Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Ethics - Essay Example The public expects professionalism and ethical conduct from those in the criminal justice system. The discipline of ethics focuses on the issue of what comprises appropriate or inappropriate behavior. A prominent specialist on ethics, Dr. Sam S. Souryal, gives a specific definition of ethics for corrections officers (Cronkhite, 2013, 304): Ethics has come to mean behaviors as they relate to a profession. Thus, there are medical ethics, legal ethics, and correctional ethics. All corrections professionals must follow basic ethical guidelines. Ethics boils down to making a choice between right and wrong, and doing what is right. In general, you can use your conscience as a guide. If you use sound reasoning, act in good faith, do your job fairly and honestly, respect the rights of others, and follow the rules and regulations of the agency, you will avoid most ethical problems. As argued by Whisenand (2005 as cited in Cronkhite, 2013, 304), ethics in the criminal justice system involves m oral obligations and how individuals should act with regard to both objectives and behavior. The criminal justice system is an inherently service-oriented field that assesses its people and behavior merely in terms of the actual exercise of power and the realization of objectives. Codes of Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas Therefore, codes of ethics fulfill two main functions. First, they serve as ethical or moral rules for those working in criminal justice. They lay down moral responsibilities that must be fulfilled and moral features that must be followed. Moreover, codes of ethics establish rules of professionalism vital to the organization’s interests (Chipman, 2000). The purpose of such rules is to hold the professionals accountable to the utmost performance level and encourage them to be committed to the rules of integrity, loyalty, and obligation. Second, codes of ethics establish professionalism in the criminal justice system. When employees abide by a code of ethics, the o utcome is a setting favorable for excellence. Employees know how to carry out their duties without too much supervision. They feel a sense of commitment and fulfillment in their work. They behave with respect and acceptance toward one another and in relationship to their fellow workers and clients (Chipman, 2000). They are capable of surpassing ‘petty behaviors’ like backstabbing, distrust, and envy and learn to avoid and detest inappropriate behaviors like favoritism, prejudice, and insensitivity. All codes of ethics aim at promoting two major qualities, namely, professionalism and public service. These are natural virtues, essential and fixed (Pollock, 2011). Without these codes of ethics, an organization loses its moral standing and faces serious ethical dilemmas. So how do people confront ethical dilemmas? Scholars explain that people initially exercise intuitive moral thinking when they confront ethical dilemmas. Intuition gives people quite simple rules learned fr om previous experiences (Braswell, McCarthy, & McCarthy, 2010). Another method of confronting ethical dilemmas is critical thinking. Contrary to intuitive thinking, critical thinking uses rules provided by moral and philosophical doctrines. In making moral choices when confronted with ethical dilemmas, people may at first exercise intuitive thinking, using their intuition to determine potential decisions or