police did what they did at that time it does not excuse it. It had not been long since this disaster struck and any effective antipolice corruption strategies that could have been used are usually a long term reform, and these strategies should take into account the society the police serves (Gutierrez-Garcia, Rodriguez, 2016), and at that time the society in which the New Orleans Police Department serves was in an uproar.
Ethics play a huge role in a police officers line of work. Since police are given such a high degree of trust and authority, it can unfortunately be very easy for an officer to fall into some unethical behavior. This can range from just minor acts that are frowned upon, to actual downright illegal activity. Even though there are a countless number of acts and behaviors that can be considered unethical, in the following paper I will focus primarily on those incidents involving police officers who steal for their own personal gain, and discuss my position on the issue.
In this essay, I will examine the ethical issues surrounding police corruption and discretion in the criminal justice system. I will also define legality and equity and how they relate to police corruption and discretion. Police corruption and discretion are ethical issues that have been negatively impacting the criminal justice system for years. Police corruption weakens the public 's confidence in law enforcement officers. It also hinders the effectiveness of law enforcement officers whose job is to serve and protect. I will also define police corruption and discretion and the reasons behind police misconduct.
Even though the IACP has developed a code of ethics and an oath of honor, there needs to be more ethical training incorporated into the profession. Both the code of ethics and the oath of honor leave little training for the officer when they are faced with ethical dilemmas in every day circumstances, especially when they are still trying to learn their own beliefs. Even though some police leadership training programs have required officers to read Cohen and Feldberg’s book, other forces have yet to incorporate the five moral standards into training. Which should be in accordance with the code of ethics and the oath of honor in order to make ethical police training
Ethics is fundamental in law enforcement and that is why it is of the upmost importance to find a qualified candidate who is ethical during the hiring process. “Sound conduct by police improves community interactions, enhances communication, and promotes shared responsibility for addressing crime and disorder” (COPS, 2017). Law enforcement is in a class of its own when it comes to being held to a higher standard than any other profession. There is an expectation placed on law enforcement personnel that they must always do the right thing at all times, especially when no one is around. Men and women of law enforcement must be cognizant of the fact that they are being watched by people that they know as well as do not know at all times (Roufa, 2017).
Criminal Justice professionals are in positions of power and exercise power and authority over others. Therefore, it is important for them to study ethics because they must be aware of the ethical standards needed in making critical decisions involving discretion, force, and due process. It is also a fact that criminal justice professionals who exercise power and authority over others can be tempted to abuse their powers.
Rich, Martin. “An Analytical Look into Police Ethics.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Vol.80. Issue 5. May 2011. 11-17. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013
The unwritten code of conduct is compromised in almost all public service jobs, it is much more essential to choose where you stand, when we have the power to impact someone’s life as a law enforcement officer. However, the views on unwritten code of conduct governing the behavior of police officers and corrections officers are both inappropriate and unethical. The reason being if the code is unwritten, then the guide lines are unclear. This is why individuals need to follow the written code of conduct so they would not make unethical choices. A code of silence puts the individual’s loyalty to each other rather the department.
Police misconduct encompasses illegal actions or the violation of individuals’ rights by police officers in the conduct of their duties. A wrongful conviction of a citizen can result from police misconduct of only one officer. They are expected to exceed the standard and follow the agency’s operating policy when it comes to professional conduct. Likewise, if they violate the trust of their office, they should receive a harsher punishment than a normal citizen. The formal law enforcement code of ethics and the stereotypical police attitude are very real ethical problems.