Week 1 Discussion
Values Affecting Criminal Justice
For this assignment, make sure you post your initial response to the Discussion Area by the due date assigned.
To support your work, use your course and text readings and also use outside sources. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.
Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible. Respond to at least two of your classmates. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing a point of view with a rationale, challenging an aspect of the discussion, or indicating a relationship between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Complete your participation for this assignment by the end of the week.
This assignment requires you to examine ethics in your new career as a criminal justice professional. You have just started out as a criminal justice professional. You have a partner who has spent 15 years in this profession. One day while you are out with your partner, you see that he is talking to a member of the local mob. Your partner accepts a large yellow envelope and tucks it quickly into his pocket. You know that the man has a criminal record and has a history of extorting money out of the local businesses, but has never been charged with it due to lack of evidence. You ask your partner about the mobster and he tells you not to worry about it. You wonder if you should report the incident to the chief or not.
Discuss the virtues that affected your judgment. Why is it important to have virtues? Define virtue and list five examples of good virtues. How do these virtues develop? Can training play in developing these virtues?
Discuss the importance of ethics. What choices did you have while making the decision of telling the chief about the incident with your partner? Was the choice that you exercised based on an internalized or externalized behavior and value? Which virtues supported not reporting your partner?
You continue to question your partner about the “envelope.” Your partner finally responds and says it has been a long established tradition for local bookies to donate to the Police Athletic League and in return the cops look the other way when it comes to minor things like betting on sports.
How would you react if guided by:
- Ethical formalism
- Egoism
- Utilitarianism
- Ethics of care
Which choice would you personally make, and why?
