The news story concerning violation of ethics that result from employee actions in the criminal justice system that I have chosen is the Criminal Justice Ethics, CH 1 about a Case Study of police brutality in New Orleans. The story involves Adolph Archie, an African American who was severely injured by police in an incident that took place in 1990. The police claimed that Archie shot and murdered a white police officer during a shootout downtown. After Archie was arrested amidst gunshots, he was brutally kicked to death but the police tried to conceal the truth about his death ( Banks, 2018 ). According to the pathologists' report, Archie was brutally beaten to death. Eventually, his death was reported by the coroner to be a police-intervened homicide.
After three years, a report released by the advisory committee on human relations indicated that some officers brutalized Archie but the police department failed to hold them accountable for their actions. Apart from unveiling the heinous act of the police officer, it was noticed that the police department operated a silent police code that kept police secrets including Adolph Archie murder. Using this case, this paper seeks to elaborate on what component of the criminal justice system the agency of criminal justice or people in question belongs to, the reasoning of the criminal justice agency’s involvement, and the timing of the press release. The paper will further discuss the key perspectives or styles of the involved agency together with the ethical violations or reported concerns that were identified in the report. The main interested groups in line with the ethical violation and ways in which ethical violations can be avoided will also be discussed.
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Question 1
The criminal justice system component that the criminal justice agency belongs is the police department whose main purpose is to maintain order, offer services as well as enforce the criminal law. The police officers also manage and prevent crime in the community. In this case, the police department had to tackle the incarcerated suspect to get the required medical help and further bring him to justice by collecting enough evidence that could prove that the suspect was guilty. After gathering the necessary information, the police could then convict him in the courts to be judged and later sent to prison to serve his time if proven guilty. Every suspect no matter the magnitude of his crime is supposed to be detained until proven guilty. The police officer ought to safeguard and serve the community accordingly without taking the law in their own hands because no one is above the law regardless of their job title.
Question 2
The reasoning for the involvement of the criminal justice system depends on the nature of the crime. Since Archie was involved in a shootout that involved the death of a white enforcement officer, he had no chance to survive because he was the prime suspect of killing the officer. But if he had been involved in the shooting that killed a civilian, the law enforcement officers could just arrest him and book him. The law enforcement officer could just explain to the public immediately of what had happened and make sure that the public comprehend reasons why they injured Archie to clean their own names.
By cleaning their names, the society could still respect their authority of safeguarding and serving the community. As much as the media plays a significant role in distributing information, the police delayed to utilize it in the case of Archie. As opined by Pollock, (2014), the role of media is to examine the story so that the public can get the truth. In most cases, the media carries out its interviews by asking individuals present at the crime scene or any person present about their opinion regarding what happened. Since the key role of the media is to inform the public about what is happening and further linking with news worldwide, the law enforcement officers could use it to defend themselves for what they did to the suspect.
Question 3
The main ethical perspective or style of the involved agency is to follow the procedures of arresting a person. The law enforcement officers had to abide by the oath of protecting and serving citizens by not harming them. Apart from upholding the oath and rights of individuals, law enforcement officers are required to use moderate force, act impartially and use their discretion and judgment in determining the best course of action. In this case, the law enforcement officer violated the rights of the suspect. No matter the nature of the crime he had committed, they could have allowed him to seek medical attention. Any officer that is found committing such crimes ought to be reported and appropriate actions should be taken against them.
Question 4
The main interested groups in relation to ethical violation include racially violating the suspect, abuse of power on the suspect, failing to follow the protocol as well as not following the actual evidence in arresting the suspect. The release of information is useful because it makes people aware of what is happening ( Sunny, 2020 ). For instance, if a dangerous suspect is on the run, his description can be availed to the public and the public can assist the law enforcement officers for his arrest or make them avoid contact with the suspect. The law enforcement officers could avoid an ethical violation by following protocol so that they can bring the suspect to justice without utilizing force.
Question 5
Ethical violations could be avoided in many ways. First and foremost, the officers could offer the suspect quick medical help to protect the suspect based on their oath of safeguarding and serving the community. The law enforcement on duty could follow the law and procedures of arrest no matter the situation because the law is equal and applies to everyone regardless of race, color, ethnicity, and place of origin. Ethics is vital in the criminal justice system. Firstly, ethics in the criminal justice system makes law enforcement officers to remain professional and diligent to their work. It also makes them tell the truth and be responsible for their mistakes and consequences while serving the community.
References
Banks, C. (2018). Criminal justice ethics: Theory and practice . Sage Publications.
Pollock, J. M. (2014). Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice. Nelson Education.
Sunny, O. K. (2020). Ethical Violations In Crime Reporting: A Content Analysis Of ‘The Hindu’and ‘The Times Of India. Studies in Indian Place Names , 40 (40), 2255-2265.
