Ethics in Criminal Justice Debate

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Ethics in Criminal Justice Debate July, 13 2013 CJA 484 Ralph Brown Ethics in Criminal Justice Debate Within the criminal justice system ethical and professional behavior are important. Ethical behavior allows a person to distinguish what is right from wrong based on a person’s moral principle. Within the profession of criminal justice many are faced on a daily bases with ethical dilemmas. It is important that ethical actions are taken, because if unethical acts occur it can become a serious problem for the individual. Professional behavior is needed when using ethical behavior. For example an officer sees a man drunk in public the ethical thing would be to arrest him. The professional way to do it is by following protocol on how to manage the situation. Without ethical and professional behavior the law would have little meaning because the way the law would be applied would be unreliable. Criminal justice administrators make important decisions daily, which can have profound effects on our lives (Gleason, 2006). Within the criminal justice administration critical thinking also play an important role along side with ethical and professional behavior. Within criminal justice law enforcement, corrections, and courts all use critical thinking to make ethical and professional decisions. Police officers must use critical thinking to conclude how the law was broken, how to respond, and if to arrest a person or not. When a police officer does not use critical thinking that is where problems can arise. If an officer were to act fast without thinking about his acts he could potentially not act ethical or professional. Within courts critical thinking is used when determining a final decision on a case and also with attorneys when preparing to defend a case. Another example of critical thinking would be when correction and parole officers use critical thinking to
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