Use of force is a very important part of an officer’s ability to keep themselves and the public safe, but is also very controversial. The first thing anyone should try, if not in immediate danger, is to verbally diffuse a situation. If an officer can use words to get compliance from a criminal, then he or she won’t have to worry about defending their actions in court. There are no ethical issues involved with this level of the continuum. The use of restraint holds and chokes is a very dangerous thing if used improperly, but has many advantages when done correctly.
They possess outstanding habits of character and are truly trustworthy. They take pride in their work and have peace of mind knowing what they stand for. The mission of police is to safeguard lives and to protect the property of the people they serve. The government has a system of checks and balances so that no single part of the government could have uncontrolled power. To have controlled power they must have order, which is why laws exist.
Effective Communication in Criminal Justice Settings 304 July 16, 2012 CJA Effective Communication in Criminal Justice Settings The criminal justice setting is one which operates at best on the basis of effective communication. With major players (judge, attorneys, police officers, witnesses) having a stake in the decision process, there is little or no chance for any grammatical errors, or mistakes and of such, makes this entity separate from all others. Interpersonal communication involves understanding the dynamics of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages. Whether officers realize it or not, their ability to relate to others directly affects every action they perform on duty. This includes not only what
Several factors such as religion, status, hierarchy, and appearance are influenced by the culture that the officers belong to and this could lead to miscommunication at any time. Physical barriers like cubicles or walls do not allow the conversation to be as free-flowing as it would be if these barriers didn’t exist. Overcoming these barriers at work is not possible if the individuals involved does not know what is causing them. Each person working in the law enforcement agency needs to understand the importance of effective communication and strive to achieve it (Mahigel, 1975). Only when this takes place can those working within the department achieve a healthy and successful working environment.
It is the livelihood of almost every moment of everyday life. I not only communicate during my time with my family, but also communicate with individuals all throughout my day of trying to be the best communicator I am able to be. When speaking with others, I am able to notice when a person is having different emotions while speaking to me. It is an advantage to try to understand someone if their upset with something or to comfort them when they are unsure about things. Without having the necessary communication, skills to assist me this could be a difficult accomplishment.
The same discrepancy applies when you’re communicating a positive message without facial expressions. Eye Connection - Maintain eye contact, you present an air of confidence in yourself and what you are communicating. People who are listening to what you are saying will take you more seriously, and will take what you say as important. If you lose eye contact or focus on everything else but the person you are speaking to, you may not be taken seriously and the truth in your points may be lost. Physical barriers - Doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance between people all work against the goal of effective communication these include speaking too fast, distracting gestures, noise inside the room such a ringing telephones or outside the building such as traffic, Your message may be blocked because people in your audience are uncomfortable, they cannot hear because of bad sound system and cannot see because of inadequate
Criminal justice professionals play an important role in the court system, and if they lie on accusations and evidence, the innocent become victims of the dishonesty. A second quality that is good to see in the criminal justice professions is to be objective. It is important for our law enforcement and public servants to not let their personal goals, feelings, or prejudice to get in the way of the criminal justice goals. Objectivity ensures that the professionals will make the right choices even when they have reasons that should make them choose otherwise. A simple example of this trait could be a law enforcement officer writing a ticket to someone regardless of the relationship they may or may not have.
This is simple to overcome as closing windows and doors to prevent outside noises from interfering or by moving to a different area would solve this problem and allow communication to continue effectively. This is effective as the noise is no longer affecting the conversation and each person involved can be heard. Emotions are a common barrier to effective communication as a service provider may have other things on their mind and might not concentrate on the service user as much as they should. This could mean that they may not explain things in as much detail which may leave the service user confused as to what is wrong with them or a relative. This could be overcome by learning to block other thing not relating to work or a particular patient out and trying to put it to the back of their mind so that they can focus on the patient they are dealing with.
Others argue that these incidents can be traced back to poor training and policies. Still other selected persons maintain that the whole system needs to be changed and that with the rise in crime, officers have become enforcers more than protectors. A policy is defined as a definite course of action to determine decisions or a guide to decision making within a structured framework. A procedure however is often considered to be simply a consistent method of operation. In cases of police brutality officers may see strict policy, which is the product of thoughtful analysis, as just procedure, which may not be detrimental to the officer if broken (Kinnaird203).
Due to the uniquely stressful work environment, Law Enforcement have created an occupational subculture with its own informal code of ethics. The “group think” formed from the homogenous social group of Policing has supported a line of thinking and behaving, that is usually at odds with the formal ethics and values of the organization. One of these informal codes is that of “professional courtesy.” In its simplest sense this is the idea that cops don’t write other cops. Through this paper I will discuss why ethics are important, some of the ethical systems that form the framework for making decisions, and weigh the idea of professional courtesy against those systems. Is it ethical or unethical…that is the question.