Relationship between Ethics and Professional Behavior

Relationship between Ethics and Professional Behavior

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Ethics and professional behavior are primary factors which play a vital role in the administration of criminal justice. Ethics includes the moral conduct which guides an administrator in making decisions between good and bad, and right and wrong (John, 2016). It enables an administrator to make the right choices when confronted by a crisis which revolves around moral issues. The criminal justice administration experiences ethical concerns often and it is very vital to deal with those issues in a professional manner (Mills, 2003). The administration is affected with these challenges in particular situations that are difficult to handle and it is the responsibility and duty of the criminal justice administration to come up with moral and ethical judgment of what is right and wrong. Good ethical codes contribute to professional behavior (Sanja, 2005). Law enforcement plays a key role in ethics and professional behavior. Unethical or immoral acts by criminal justice lead to unethical judgments which will eventually contribute to unprofessional behavior which translates into a weak criminal justice system (Seron, 2004). Thus, ethics and professional behavior should be adhered to all the time. If the criminal justice lacks ethics and professional behavior then the society loses faith and confidence in it. Professional behavior and ethics are directly related to each other (Mills, 2003). Moral principles are only important when portrayed in behavior. Due to this, force requires action and the action needs an insight. Hence, ethics training should be encouraged and seminars need to be held so the law enforcers can deal with unethical behavior and maintain a professional one.

Role of Critical Thinking

Criminal justice administration are required to make moral and ethical judgments of what is right and wrong and this is achieved by the aid of proper critical thinking (Sanja, 2005). Making a rational decision through critical thinking fosters ethics and professional behavior. This helps the law enforcers personal feelings not to get in the way of making his or her decisions. These decisions requires the law enforcers to have a sound mind and the moral codes do not administer themselves, a thinking mind is needed to examine and evaluate the facts and interpret situations (Sanja, 2005). Critical thinking is required in making the right decisions when a law enforcer is in a dilemma. Some of the situations are so difficult to crack thus a law enforcer will have to be more careful in the decisions he or she has to make to maintain a professional behavior. Without critical thinking, professional behavior and ethics cannot be maintained. Critical thinking which incorporates memory, experiences, and logical reasoning of the law enforcers helps them make a rational and concrete decision (John, 2016). The decision should be right and should accord the ethical codes which will lead into a professional behavior and translate into a strong criminal justice system.

Proposal for a seminar

The seminar will take place in the city councils conference hall. It will take place for two weeks during the day. Law enforcement officers need to acknowledge the importance of ethics and professional behavior. They have to be taught the moral codes which will guide their conduct. Their conduct should align with the constitution (Mills, 2003). Most of the law enforcement officers lack the knowledge of ethics and professional behavior thus ethical training is encouraged. The seminar will involve ethics training which should be applied in their work place. The job of the law enforcers is to maintain law and order by protecting the citizens and the constitution. Thus their behavior should be of a higher standard to win the publics trust and confidence. Tools which address ethical problems are provided in the seminar. The training is expected to add value to the law enforcers in terms of ethical conduct. The program will encourage and support integrity of the law enforcement officers. The training will also provide guidelines for applying the ethical and professional behavior and acknowledge the exercise of caution and good judgment. The training will also encourage excellent performance for the law enforcers.

The objective of the seminar is to increase enlightenment of any conceivable ethical affair, instill commitment and courage to perform ethically, develop an anticipation of responsibility for any aftermath of the response taken, and also to provide the decision making process for the law enforcement officers. It is expected to add value to the officers. The law enforcement agency should be viewed as fair and morally upright for the community to accept it as a legitimate agency. Acting ethically is a foundation to acting fairly.

Areas of Ethical Conduct

The ethical training will focus more on some of the codes of conduct. These codes will be used to guide the law enforcement officers in their respective jobs and duties. The codes will help them improve the professional behavior and performance and increase trust and confidence from the public. The codes include: Professional standards, rights, personal responsibility, safe working place, and relationships (Seron, 2004).

Rights- Professional law enforcers should act in a transparent manner while dealing with any criminal activity (Sanja, 2005). They should employ the highest level of professionalism in fulfilling the communitys needs. They should respect diversity and personal differences. This will help in accommodating all the people in terms of their racial differences and socio-economic status. They should have a good practice in confronting unfairness and discrimination. They should also be discrete in revealing confidential information of a certain person or criminal investigation.

Relationships- Professional law enforcement officers should maintain a healthy relationship with the community and other professionals (Mills, 2003). The relationship will be based on the openness, mutual trust, honesty and respect of the agency towards the public. They should responsibly portray acknowledgement of the commitment to position the communitys requirements and prosperity as among their first priorities. The best interest of the public should be placed first. They should ensure clarity in all manners of communication with the public. They should maintain accuracy and honesty in the information they release to the public. Law enforcers should cooperate with the public when seeking information or during an investigation which will promote community policing. They should avoid any conflict of interest and misrepresentation which might arise between the citizens and their own professional responsibility. They should also maintain integrity as a professional exercise and recognizing the need of trust which is dictated by their role. This will help in achieving an appropriate behavior and more so their moral conduct.

Personal Responsibility- Law enforcement officers should portray and advance a responsible conduct and lifestyle (John, 2016). Maintaining a high level of professional conduct will help them appropriate to the dealings with the public. This will help them create a certain image and expectations in accordance to their role and respective duties. They should maintain accountability and acknowledging their legal responsibility when dealing with the community. They should demonstrate acknowledgement of the requirement for accuracy and honesty in approving their privilege for legitimacy when offering their aid to the community. It is a pledged duty for the law enforcement officers to care and acknowledge the working environment. They should have the ability and skills to face all rationally predictable emergencies or calamities and defend their fellow law enforcers, themselves and the public.

Professional Standards- This will help in establishing their career and seek to employ the highest standard of professional levels (Seron, 2004). They should commit to the achievement of appropriate qualifications in their respective duties. They should engage in processes that actively improve their working knowledge and increase the professional skills for them to preserve an excellent level of services, emulating on their individual duties. Pointing out progressive requirements and performing appropriate progressive exercises. The readiness to take obligations and accountability for skilled actions or decisions will improve their professional standards. They should assess their work and acknowledge the need to work professionally with their colleagues through an effective team work. This will help them improve their competence in the respective duties.

Safe Working Practice- Law enforcement officers should systematically prepare for all the exercises ensuring safety and security of the public is of key consideration (John, 2016). This will help them preserve a safe activity environment for the whole community at all times. They should have a positive attitude towards caring and maintaining safety of the public within the community environment. This will help them ensure that the needs of the public are fulfilled. They should also obey the orders given by their seniors who are on the high ranks.

The Importance and Benefits of these Ethical Conducts

These codes of conducts will help them recognize and meet the requirements of a professional law enforcement officer. They will improve their performance by being effective in their respective duties. The law enforcement officers will create a secure and favorable environment for the community. Having a moral conduct will motivate law enforcers in preserving law and order.

There will be a good relationship between the public and law enforcement officers hence improving on the community policing thus intelligence gathered during an investigation will be sufficient. Unethical behaviors such as bribery, discrimination and opacity will be reduced. This enhances the effectiveness of their roles. Having a competent law enforcement agency will improve the confidence and trust of the public thus accepting it as a legitimate authority. The relationship between the law enforcement officers and their colleagues will have been fostered thus flow of information will be facilitated. Decisions made are expected to be rational and in accordance with the constitution which its purpose is to serve and protect the public.

References

John, J. (2016). In defense of the responsibility to protect. Journal of Criminal Justice. 35(1), 39-67

Mills, A. (2003). Ethical decisions making and policing- the challenge for police leadership. Journal of Financial Times. 10(4), 331-335

Seron, C. (2004). Judging police misconduct: Street level versus professional policing. Law and Society Review. 38(4), 665-710

Sanja, I. (2005). Police (mis)behavior: A cross-cultural study of corruption seriousness. An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management. 28(3), 546-566