Criminal Justice Ethics and Liability week 4
Week 4: Week Four - Individual Work
Instructional Objectives for this activity:
Critically examine current ethical issues within jails, prisons, private prisons, probation and parole.
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Conduct library research to locate three specific cases of unethical behavior in corrections. This can be in jails, prisons, private prisons, and/or probation/parole. Provide an overview of each case, that addresses the following issues:
- What are the ethical implications?
- Why did the individual choose to be unethical?
- How does this behavior affect the corrections system as a whole?
Criteria for completion of your assignment:
- Your completed work should be an in-depth submission, 2-3 pages in length, free of spelling and grammar errors.
- Reference add :
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pages 104-119.
In the Book:
The Ethic of Punishment
In South Carolina, a young mother, Susan Smith, Killed her two children by leaving them in a car she rolled into a lake. Smith could have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter or murder and received a death sentence, or she could have been found guilty but mentally ill. At trail, the defense pointed out that she came from a troubled background. Her parents had divorced and father had committed suicide when she was 6. She had been molested by her stepfather at age 15 and later, even after she was married. Her mother covered up the molestation. After her divorce, her new boyfriend rejected Smith because she had two children. She had a long history of depression. The defense also noted that she had confessed to her crime and showed deep remorse.
Case, Smith was convicted of murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
When an offender violates the law, society attempts to accomplish some combination of retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, or rehabilitation.
A utilitarian rationale would clearly support sentences justified by deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation if it was determined that they would benefit society in ways that would override (produce more total happiness) the harm to the offender. Formalism would support retribution faction’s aims to prevent future crimes, using punishment as a means to another end. Formalism designed to achieve civil peace and does not deprived one of liberty unjustly (seeking real goods via moral virtures.). Rehabution and incapacitation would be less appealing because they do nothing to improve the offender’s ability to act morally. Which of these rationales, retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, and rehabilitation) do you think was used by the judge in the case of Susan Smith?
Types of Unethical Conduct:
· Preferential or selective – undeserved favors ( smuggling, transfers)
· Treatment- Selective punishment or harsh treatment ( unwarranted use of force, verbal, verbal abuse
· Misuse of authority-Exploitation of offenders under supervision (sex, extortion)
· Concealment of rule violations (failure to act upon known violations among offenders or between offenders, visitors, or supervisors)
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