JUS455-7-3FinalProjectSubmissionCaseStudyEthicalAnalysis

docx

School

Southern New Hampshire University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

455

Subject

Philosophy

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by MagistrateGorilla9354

Running head: 7-3 Final Project Submission: Case Study Ethical Analysis 7-3 Final Project Submission: Case Study Ethical Analysis Ariel Lippencott Southern New Hampshire University JUS-455 12/7/23

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 2 The scenario I will use for my project is scenario #2. This scenario is about a police officer working a night shift who ends up finding the town mayor in an accident who seems to be impaired by alcohol due to the smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, the slurring of his speech, and the lethargy he is exhibiting. I chose this scenario because for a few reasons, 1) the town mayor was involved in a DUI accident, and 2) it is interesting due to the mayor telling the police officer (me) to not tell anyone and that he has a lot of influence with what goes on at the police station, and that he has had his eye on you as an up-and-comer. I believe the most difficult part of this project would be finding credible and reliable sources to support my decision regarding the scenario. Ethics and Society Overview Society has an impact on ethical behavior in law enforcement by having a different vision towards law enforcement. They impact ethical behavior of law enforcement by holding them to a higher standard of expectations. Most law enforcement officers show ethical behavior and professionalism, but there are some who do not. Society has an influence on how law enforcement officers make their ethical decisions. For example, the George Floyd case, it showed racial discrimination. For instance, “a bystander video recording of the incident showed that a white police officer pinned Floyd to the ground while he was handcuffed. The police officer’s knee pressed into the back of Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, even after Floyd lost consciousness” (ADL, 2020). “Chauvin caused the death of George Floyd by his culpable negligence, creating an unreasonable risk and taking a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to George Floyd” (Schmalleger, 2021). It is important that society has a say on ethical expectations within law enforcement because they will be impacted by the law enforcement’s behavior, the law enforcement would be

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 3 held accountable for their actions (in this scenario the mayor will get the DUI and not be able to get me in trouble for something he did), and society and the law enforcement will gain trust with one another. It is important for law enforcement to listen because it will give them a better understanding of the concerns of the community and make the necessary changes to better serve and protect their community. The relationship between society and the development of law is symbiotic. “A symbiotic relationship is one in which organisms, people, or things exist together in a way that benefits them all” (Collins, 2023). The laws are constantly changing and so does society. For instance, law serves to regulate society and society influences the development of law. Without the laws society would become haywire, and without changes to the law society would not be able to adapt to the changes. Society plays an important role in the development of law. For instance, society can vote, protest, and file petitions for unfair laws or laws that they believe violate their rights. Also, they help the lawmakers to make changes to the laws so that they reflect fairness. It is important for lawmakers to listen because they can figure out what is fair and ethical without violating individuals’ constitutional rights. The relationship between morality and ethics within the American law enforcement are similar and should go together since are both essential in criminal justice. “Ethics are codes set by the external environment, such as society and the profession, while morals are individual principles that act as the compass of right deeds” (Hess et al., 2015). In other words, morals are to determine right and wrong, while ethics is a set of rules or principles that guide behavior. Law enforcement officers should use their moral principles to accomplish their judgments while

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 4 applying ethical values to deal with dilemmas. If an officer is unethical, it could make the agency look bad and lose the trust of the public. Society’s changing views has an impact on the ethical guidelines within the American law enforcement. Society’s views on behavior also have a significant impact on the duties of law enforcement. For instance, the increased awareness and intolerance of racial bias and police brutality have led to higher expectations for ethical conduct within the criminal justice system. According to Schwartz, “the rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans was much higher than that for any other ethnicity, standing at 30 fatal shootings per million of the population as of June 2020’ (Schwartz, 2020). So, it is very important that the law enforcement stays informed with these changes so that they can adapt their practices accordingly, because society has lots of power when it comes to expressing their viewpoints. For instance, they could see something ‘wrong’ and go and tell some people including the media and the scenario can end up getting twisted to what did not even happen. Scenario In the scenario involving a police officer and the mayor, there are several ethical dilemmas the officer is facing. The ethical dilemma that is raised by the facts in this scenario is the police officer is faced with a decision to look the other way and falsify the accident report. He can falsify the report by stating that the accident was caused by a dog being in the road, resulting in the mayor swerving off the roadway and impacting the tree. For instance, the mayor tells him that he swerved to avoid a dog, lost control and hit the tree. “An ethical dilemma is a conflict between alternatives were choosing any of them will compromise some ethical principle and lead to an ethical violation” (Hegde, 2023). This dilemma is ethical because the mayor is trying to use his power to make the police officer falsify

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 5 an accident report which is illegal. What makes this dilemma an ethical challenge is that the mayor is asking the officer to just ignore his training and experience to pursue an investigation into whether the mayor was intoxicated. This dilemma challenges the ethics of honesty and integrity. It challenges honesty by the mayor trying to use the influence he has with what goes on at the police station to have the officer falsify the accident report. This situation also challenges integrity by trying to get the police officer to not perform his duty according to the oath he swore at his placement as an officer of the law. The factors that led to the dilemma are there were no skid marks apparent and no witnesses around. Another factor is the noticeable signs that the mayor is impaired by alcohol, including the smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, the slurring of his speech, and the lethargy he is exhibiting. These factors can inform my course of action by calling for my supervisor before the next interaction with the mayor, so that way I can have a witness to protect myself from incrimination or bribery, and the mayor’s actions tell me that this is not the first time his has tried to use his office to get out of other things. The implications that should be considered when determining my course of action are the mayor could pressure the chief of police to fire me. Also, the mayor could retaliate against my police department. If I choose to do the right thing and file the correct paperwork, the mayor could influence how the community views us and how they trust us in upholding the law. By doing what I swore to oath to do, the mayor could cause a negative impact on my career. Ethical Theories and Personal Values The ethical theories are deontology, utilitarianism, casuist, and virtue. The ethical theory I would rely upon to address this dilemma is deontology. “Deontology is the theory that people should act in accordance with certain rules or principles regardless of the consequences”

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 6 (Philosophy, 2022). This theory would be effective because it would allow me to act accordingly by using my morals with certain rules and principles regardless of the consequences from the mayor. For instance, the mayor is trying to use intimidation to challenge my duties and morals as a police officer. You separate personal morals from ethics by personality, attitude, and behavior of a person. For instance, “the word ‘morals’ is derived from a Greek word “Mos” which means custom. On the other hand, if we talk about ethics, it is also derived from a Greek word “Ethikos” which means character. Put simply, morals are the customs established by group of individuals whereas ethics defines the character of an individual” (Surbhi, 2023). It is important because no matter what your personal beliefs are you must set them aside while performing your duty as police officer, lawyer, etc. without any prejudice. It is appropriate to let your morals guide your actions when you can “determine what is right and wrong and act accordingly. You first gather the information, evaluate your information, then decide and act” (Ponio,2021). In this scenario I could be swayed by the mayor because of fear that his influence might negatively impact my employment, but my moral compass knows that it is wrong to break the law and falsify the police report. Duties My course of action if I were faced with this dilemma would be to call my supervisor to let them know of the situation and to have him/her come that way I have an eyewitness. This reaction would be appropriate and effective because it could help save my career. For instance, if I did not contact my supervisor and I wrote the correct police report and took the mayor in he could lie and with him being a higher authority they could believe him, and I could potentially

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 7 lose my job. With that being said, it would be effective to have my supervisor there to cover my bases and that way the mayor can’t lie to get his way out of getting a DUI or anything else. My responsibility as a professional in this scenario is to do the right thing even if it can be difficult to do. The right and ethical thing to do is to write the correct report and take the mayor into custody for his and society’s safety while he is under the influence. If do not write the correct report and if the mayor does something else that is unethical, he could ask me to cover for him again if I did what he wanted me to do. Also, if I wrote the correct police report and took the mayor in and with him being a higher authority he could lie about the situation, and they would believe him, and I could lose my job. My ethical responsibility does take precedence over my personal views because of conflict. For instance, in this scenario I must put my personal feelings aside and act ethically to avoid conflict. If the two are conflicting, then I would need to step back and get someone else to take over the case. For instance, if I have a case come in and I know the person then I would have to hand the case off to another colleague. Society’s changing views of acceptable behavior has impacted the way a criminal justice practitioner performs their duties. It impacted them by being informed of society’s changes and adapting their practices accordingly. Society’s change can also lead to changes in the legal standards and court proceedings. For instance, the rights of LGBTQ individuals. They have become a large group today. Another change is rehabilitation and punishment. Today they been doing more rehabilitation instead of harsh punishments. For instance, “rehabilitation is a better option than punishment because punishment only makes an offender pay for the crime committed not change their behavior. Rehabilitation gives offenders the chance to learn about

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 8 their problems and offers them the opportunity to learn how to change their behavior to not commit a crime” (Admin, 2020).

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 9 References: Hegde, S. (2023, October 19). What is an ethical dilemma? . Science ABC. https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/what-is-an-ethical-dilemma-definition- examples-real-life.html Admin. (2020, July 7). Punishment vs rehabilitation in the Criminal Justice System Pros & Cons . CJ US JOBS. https://cjusjobs.com/punishment-vs-rehabilitation-in-the-criminal- justice-system/ Philosophy, O. (2022, October 19). What are the most common ethical theory examples . Overtime 📖 Philosophy / Reviewing Your Favorite Ideologies. https://overtimephilosophy.com/the-many-meanings-of-ethical-theories-and-principles/ #deontology Ponio, J. (2021, March 25). Moral Compass: What is it and how to use it . Our Father’s House Soup Kitchen. https://ofhsoupkitchen.org/moral-compass Surbhi, S. (2023, February 7). Difference between morals and ethics (with examples and comparison chart) . Key Differences. https://keydifferences.com/difference-between- morals-and-ethics.html#:~:text=The%20major%20differences%20between%20Morals %20and%20Ethics%20are,person%20himself%20which%20governs%20his%20life. %20More%20items Schmalleger, F. (2021). Criminal Law Today (7th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9780135730386

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 10 ADL. (2020, June 1). George Floyd, racism and law enforcement (in English and en español) . https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/george-floyd-racism-and-law- enforcement-english-and-en-espanol Collins. (2023). Symbiotic relationship definition and meaning | Collins english dictionary . symbiotic relationship. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/symbiotic- relationship Hess, K. M., Orthmann, C. H., & LaDue, S. E. (2015, January 1). Management and supervision in law enforcement: 7th edition . Cengage. https://www.cengage.com/c/management-and- supervision-in-law-enforcement-7e-hess/9781285447926 Schwartz, S. A. (2020, July 2). Police brutality and racism in America . Explore (New York, N.Y.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7331505/

JUS455-7-3FinalProjectSubmissionCaseStudyEthicalAnalysis

Related Documents