Applied Ethics In Criminal Justice Research Assigmnent (Essay Sample)

APPLIED ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
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The issue of ethical behavior in the criminal justice system is one that needs analysis based on the broader reflection of the values that govern the American society in general. Ethics refers to the ability to do the right thing and upholding the professional expectations at all times. America is a country that looks as if in turmoil in coming up with its reality of being a state that is founded on diversity and that reality is yet to be embraced by all the citizens. The issue of race is one that seems to be getting out of hand with politics founded on racial divisions and doubt exists on whether such a society can even receive redemption from itself. It is based on such a reflection that one wonders whether the criminal justice is a clear picture of such divisions in the society. The duty of the criminal justice is to safeguard every citizen’s rights irrespective of their color, origin, political or social positions. The noble cause corruption is a subtle way in which the police officers manipulate the law for the so-called greater good. It is bending of the law with the belief that the greater good is served and the society becomes better and safer (Caldero & Crank, 2010).
While watching the arrest of King in Texas, one simply wonders whether there was the need for such a display of police brutality and excessive use of the police force. This just implies that the behavior is entirely unethical and unacceptable in a civilized society such as the American Society. It goes against the very tenets that police officers swore to protect and serve. It is contrary to what most would expect from police who are supposed to serve the public and even while making an arrest, acknowledge that even the criminals are protected by the same constitution that they violate. It is also telling that the police officers are on record justifying their actions by blaming color for their unethical behavior. The statement that the police officers used excessive force because the black community is known to have violent tendencies. This is being biased and having a prejudgment about a particular group of people, and this is just unacceptable to public officials who are expected to serve all citizens.
One of the ways in which one can prove that the police officers were unethical is that there was an apparent disregard for protocol while making arrests. The victim did not resist arrest as the police officer said and this implies that the police officer did not have any grounds; legally or morally to use the force in making arrests. The other unethical behavior is the fact that the police officer later explains that the black community has violent tendencies. While this may or may not be true is out of hands, there is one thing that can be explained. The police officers had a clear motive of using the force based on their presumptions. The question that one asks is whether the arrest was made because the offender was black or because she had violated the law (Saperstein, Penner & Kizer, 2014). What was the real motive of making the arrest considering that the victim had already parked her car? No one disputes that the victim had broken the law but the manner in which the police officers made the arrest is questionable. A police officer should be a model by always following the regulations of the law as one of the people who is trusted to be a guardian of the law.
The one theory is used to support the use of excessive force by the police is the utilitarian ethics. This is the ethics approach that focuses on the outcome rather than the processes followed in determining the due processes followed. The use of excessive force is aimed at ensuring that the culprit was taken into custody and the danger that she posed to the general public. Over speeding is a crime against the public and a gross violation of the constitutional rights by disregarding the traffic rules that have been put in place to ensure the safety of the road users. Who has any idea on what would hav...