Talking about ethics is always exciting. It is such an interesting topic. In this post, we are going to talk about how ethics are absolute or relative in the world of criminal justice. If you are interested in the discussion, keep reading until the end.
According to Merriam-Webster, ethics are defined as the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. They are far from simple. The focus is on whose ethics or which ones we are talking about. There should always be further definitions when talking about ethics.
Ethics have two subcategories. The first one is absolute ethics and the second one is relative ethics. Absolute ethics are described as the issues where there is either good or bad, right or wrong. It seems like these types of ethics are sewn into the fabric of our very being. Besides, they are nearly accepted within a certain society. Murder is wrong, extortion is wrong, honesty is good and loyalty is good are a few examples of absolute ethics.
Then, what about relative ethics? As for relative ethics, they are more complicated compared to absolute ethics. They refer to the issues with several shades of grey instead of just being black and white. According to Khan, ethics can be taught. Apart from that, he man also says that it is a must for the ethics to be examined critically in order to fully understand. Not only Khan, Eastvedt also shares that without a doubt, there are some philosophical problems when considering ethical concepts. Some of them may change that what may be ethical to an individual, may not be considered ethical to the others. One of the examples of relative ethical decisions includes the best way to handle homelessness issues within a community. Another example is how we limit the number or drug overdoses. Mind-dependent is the right or good answer to these questions.
It is worth noting that deontological ethics should also be examined. The reason is because it is commonplace within the criminal justice system. According to Peak, deontological ethics is the kind of decision that does not consider consequences. Instead, it examines one’s duty to act. Instead of the results motivating the action, it is more like a sense of duty that drives the action. Commonly, criminal justice practitioners are encouraged to make ethical decisions out of the sense of duty rather than out of an internal sense of right or wrong. In this kind of case, the one that determines what is right and and what is wrong is duty.
Ethics in Law Enforcement
Ethics is known as the foundation to law enforcement. It is clearly important and its importance is highlighted in the intense search for a few things such as honest, moral, and ethical law enforcement candidates. Usually, the law enforcement hiring process takes between 6-8 months. The process includes an invasive background check, a lengthy interview, and a polygraph to check for accuracy. Every part of the application process needs honesty and the law enforcement organizations demand that thing to continue through every aspect of the job. Honesty, along with integrity and ethical offers, are the most important things of any law enforcement organization. There are some topics related to law enforcement including the things that can be called relative ethical topics and should be explored. Not only the topics, there are also several solutions that will ensure ethicality within criminal justice organizations. A few things such as deception and lying can also be taken too fat into criminality. Accepted lying is the kind of lying that is generally considered part of the job and can include every kind of trickery used to apprehend or entrap suspects.
Ethics in the Courts
One of the core visions of the Delaware Judiciary (n.d) is to ensure equal application of the judicial process to every case, which is fairly decided based upon legally relevant factors. It is a must for this equal application and fair decision to be rooted in an ethical foundation. It cannot be an optional project because an understanding of judicial ethics is part and parcel of a true appreciation for the core values of the judiciary-judicial independence, integrity, and impartiality. There are some standards that relate to ethics in the courtroom. The list includes the Model Code of Judicial Conduct, the Code of Conduct for Federal Judges, and the Ethics Reform Act of 1989. All the judges, including the one who presides over a court and all the attorneys, the ones who battle each other in the court, are held to high ethical standards. These judges are sworn to administer justice within their courtroom. They swear to do this without respect to those who are involved but respect to the constitution and the laws of the United States. It can be said that a judge should not import their emotions, opinions, convictions, or biases into the decisions that they make in their courtroom. However, it is not the case knowing judges are also human just like everyone else. If a judge has ethical behavior, the favoritism, bias, and impropriety will be eliminated. Appleby & Blackham affirm that there is a current trend toward transparent ethical regulation for serving judges. This one is to promote public confidence in the judicial institution. All these ethical codes are known to be independent and there is no way for them to get rid of the personality or emotions of the judge to bleed over into their decision making. It is one of the relative ethics cases, in which there is no certain line between ethical and unethical actions.
Ethics in Corrections
Apparently, there are a few ethical issues that include the correctional system. These issues are one of the most heavily debated topics in the current politics and media. Not only that, correctional officers are known as the subjects to most of the same ethical standards as law enforcement officers. The similar role in the everyday functioning of a correctional officer is played by deception.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
