Ethics is the foundation of the criminal justice system (CJS) because it is more productive when it operates ethically. Ethics is an integral part of society because it helps in the development of moral reasoning and in defining criminal activities that are punishable. The CJS ensures that bad behavior is punished and crime victims are compensated appropriately. Ethics is important in such a system because it offers both the victim and the perpetrator a balanced application of justice (Albanese, 2016). Without ethical standards in the CJS, the police, courts, and correctional facilities are likely to operate impartially and therefore justice is not given to either the victim or the accused.
In the court, the judge is expected to consider the circumstances that surround the case impartially before they rule on them. The circumstances the judge is expected to consider are called the aggravating and mitigating factors. Ethical considerations such as a person’s right to privacy should be considered. The prosecutor should not engage in unethical conduct such as tampering with the evidence or manipulating the testimony of the witnesses (Souryal & Whitehead, 20190). In the correctional facility, the enforcers should act ethically by protecting the prisoner’s rights while they are incarcerated. In the application of laws and justice procedures, it should be done ethically so that there no specific groups are disadvantaged or privileged.
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Within the three components of the criminal justice system, the police are faced with the most ethical issues. Ethics influences the behavior of police and how police interact with society and how society interacts with the police. When the community perceives the police to be acting ethically, they are most likely to be open to them and become ethical when interacting with the police. The community responds positively when the police are ethical and they work together in crime prevention (Albanese, 2016). The police are also faced with a difficult situation while enforcing the law and they have to restrain themselves not to use excessive force and to protect the rights of the people they arrest.
References
Albanese, J. (2016). Professional ethics in criminal justice .
Souryal, S. S., & Whitehead, J. T. (2019). Ethics in criminal justice: In search of the truth . Routledge.
