Reputable Conduct: Ethical Issues in Policing and Corrections, Second Edition

• NCJ Number: 193043
• Author(s): John R. Jones; Daniel P. Carlson
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 219 pages
• Sale Source: Prentice Hall Publishing
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This book is an introduction to the ethical demands of the professions of policing and corrections.

Abstract

There appears to be a growing interest in ethics training in the justice field. The book is designed to be a practical work with direct application to instructors and practitioners in the justice field, and to their students. Chapter One explains how the justice field inherits values, the notion of subculture in policing and corrections, subculture in the military as related to policing and corrections, and the notion of de-individuation. Chapter Two describes the concept of moral philosophy, the difference between morals and ethics, the term moral dilemma, libertarianism and determinism, the Principle of Equal Respect, and the ideas of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Hobbes, and Sartre. In Chapter Three, teaching ethics is explained as well as the purpose of ethics education, advice giving, and the collaborative approach to ethics education. The role of the ethics educator is discussed in Chapter Four. The four characteristics of critical thinkers are also identified in this chapter. Chapter Five defines the terms subculture and subcultural constraints, and lists the norms that characterize police and correctional officer subculture. The key ideas that practitioners have about officer subculture and subcultural constraints are discussed in Chapter Six, as well as the terms loyalty and solidarity. Chapter Seven explains how subcultural pressures can affect the choices officers make, the concept of vortex, and possible ways in which an officer’s moral choices can adversely affect his or her sense of personal and professional well being. In Chapter Eight, the tools for moral decision making are presented. Also, setting limits, the principles of benefit maximization and equal respect, and the elements of critical thinking are described. Fifteen scenarios are presented in Chapter Nine for the reader to analyze. Chapter Ten poses the questions: can an independent thinker be a team player, and should police and correctional officers admit to wrongdoing. References, index