Assignment:
Supporting Lectures:
- Ethics and Morals
- Ethical Systems
The discussion assignment provides a forum for discussing relevant topics for this week on the basis of the course competencies covered.
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 the South University Online Library. 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' initial postings. 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. Cite sources in your responses to other classmates. Complete your participation for this assignment by the end of the week.
At this early stage of the course, consider your own pre-existing thoughts on the topic of ethical behavior.
- What problems arise in the application of personal ethics to law enforcement practices and to the criminal justice system?
- What is the difference between morality, ethics, and professional standards? How should a professional in the criminal justice system resolve a conflict between his or her personal ethics and the requirements of the job?
In the criminal justice field, it is not uncommon for professionals to encounter ethical dilemmas: situations where there is more than one possible ethical action to take. Consider an officer who is questioning an addict on the street. Should the officer look the other way if the addict begins suffering withdrawal symptoms and wants to ingest a narcotic? The "ethics of duty" require the officer to prevent the drug use and make an arrest. However, the officer's personal ethics might demand that he or she show compassion toward a suffering person.