The Role Of Ethics In The Criminal Justice System

It is important to include social and personal contexts when studying ethics because the social context analyzes the environment that we live in and the people we interact with. Personal context is important because it shows/represents our own sense of justice. Having our own beliefs and values shows and describes who we really are. (Braswell, 1991)

Since the 19th century, plea bargaining has become an important part of the criminal justice system. This is because prosecutors have often been overwhelmed with a tremendous amount of cases. At the same time, the cost and time involved with conducting a trial can become an added burden. To address these challenges, most district attorneys will use plea bargaining as way to dispense justice and reduce their backlog in cases. (Fisher, 2004, pp. 40 62)

The criminal justice system is a system of law enforcement that is involved in prosecuting, sentencing, and punishing those who have committed a criminal offence. When every member of society is aware of their individual rights and the laws enforced, the criminal justice system is very effective, but when a contributor to society is mentally insane and commits a criminal offence everything changes. In Frontline’s A Crime of Insanity, a twenty-six year old psychology student, Ralph Tortoricci, walked across the Albany campus of the State University of New York with a hunting knife and a Remington .270 rifle. He took a class hostage and later wounded a nineteen year old sophomore. Ralph obviously committed a crime but the problem is: was he

Every professional in the criminal justice system is held to a much higher standard compared to employees in other businesses in the United States. It is important that anyone within the criminal justice system has a strong moral code, has ethical conduct, and always makes ethical decisions. Police officers, lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and correctional officers are faced with making extremely tough decisions with very little time to think about the situation at hand. Having sound judgment and the ability to make ethical decisions is a key factor for that professional to be successful in their career. Ethics are the backbone of the criminal justice system, which can make or break the system.

Police corruption: An ethical issue in criminal justice CCJS 380 6980 Ethical Behavior in Criminal Justice Krystle Ellis September 27, 2015   Part One Police corruption is a form of misconduct when a police officer uses legitimate authority illegally for personal gain. Police have a duty to protect the citizens and create a sense of law and order (Beigel, 1974). To protect citizens police are supposed to curb crime and investigate it to bring the offenders to justice. Corruption is a crime that has become rampant today. Therefore, corrupt police forces cannot create a sense of order and legitimacy.

Every time an innocent person is exonerated based on DNA testing, law enforcement agencies look at what caused the wrongful convictions. There are many issues that contribute to putting guiltless lives behind bars including: eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, imperfect forensic science, and more (Gould and Leo 18). When a witness is taken into a police station to identify a suspect, it is easy for their memories to be blurred and their judgment influenced. This can lead the witness to identify a suspect who is actually innocent. Flawed forensic science practice also contributes to wrongful imprisonments. In the past, analysts have been inaccurate due to carelessness, testified in court presenting evidence that was not based

This has to be one of my favorite assignments since becoming a student at Kaplan. I have been interested in the Criminal Justice since I was a small child. I come from a long line of military, however, my passion has always been Criminal Law. I remember even as a young girl in the 2nd grand, I had dreams and aspirations of becoming a lawyer. Now that I have an ex husband, and two children of my own and find the justice system a little “Leewayish” (if that’s even a word) on dead beat fathers, my dream has now become to be a “Ball busting District Attorney for deadbeat moms and dads. I am sick and tired of

As the Warden, William has a very tough job. He is in charge of everyone in the prison and now a days “focus has shifted to ensuring the safety and security of the community, staff, and inmates” (Ruddell, 2008). Now that the budget was cut, William believes that an off-site work release program would be beneficial in making sure the prison isn’t as crowded all the time. Staffing has become an issue and the union representative wants to know how the warden intents to ensure the safety of the officers. The ethical question here is what should he do in order to make sure his staff is safe. The warden is motivated by the fact that he does not want to lose officers due to them feeling threatened. Therefore something needs to be done to ensure they will stick around and do their job without being harmed. As the

The criminal justice system is one of the most important components in the public service system. Since it is a system that citizens encounter daily it would be most beneficial for those who are employed to behave as ethical leaders. Leadership skills and ethical behavior are both parts of the duties of any officer serving the law. Often employees are placed in quick decision situations that can have fatal outcomes if not handled properly. By ensuring that all officers of the law have a set of functioning ethical leadership skills can not only develop a well-rounded individual, but also builds the relationship between the community they serve to protect. The police and other officers of the law have great discretion and power over an individual which makes having responsible, ethically behaving persons on the front lines even more important. With the right training and education, ethical officers can set the bar and improve the quality of life of the community they serve as well as other officers.

“Ethical issues regarding corruption and off-duty behavior have become an increasing challenge in criminal justice” (Writing, 1999-2013). Within the criminal justice system, ethics can be complicated by the moral implications of actions. Differences in cultures and different circumstances can affect the individual moral compass. However, all departments of criminal justice operate by a certain code of ethics and by certain standards. But those standards and ethics often become challenged due to issues relating to police brutality, off duty conduct and corruption that we hear about all of the time through the media.

According to Webster’s Dictionary, ethics is defined “as the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation” (Merriam-Webster Online). This concept is prevalent in the world of police work since police officers are supposed to be the “good” in whatever is considered a “bad” situation. Many police departments offer training in ethics during the time in which a cadet is in the police academy and after officers are put on the streets, which is called in-service training. It is the hope that while this training is available to officers, that they hold a basic code of ethics within themselves which

It is no secret that the criminal justice system, as a whole, has some major problems that could be fixed. Some of us may not agree with some laws, but one thing is for sure, no one is above law, or are they? Three areas of the system that could use some revision include police discretion, plea bargain and jury nullification.

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, ethics is defined as “moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior.” Therefore, in an ideal world, ethics should play the ultimate role when making a decision. If ethics are the principles which guides one’s behavior then, ideally, all decisions should be made entirely based on ethics. Unfortunately, such is not always the case.

Ethics by definition states that it’s the study of morality. Ethics are the basis of our criminal justice system. From the arresting officers who take an oath to serve and protect, to the attorneys and courts, we assume the behavior and rules are ethically and morally sound. We as the public should think we are in good hands when it comes to the Criminal Justice System. I think we should have people in the system with good morals and great values. We want to be assured that our laws and those enforcing them are supported.

Ethical and unethical situations occur on a daily basis and are seen all around us. Being ethical requires one to take responsibility for their actions and doing what is right in any given circumstance. Every person has the power to dictate their actions on how they are going to handle any situation they are put in. I have experienced numerous amounts of situations that have tested my ethical behavior and actions. Throughout my experiences, I have realized that ethics has a great impact on many different aspects of life such as society, career, and personal life. Understanding the meaning of ethics allows me to grow as a person and to truly do what is right with any issue I am faced with.