Ethical Dilemma in Criminal Justice

Ethical Dilemma in Criminal Justice

I will not file a complaint about his ethical misconduct. Instead, I will take him home, allow him to rest, and talk with him once sober. I will advise him of the consequences of his actions, that what he has done is morally unacceptable. The main reason I am making this judgment is that everyone deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt. Reporting him would get him fired or worse. Maybe he is going through a difficult time. If it is something troubling him, I can get him help. I can advise him to consult an expert.

On the contrary, if his actions were out of his free will, I would warn him that I would not spare him the next time he does something like that. I would still make the same judgment if the FTO had just written a favorable evaluation. Besides, I would be returning a favor.

Moral Rules

The moral rules that go with my decision are:

1. Help your group
2. Return favors

By choosing not to report the Field Training Officer, I would be helping him. Also, I would be returning a favor once I did it to me.

Ethical System to be Used

 The Ethical System that applies to my decision is the ethics of care. It is a teleological moral system whose primary concern is to care for others. It is a concept that is consistent with peacekeeping roles within law enforcement. This System reminds the criminal justice that ethical solutions are appropriate in making peace through understanding and consensus rather than resolving every issue through charges. According to Caldwell and Karri (2005), this ethical System does not require the law to determine moral responsibility. It obliges individuals to help others, even when legal duty is imposed. Ethics of care seeks to promote the well-being of individuals and maintain relationships with one another. It also exhibits a mutual commitment to the one caring and the one being cared for. Lastly, it encourages finding alternatives under challenging circumstances. Rather than solving them the hard way, law enforcement officers can address these situations with compassion (Pollock, 2014). In this situation, I have two choices: report the FTO or find an alternative to help him. I choose to show compassion.

Ethical System that cannot be used

 The Ethical Systems of egoism cannot be applied in this situation. The theory holds that people do what is moral in pursuit of self-interest. According to this ethical System, the primary reason individuals take action is self-serving by bringing benefit or happiness to them. The steps are performed to give gratification (Caldwell & Karri, 2005). In this case, egoism cannot apply. For instance, by choosing to help the FTO get help and feel better, I will not achieve any benefit. If I decide to report his unethical behavior, I will not stand to gain anything, either. Opponents of egoism would suggest that documenting the FTO would satisfy my happiness. However, it is not the case because my career would be in jeopardy since he favored my evaluation and could quickly turn against me. Likewise, helping him would endanger my job if anyone found out I did not report such misconduct.

References

Caldwell, C., & Karri, R. (2005). Organizational governance and ethical systems: A covenantal approach to building trust. Journal of business ethics, 58(1-3), 249-259.

Pollock, J. M. (2014). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice 9th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage.

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Ethical Dilemma in Criminal Justice

You are a rookie police officer riding with a Field Training Officer (FTO). During your shift, the FTO stops at a convenience store and quickly drinks four beers in the back room of the store. The beers visibly affect him, and the smell of alcohol is noticeable. What should you do? What if the FTO had just written a favorable evaluation of you even though you should have received a reprimand for an improper disposition of a traffic accident?