Discussion: Unethical Behavior
In the criminal justice field, there is much more scrutiny about adherence to ethical behavior than in other professions. Criminal justice practitioners are expected to behave ethically both on and off the job. Failure to do so can have dire consequences for one’s career; however, some practitioners still choose to engage in unethical behavior. In this Discussion, you will identify an example of a criminal justice practitioner who behaved unethically and consider his or her motives for doing so.

To Prepare:

Review the Learning Resources on ethics in the criminal justice field.
Locate an online news article of a case in which a criminal justice practitioner committed an unethical act(s).
Share the link to the article.

Post at least 200 words, in which you:

Provide an overview of the case in the article you selected
Describe the unethical act and who was harmed by the act
Analyze what motivated the criminal justice practitioner to engage in the unethical act(s)

Learning Resources
Note: To access this module’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Textbook
 Banks, C. (2017). Criminal justice ethics: Theory and practice (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice, 4th Edition by Banks, C. Copyright 2017 by Sage Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Chapter 1, “The Importance of Ethics in Criminal Justice” (pp. 2–17)
Articles
DioGuardi, S. (2017). Teaching criminological theory: Using a Piaget platform to support higher level learning. Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 28(3), 441–460.

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Woodward, V. H., & Fuller, J. R. (2014). Individual operationalization of peacemaking: Teaching ethics outside the classroom. Journal of Theoretical & Philosophical Criminology, 6(3), 222–230.

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Websites
 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). (n.d.). FBI ethics and integrity program policy directive policy guide. Retrieved December 6, 2018, from https://vault.fbi.gov/fbi-ethics-and-integrity-program-policy-guide

 The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). (n.d.). Ethics toolkit. Retrieved October 17, 2018, from http://www.theiacp.org/ethics

Media
 Foss, A. (2016). A prosecutor’s vision for a better justice system [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_foss_a_prosecutor_s_vision_for_a_better_justice_system/up-next

 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 16 minutes.