CJUS 350

Original Posting

Question 1: Do you believe that thinking more clearly about ethical issues and moral dilemmas has any potential for helping you do what you consider to be the right thing?

Question 2: In “Rethinking Ethics in Law Enforcement” Fitch states, “Officers’ peers offer friendship and informal rewards that, in many cases, hold greater influence than official recognition from the agency … [this] sense of community drives officers to adopt the behaviors, values, and attitudes of the group in order to gain acceptance”. He goes on to claim that, “officers engage in certain forms of conduct to secure and maintain peer-group approval” (p. 18).

As a Christian, what do you think about the author’s view on behavioral influences and values?

Question 3: Should loyalty to colleagues be fostered as an appropriate and necessary value?

Question 4: Is the code of silence justifiable in policing and corrections? Please explain.

Question 5: Please read Deuteronomy 16 verses 18 – 20 and Psalm 106 verse 3. Please describe the importance of ensuring our Justice System is administered by Godly leaders who possess strong character, morals, and ethics in order to live and possess the land our Lord has given.

Question 6: Please explain how a Biblical Worldview might lead to a different ethical approach for members in the criminal justice system. Please provide two examples.