Rosieanna Smith-Lee, April Chiofalo Johnson, Eddie Little, Inez Gonzales, Melody Kibbe
CJA/324
June 2, 2014
Instructor Angela J. Sonsalla
Ethical Scrapbook Part II Clearly for one to understand and practice ethical behaviors, they must know what ethics means. Ethics is a set of standards that informs individuals how they should behave in every aspect of our lives. Because ethics involves seeing the differences between right and wrong, an individual must make a commitment to do what is right by any means necessary. Ethics is not just doing what an individual must do but also doing what an individual should do. Many individuals failed to realize when they perform unethical behaviors there is a price to pay and not taking the time to think things through before they act may cost them their livelihood as well as damage their credibility and character. However, practicing good ethics can result in one gaining respect integrity among the individuals one interacts with daily. Because all individuals are different and not one individual thinks or view things the same, it easy to determine that as it relates to ethics each individual may have different viewpoints. This ethical scrapbook explored 12 examples related to ethical and unethical values and morals as a team to determine what examples we agreed on and what examples we did not agree on as well as allowed the team to discuss what the disagreement reflected in terms of personal value systems. Additionally this scrapbook referred to Team A values by answering a series of questions.
Ethics Scrapbook Team A Review First Team A reviewed three Good Samaritan conduct or random acts of kindness examples and as a team we all agreed 100 % that in each example the individual (s) made the best decision possible given the circumstances. We also all agreed we would have acted in the same manner. Second three Acts of Vigilantism-violating the law to enforce the law examples were reviewed and the team did not all agree 100 % that the individual (s) referenced in the scenarios ETHICAL SCRAPBOOK PART II made the best decisions possible given the circumstances. We also were indifferent about if we would have acted in the same manner. Third three Acts of Civil Disobedience-violating the law to change the law examples were reviewed and as a team we all agreed 100 % that in each example the individual (s) made the best decision possible given the circumstances. We also all agreed we would have acted in the same manner. Last three Criminal act committed by professionals in the course of their employment, other than criminal justice professionals, in which the defendant was believed to have the ethical standards of his or her profession examples were reviewed and as a team we all agreed 100 % the individual (s) did not made the best decisions possible given the circumstances. We also agreed we would not have acted in the same manner for various reasons, such as not wanting to risk our job, our livelihood, and simply because the acts were morally not right. It appears from our combined responses that Team A is filled with individuals who have high ethical value standards they live by in every aspect of their lives.
Good Samaritan Should all jurisdictions have a Good Samaritan law requiring an individual to help another individual if they are able? Explain why. All Jurisdictions should have a Good Samaritan law requiring an individual to help another individual if they are able to. By individuals helping one another makes for a better community. The trust in one another grows stronger. By helping you give opportunity to those who believe there is absolutely no hope in a new beginning to an even tough ending. Yes times may be rough in our life, but if you think about it there is always someone else life out there who got much tougher and a bet rougher than yours. You’re generously and friendly gestures are maybe just what that individual may need in order to know there is always a light at the end of that Very dark tunnel. I know when I do some generous acts of kindness throughout that the community I live in it makes me feel great 'inside and out as a human being it makes me feel absolutely great. A good old friendly Good Samaritan Act of kindness my just be what on individual may need to make it through such a rough day either at work, at home, in a school on their way to an appointment. Each one of us as individuals respond to circumstances in many different ways Such as we may get angry if someone upsets no, feel frustrated if something is bothering us or just plain wulakd as to the behavior of other undivided when they respond to any grim situation that is dealt is such an unfamiliar way. Some examples that I can think of off the top of my head right know is the fact that when an individual who likes things done a certain way, such as the Chairs in a building (business) that I manage in the summer. I like the chairs to be placed in a particular pattern when they are set up each and every day in the room that they belong in, if the chairs are not place in that particular pattern everyday then I go and change the way they are supposed to be or the way that I like them. I know that people are just trying to help but I have my want doing things and once I am Set in my ways it really agitates me when things or article are out of place anywhere that We may go. As many say I am set in my own personal ways
Vigilantism
Vigilantism is known as the act of an individual seeking some type of justices into their own hands in order to get vengeance. To allow individuals the right to practice any sort of vigilantism would be one of the weakest forms of justice among our society. Everyone may have a different reason for wanting to seek any type of justice for wrongful acts toward them. Our justice system can at times often fail those who have been victims and therefor giving them the opportunity to seek justice into their own hands meaning that more crimes will be committed. We all know that the criminal justice system is not perfect but does try to keep fair treatment to all. Fair treatment isn’t only for those who are victims but also for the offenders. Those individuals who seek vengeance because they were victims of a crime would be considered something personal and carried out with unfair and unjust motives. An example of this would be of William Lynch, a 44 year old man who allegedly brutally beat his former priest because Lynch insisted that the priest made him and his younger brother perform oral sex on each other as kids while the priest watch them do it (Cohen, 2010). Many people may believe that what Lynch did was justified because of what the priest made him and his brother do as kids, but it is still not the way of handling a situation. As individuals who have been affected by something so horrible we tend to seek some type of vengeance upon those who hurt us or even treated us in a wrongful way but with this type of justice will only create more problems. As much as I feel bad for Lynch and what he went through, the way he took matters into his own hands was not the correct way to cope with his feelings and emotions. He should have reported him and seeked for some type of help to help him deal with past incidents.
Civil Disobedience History.com (2014) stated "Civil Disobedience is the act of disobeying a law on grounds of moral or political principle. It is an attempt to influence society to accept a dissenting point of view. Although it usually uses tactics of nonviolence, it is more than mere passive resistance since it often takes active forms such as illegal street demonstrations or peaceful occupations of premises. The classic treatise on this topic is Henry David Thoreau's "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience," which states that when a person's conscience and the laws clash, that person must follow his or her conscience. The stress on personal conscience and on the need to act now rather than to wait for legal change is recurring elements in civil disobedience movements. The U.S. Bill of Rights asserts that the authority of a government is derived from the consent of the governed, and whenever any form of government becomes destructive, it is the right and duty of the people to alter or abolish it. Throughout the history of the U.S., civil disobedience has played a significant role in many of the social reforms that we all take for granted today" (para.1). Some of the most well-known civil disobedience cases are The Boston Tea Party where citizen from a Massachusetts colony trespassed on a British ship and threw its cargo (tea) overboard rather than to be forced to pay taxes. This was one of the many acts of civil disobedience leading to the War for Independence, establishing the United States of America as a sovereign state. Another would be the Women's Suffrage Movement where thousands of women marched in the streets in order to gain the right to vote. The abolition of slavery was a great example of civil disobedience where actions were taken to end slavery. Another huge example is the Civil Rights Movement which was led by Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, that included sit-ins and illegal marches that weakened and ultimately ended segregation in the south. Each example of these civil disobedience cases effectively changed the law and was granted what was being fought for. I personally would not consider violating any law to change at this time.
Professional Unethical Exhibited Behaviors The Atlanta Public Schools system in Fulton County has been in the News for over three years for the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal that shook the Atlanta area. There were over 30 Atlanta educators from over 50 schools indicted by a grand jury. Many of these educators were identified for their unethical behavior by erasing wrong answers and changing them to correct answers on student’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) to increase test scores. As few as six of the elected school board members were suspended by Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal. Some African-Americans in the community felt that the board of education was on a “witch hunt” since the educators were all African-Americans. The Superintendent, during an interview with a reporter claimed that she knew nothing about answers being changed on those test. However, she was one of the ones reaping benefits of bonuses when the schools would score high on those tests. It seemed like the “little people” (i.e. educators, assistant principals and principals) were set-up to take the fall (Copeland, 2013).
Ethical and Unethical Predispositions Americans societies are not predisposed to ethical and unethical behavior because individuals inherit morals and values through genetics and observation. “Behaviorism is a brand of psychology that explores the ways in which observable behavior is learned and shaped by the environment”. An individual will learn from others perspective such as, physical behavior. For example, a child could be raised in a home, which he or she witnesses’ domestic violence and the mother makes excuses about why the father abuses her. Unconsciously the mother is protecting the father, and her child will perceive violence as the way to communicate with his or her future spouse. Some children may be influenced to commit crimes through observation of their peers. A parent could be a drug dealer, so therefore the child may perceive his or her guardian as a role model because he or she brings home money to support him or her. The parents’ actions are considered unethical, but in their son’s or daughter’s mind, it is ethical. Children may learn mannerism from their parent because they greet the neighbors’ or other members of their community. They may see a friend or family member help a member of the community with fixing a flat tire, or with carrying his or her grocery bags. The child would see it as ethical to help people in his environment and would conduct these actions. Some ethical and unethical behavior may be developed through the family genetics. Some individuals may allow their aggressive trait to control them, which could influence them into criminal activities. An individual could be raised in a high class environment but be involved in illegal activities because he inherited negative characteristics from a family member. Some individuals could be surrounded by criminals in his environment, and become a law-abiding citizen, which he inherited from his family. The genetics would influence the individual to become a law-abiding citizen. Therefore, nature and, nurture plays a role on an individual being predisposed to ethical and unethical behavior.
Ethical Considerations Concerning ethical considerations much can be said. There are several ethical considerations that should and must be followed by everyone in the criminal justice field. First is the issue of morality, anyone in the criminal justice field should uphold the moral standards of his or her profession and ensure these standards are not violated (EHow, 2012). Second another ethical consideration would be for the people of the criminal justice profession to ensure that they are not involved in any unethical activities that would keep them from performing their primary responsibilities, which is to uphold the law by protecting and serving the society. Protecting and serving the public is a very important part of any job in the criminal justice field (EHow, 2012). Finally, the last issue of concern that comes to mind is public trust. If anyone in the criminal justice profession does not have the public’s trust there will be a problem. The public tends to have trust in the people who protects and serves them, but when that trust is broken because of an ethical violation those people will not know what to do. The public wants to trust the people in the criminal justice profession so those people need to think about that before they commit an ethical violation (EHow, 2012). When it comes to concerning ethical violations there are several things that can be done. The person who has committed the ethical violation needs to be investigated. If they are found guilty they should be punished to the fullest extent. A couple of things can be done to prevent ethical violations in the future is making everyone go through an in-depth background check. This background check allows superiors to research an individual’s past several years back. Another thing that can be done is a major criminal check, which allows superiors to talk to several references prior hiring a potential candidate for the criminal justice field. These are just some examples of what can be done to prevent ethical violations in the future. In conclusion, this ethical scrapbook has provided an abundance of information regarding how Team A shared many of the same ethical values as it related to the Good Samaritan conduct and random acts of kindness, Acts of Vigilantism-Violating the law to enforce the law, Acts of Civil Disobedience-Violating the law to change the law, and Criminal acts committed by professionals in the course of their employment, other than criminal justice professionals, in which the defendant was believed to have violated the ethical standards of his or her profession. Although there were some areas where we, did not all completely agree, our responses were very consisted with one another as a group. Ethical values is something many of us struggle with every day because, it is not always easy to do what is right and mostly because everyone is different and think differently, what may be viewed as wrong by one individual may be viewed by another individual as right. Everyone does not live by set standards as it relates to ethics.
References
Briggs, S. (2012). Important Theories in Criminology: Why People Commit Crime. Retrieved from http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/important-theories-in-criminology-whypeople-commi.html Cohen, C (2010, November). Should Sex Abuse Justify a Vigilant Attack? Time U.S.,
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2031720,00.html
California Health and Safety Code, § 1799.102 (2009). Retrieved June 14, 2012 from http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=hsc&group=01001- 02000&file=1799.100-1799.112.
Montgomery College. (2012). "I Have A Dream" Martin Luther King's Greatest Speech.
Retrieved from http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/hpolscrv/mendes1.html
Copeland, L. (2013, April 14). School cheating scandal shakes up Atlanta. USATODAY. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/13/atlanta-school-cheatring-race/2079327/
