Ethics In Criminal Justice Essay

Morality in the real world consists not of reasonable ethics but of customs and conventions, inferred understandings about what conduct will and will not be accepted (Hocutt, 2010). Therefore, morality is taught through being rewarded for complying with rules and punished when we fail to follow the rules; essentially these are methods that teach us to feel good when we do the right thing and guilty when we do not (Hocutt, 2010). Through critical reflection, our concepts of civility, fairness, justice, and community are developed internally (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). For this reason, ethics can be taught because it involves critical thinking. The motivation behind our personal choice to behave ethically is rooted in thinking and reasoning rather than in affect or even emotion (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). Like with most things, we make decisions based on
Outrage stemming from injustice within the criminal justice system at any stage can cause faith in the criminal justice process to wane. In order for society to believe in the criminal justice system, there has to be proof that the system will be fair and objective in its pursuit to serve justice. If the system is corrupt, why then would one believe that the system would, in turn, be fair to them. Furthermore, during stage four in our development, we naturally evolve to have respect for authority and take interest in laws, codes, and commandments (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). However, the public does have the power to vote certain judges, chiefs, lawmakers etc... out of their positions if they are not willing to act on behalf of the people they are performing public service work for. Additionally, if one has respect for the law, then participating in the existing social order will ensure not only the system remains stable but continues to be maintained thereafter (Williams & Arrigo,