A Guide to Criminal Justice Ethics
Analyze moral scenarios using core ethical theories for your criminal justice discussion posts.
Get CJ Assignment HelpEthical Frameworks in Criminal Justice
In my first criminal justice ethics class, a professor asked, “What’s the right thing to do?” after presenting a moral quandary. The room filled with opinions based on gut feelings. He then challenged us to justify those feelings with theory. I realized then that ethics isn’t just about what feels right; it’s about applying a structured framework to complex problems. This guide is for students facing similar discussion posts. We will deconstruct two common ethical prompts in criminal justice: one contrasting deontological and teleological theories, and another on political ethics. This guide will provide the tools for a well-reasoned, scholarly analysis, a crucial skill for any criminology assignment.
Deontology vs. Teleology in Practice
This prompt asks you to resolve moral judgments using two opposing ethical frameworks. Understanding each is the first step.
Defining the Theories
- Deontology (Duty-Based): This theory argues that an action’s morality is based on adherence to rules or duties. The consequences are irrelevant; actions are inherently right or wrong.
- Teleology (Consequence-Based): This theory, including utilitarianism, argues that an action’s morality is determined by its outcome. The goal is to produce the greatest good for the greatest number. The tension between these classical theories is a core theme in criminal justice.
Let’s apply these to two common scenarios.
Scenario A: The Undercover Officer
An undercover officer must commit a minor crime to maintain cover and arrest a major drug trafficker.
- Deontological Resolution: Committing the crime is morally wrong. The officer’s duty is to uphold the law, not break it. The act of possessing illegal drugs is inherently wrong according to the rules the officer is sworn to enforce.
- Teleological Resolution: Committing the minor crime is the correct action. The consequence of arresting a major trafficker outweighs the negative of the officer’s minor infraction. The “greatest good” is served by taking the trafficker off the streets.
Scenario B: The Probation Officer’s Discretion
A probation officer discovers a single mother has a non-violent technical violation. Reporting it would send her to jail, and her children into foster care.
- Deontological Resolution: The officer’s duty is to enforce probation rules. The violation occurred, and the rule states it must be reported. The consequences for the children are secondary to the duty to enforce the law impartially. Not reporting is a dereliction of duty.
- Teleological Resolution: The officer would weigh the consequences. Jailing the mother would create immense harm for a minor violation that posed no risk to public safety. The “greatest good” is served by using discretion and not reporting the violation. Recent research on probation officers’ dilemmas highlights this exact tension.
Public Service Ethics Analysis
This prompt requires analyzing the conduct of a Police Commissioner and a Mayor using three ethical frameworks.
Defining the Theories
- Edwin Meese Syndrome: The tendency of public officials to prioritize personal loyalty to their appointer over their ethical obligations to the public. It’s serving the boss, not the people.
- Ethics of Public Service: This framework holds that public officials’ primary duty is to the public interest, guided by transparency, accountability, and impartiality.
- Ethics of Professionalism: This focuses on a profession’s standards. For a police commissioner, this includes upholding the law and maintaining departmental integrity. The vital role of police ethics and integrity is to maintain public trust.
Analysis of PC Bob’s Conduct
- Justification: Under the Edwin Meese Syndrome, his actions are justified. His loyalty is to the Mayor. By helping the mayor win, he ensures his own job security.
- Criticism: Under the Ethics of Public Service and Professionalism, his conduct is wrong. He is circumventing campaign finance laws, a violation of his duty to the public and his professional code.
Analysis of Mayor Tom’s Conduct
- Justification: A weak justification is that the mayor did not “knowingly” accept the funds. He might rationalize inaction due to campaign demands.
- Criticism: Under the Ethics of Public Service, his conduct is questionable. Noticing an “abnormally large number” of contributions and not investigating suggests willful blindness. A public servant has a duty to be proactive in upholding the law and transparency. This is a classic challenge for students needing political science assignment help.
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CJ Ethics FAQs
How do I challenge a peer’s post respectfully?
Acknowledge their point, then introduce an alternative. For example: “That’s a strong teleological argument. From a deontological view, however, one might argue the officer’s duty is absolute. How would a deontologist reconcile that conflict?”
What is the “blue wall of silence”?
