The Ethical Principles in Criminal Justice
Introduction
Accepting gratuities has often been termed a prominent act that creates a conducive environment that nurtures corruption in public officers. However, proponents of gratuities have cited the motivation of police officers as the main reason for offering gratuities. Handouts are believed to improve the relationship between law enforcers and the public. When there is a friendly relationship between the public and the officers, there is increased cooperation and coordination in maintaining the peace and addressing other community problems. Despite the positive reasons, this paper argues that accepting gratuities by police officers is an unethical act that public officers should not engage in.
In the given scenario, it is unethical for the officers to accept the half bill they are served at the restaurant. Accepting the gratuities will influence the officers to favor the local restaurant when discharging their duties (Dwenger, 2020). If the restaurant engages in unlawful activities, the officers will be reluctant to take the right action of bringing the perpetrators. Additionally, by offering them gratuities, the restaurants expect the officers to provide extra services such as offering extra security. When police officers offer extra services to selected parties, they deny the rest of the public adequate services. Favoring certain citizens violates the ethics of democratic policing that grants all citizens the right to equal access to police services (Dwenger, 2020). Furthermore, consistent gratuities are likely to cultivate corruption by influencing the officers to demand favors and other stipends before they discharge their duties.
However, officers Robert and Peel may accept the favor offered by the restaurant based on establishing a positive relationship with the members of the public. Such a relationship will enable the officers to cooperate effectively with the restaurant in maintaining security and addressing lawlessness within the area. Additionally, the gratuities offered by the restaurant can be perceived as positive gestures to complement the officers for their competency in discharging their duties and meeting the needs of the public. It is an act of motivation for the law enforcers to continue working hard and feel appreciated for the services they deliver.
Importance of Ethics in Criminal Justice
Ethical principles are essential in criminal justice because they form the basis of how police officers and other legal practitioners operate. One of the essential roles of ethics in criminal justice is to provide answers to complex scenarios that police officers encounter during their operations (Nuna et al., 2020). For instance, ethics enable the law enforcers to analyze the theoretical and practical aspects of a problem and develop effective measures for addressing the issue in question, including rehabilitating the offenders or punishing them. Furthermore, ethics guide the law enforcers to act within their jurisdiction, preventing them from misusing their authority by making unlawful arrests and unfair judgments. When the legal practitioners act within their limits, they respect the offenders’ rights and grant them their right to a fair hearing. In the criminal justice system, witnesses play a significant role in determining the procedures of cases. It is ethical for witnesses to share vital information with the law enforcers to gather enough evidence for determining cases (Nuna et al., 2020). Additionally, it is ethical of the police to protect these witnesses whether they cooperate in providing evidence to the cases or not. Without this ethical consideration, many witnesses will be left without the necessary security, thus making them vulnerable to retaliation by alleged criminals.
Ethical Principles of Organizational Leadership
Several organizational leadership ethics are related to the scenario faced by Officers Robert and Peel. The first principle is integrity which involves acting according to one’s deepest moral values. Integrity enables organization leaders to avoid acts that can compromise their code of conduct (Afsar & Shahjehan, 2018). Additionally, leaders with integrity attract the trust of their followers, thus creating a conducive relationship where organizational employees can comfortably discuss sensitive issues with their leaders. Besides, trustworthiness makes the employees have confidence in the decisions made by the leaders with integrity. Integrity is necessary for an organization to prevent embezzlement of resources and ensure that leaders operate within their mandate.
The second ethical organizational principle that relates to the case scenario is respect. Respect is depicted in the scenario by the type of response that the officers give to the restaurant attendant. Respect requires one to portray tolerance and empathy to other people’s acts and views that contract their beliefs (Afsar & Shahjehan, 2018). While accepting gratuities may be unethical, it is worth declining the offer respectfully. Respect is important for organizational leaders by allowing them to consider their views and listen to their ideas. This principle cultivates a positive relationship between the management and the workforce by making the employees feel valued and appreciated by the organization. Additionally, when leaders depict respect towards their juniors, they instill confidence and make the ordinary employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas.
The third ethical principle of organizational leadership presented in this scenario is service. This principle involves putting the interest of one’s followers before theirs. Service requires discharging one’s duties selflessly for the benefit of others (Afsar & Shahjehan, 2018). Organizational leaders with this principle empower their juniors by setting a positive example where they address the needs of their employees rather than being insensitive to their concerns. Service requires cooperation and teamwork when addressing executing duties. In criminal justice, the principle of service is vital in enabling law enforcers to devote themselves to promoting security and justice in society regardless of the challenges they experience.
The best principle that is applicable in this scenario is integrity. This ethical principle is essential in guiding one to uphold their code of conduct in all scenarios. In this case, officers Robert and Peel are presented with a situation that can easily compromise their professional ethics. The restaurant’s gratuity can influence their professionalism by making them develop favors towards the restaurant to continue receiving such gratuities. Relying on gratuities is likely to interfere with how they conduct their operations with those that do not offer them a gratuity. However, by employing integrity, the officers will be guided in making the right decision to decline the offer respectfully because it compromises the ethics of criminal justice.
Agencies are faced with diverse problems that interfere with their normal operations. The ethical principles discussed above can play a significant role in addressing most of the problems experienced in an agency. For instance, integrity is essential in promoting the effective use of resources to prevent corruption and embezzlement of corporate funds. Fraud is one of the major issues affecting many organizations. This problem occurs when the people in leadership use their authority to use resources inappropriately. Corruption can lead to financial constraints in the organization and create dissatisfaction among the employees, which can strain the relationship between the management and the workforce. However, leaders who employ integrity in their leadership process shun behaviors that tolerate fraud by upholding high moral standards.
Respect is an essential principle that can be employed to solve organizational problems such as divisions among the employees. Disunity among workers is one of the common problems facing organizations with a diverse workforce. Some employees tend to perceive their beliefs and ideas as superior to others. In some cases, the management tends to consider their decisions paramount without considering the opinions of the junior employees. By encouraging respect in the agency, cohesion and teamwork is created by allowing the management to consider the views and ideas of all the workforce members before making decisions. Additionally, employees who practice the virtue of respect are likely to be accommodative by giving those who hold contrary opinions and ideas the freedom to exercise their views without judging them. Lastly, the principle of service enables leaders to motivate the workforce and improve the employees’ morale. Lack of motivation is a common problem that interferes with the employee’s output, which affects the organization’s general performance.
Encouraging Ethical Behavior in the Workplace
Managers should encourage ethical behavior in the workplace by educating the employees on the importance of having ethical principles and how they enable the organization to achieve its objectives. For instance, the employees should be educated to respect their colleagues to enhance teamwork and collaboration when discharging their duties. Additionally, managers should ensure employees exhibit ethical behavior by rewarding good behavior and penalizing unethical behavior (Schuckert et al., 2018). For instance, employees who portray accountability and honesty should be promoted or given monetary bonuses, while those who exercise fraud should be demoted and suspended from their positions. Lastly, managers should encourage ethical behavior by setting a good example by practicing ethics (Schuckert et al., 2018). For instance, the managers should respect all the employees and listen to their ideas irrespective of their positions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ethical principles are essential in criminal justice in guiding the law enforcers in various scenarios. It is unethical for the law enforcers to accept gratuities because they can affect their service delivery by influencing them to rely on favors to serve the people. Additionally, ethics enable organizations to address most of the problems they experience. The most common ethical principles in the organization include service, respect, and integrity.
References
Afsar, B., & Shahjehan, A. (2018). Linking ethical leadership and moral voice: The effects of moral efficacy, trust in leader, and leader-follower value congruence. Leadership & Organization Development Journal.
Dwenger, W. L. (2020). Police Perspectives on the Acceptance of Gratuities: A Qualitative Case Study (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).
Nuna, M., Kodai, D. A., & Moonti, R. M. (2020). Code of Ethics and the role of advocates in providing legal aid to the poor. Indonesian Journal of Advocacy and Legal Services, 1(2), 259-274. Web.
Schuckert, M., Kim, T. T., Paek, S., & Lee, G. (2018). Motivate to innovate: How authentic and transformational leaders influence employees’ psychological capital and service innovation behavior. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.