NCJ Number
174726
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 1997 Pages: 165-173
Date Published
1997
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study identified and compared self-reported ethical- ideological orientations of criminal justice majors and other students at a midwestern university; questionnaires were distributed to 1,305 students to obtain information on ethical orientations of criminal justice majors, how these orientations compared with those of the general student population, and the extent to which gender differentiated ethical orientations.
Abstract
Criminal justice majors reported ethical orientations compatible with those of the general student population. Males reported significantly higher ethical idealism scores than females, but no significant differences in ethical relativism were observed. In addition, male criminal justice majors demonstrated significantly lower variance within scores on both ethical idealism and ethical relativism than female criminal justice majors and both males and females from the general student population. The authors discuss practical and pedagogical implications of ethical ideology for criminal justice education and practice and recommend considering the study findings in connection with classroom discussions on the nature of ethical decision-making and ethical dilemmas. The Ethics Position Questionnaire used in the study is appended. 47 references and 3 tables