Ethics In Criminal Justice
Before we can talk about ethics in criminal justice and the slippery slope, we must first define what ethics is. Ethics is, “that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions” (Dictionary, n.d.). Having defined ethics how does it play out in criminal justice? It goes without saying that every department should have ethics training, and it should extend beyond just the field of criminal justice. It applies to everyone, and it is values that can help us make those tough decisions. Ethics are not always easy, and what is ethically right might not be the most famous decision a person can make. Without a department of ethical people, there is no telling the
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. . The rookie goes in and waits for an acknowledgment from the bartender of his presence and disdainfully tosses him two pack- ages of cigarettes. The feeling of pride slips away, and a hint of shame takes hold. One thing leads to another for the rookies. (p 81)
There are many different types of hypotheses in regards to ethics in the criminal justice field that we will discuss. The first theory is called Society-at-Large. This assumption means that the citizens would expect a favor from law enforcement if those same people were given something in return. According to Delattre, (2011):
Now, there was little difficulty in transferring the concept from servants to public servants. It was natural to include policemen. Unfortunately, it was easy to extend this to the offering of gratuities to policemen who would perform little favors that were not legal. (p …show more content…
If they see their more experienced partner participating in corrupt activities what are they likely to do? If those events continued, he would accept that as normal behavior and join in on the corruption too.
The last hypothesis is called the Rotten Apple Hypothesis. According to Withrow & Dailey as cited in Delattre, 1996, (2004):
It focuses the root of corruption in the character, or lack thereof, of the individual officer. This explanation proposes that corruption is the result of poor selection practices that fail to screen out applicants who are unsuitable for public service.
The community wants more police officers and that in turn creates a system where too many unqualified officers with suspect backgrounds have a gun and a badge. A real life scenario like that happened in the 1980s with the River cops and the race wars in Cuban ghettos. Many officers were going to be fired. The recruits that they got were not much better. “Those newcomers were not adequately trained or supervised; officers with less than a year’s experience became field training officers and made recommendations whether newcomers should pass probation” (Delattre, 2011, p
. . The rookie goes in and waits for an acknowledgment from the bartender of his presence and disdainfully tosses him two pack- ages of cigarettes. The feeling of pride slips away, and a hint of shame takes hold. One thing leads to another for the rookies. (p 81)
There are many different types of hypotheses in regards to ethics in the criminal justice field that we will discuss. The first theory is called Society-at-Large. This assumption means that the citizens would expect a favor from law enforcement if those same people were given something in return. According to Delattre, (2011):
Now, there was little difficulty in transferring the concept from servants to public servants. It was natural to include policemen. Unfortunately, it was easy to extend this to the offering of gratuities to policemen who would perform little favors that were not legal. (p …show more content…
If they see their more experienced partner participating in corrupt activities what are they likely to do? If those events continued, he would accept that as normal behavior and join in on the corruption too.
The last hypothesis is called the Rotten Apple Hypothesis. According to Withrow & Dailey as cited in Delattre, 1996, (2004):
It focuses the root of corruption in the character, or lack thereof, of the individual officer. This explanation proposes that corruption is the result of poor selection practices that fail to screen out applicants who are unsuitable for public service.
The community wants more police officers and that in turn creates a system where too many unqualified officers with suspect backgrounds have a gun and a badge. A real life scenario like that happened in the 1980s with the River cops and the race wars in Cuban ghettos. Many officers were going to be fired. The recruits that they got were not much better. “Those newcomers were not adequately trained or supervised; officers with less than a year’s experience became field training officers and made recommendations whether newcomers should pass probation” (Delattre, 2011, p