CJ 230 Project One
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Feb 20, 2024
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Project One Jacquelin Gregg Southern New Hampshire University CJ 230 Discretion in Criminal Justice Professor Silbert
February 11, 2024
Discretion can refer to the authority granted to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and other officials to make decisions within the boundaries of their position. The discretion decisions could possibly include whether to arrest a suspect for the crime that was committed, what type of charges to file, how to interpret the laws, and what type of sentence to impose. Exercising discretion can play a vital role within all aspects of the criminal justice field and this is what allows people who work in law enforcement to make choices between one or more options. The importance of discretion is a crucial aspect of the criminal justice system because it does allow the flexibility and individualize justice. But it will also recognize that each case is unique and more than likely will require a different approach. Integrity refers to the quality of being honest and having a strong moral principle; in discretionary decision-making integrity ensures that decisions are made in an ethical and transparent manner. It does help to build trust and credibility, and this is essential for effective decision-making. The role of integrity is to ensure that decisions are made based on the ethical considerations and honesty while promoting trust and credibility. Authority can refer to the power or right to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience. The role of authority is to provide the power to make and implement decisions, while ensuring that decisions are respected and followed. Discretionary power refers to the ability to make decisions based on one’s judgement, rather than follow the strict set of rules while it allows for flexibility and adaptability in decision making. The role for discretionary power allows for flexibility and adaptability in the decision making, enabling decisions to be tailored to any specific situations or contexts. And morality refers to the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are distinguished as proper and then those that are improper. The role of morality is that morality
guides the decision-making process to ensure that decisions are ethical and just, while promoting
fairness and justice. During this scenario my partner and I decided to the driver of the vehicle a warning and then proceed to get hospital personnel to come outside and help the woman whose water broke and was going into labor. The main reason for this decision is because even though the driver did
speed through a red light and cause us to do a 2-mile pursuit to the hospital because of the woman needing medical assistance as fast as possible. If my partner and I would have stopped the vehicle to give the driver a citation; there could have been complications for the woman and her child if we caused them to wait any longer. I would speak to the driver about his actions and how serious they were and what could have happened due to his recklessness. The driver could have seriously injured not only the woman and her baby; but he could have injured other citizens
within the route. I made this decision because arresting the driver or even giving him a ticket could be viewed as harsh on my part since the driver was trying to do what he thought was necessary to ensure the safety of the mother and her child. But I would have a serious conversation on the situation and what the punishment would have been if it was anything different and the possible dangerous outcomes that could have happened. Even though the male driver did drive recklessly and could have put others in danger while trying to get to the hospital as possible, I feel like since I did not give the driver any citations or even arresting him, the courts might have a possible issue with that since they could think that he needed to face a punishment or even a fine but due to my discretionary decision to not give the driver a ticket, or arresting but instead just let him go for what happened due to the urgent situation that was going on and that if I; as a police officer put the risk of the woman and her child for complications before they could even receive medical assistance I feel like I would
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be facing more of a punishment in case the mother and child got injured, endured complications or even death of one of them due to not reaching the hospital sooner. References:
Pollock, J. M. (2022).
Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice
(11th ed.). Cengage.