ethics in Correctional systems
- The ethical view of a parole or probation officer is that they must protect the community against the law offenders. For instance, they are required to provide services to the offenders a monitor them so that the community is protected from the offenders. In case any problems arise while monitoring, the parole and probation officers are encouraged to report the indiscipline case to the parole board. I would use the deontology approach to understand how officers a parole officer helps probation with problems such as drug abuse, job training an overall adjustment in prison. Understanding how the approach work will be essential to detect when an officer neglects his or her duties while at work. I would use the utilitarian approach to punish the offenders for preventing other people from committing the same crime.
- The restorative community justice concept changes the focus of deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation since it presents new ways of solving crimes. The concept suggests that the government should surrender its monopoly to the people affected, such as the offender, community, and victims. It also redefines the role and goals of criminal justice to address social conflicts and also involves the community towards decision making. The restorative community justice concept system is more ethical since it consists of the community towards the decision-making process and also aims at rehabilitating the offenders into better people in society. It has also been discovered the restorative criminal justice concept is also found within the practices of probation. Practices such as being a good listener, being emphatics, and emotions are a part of restorative justice.
- Motivation such as the influence of politics, incentives within the prison, and opportunities for corruption are some of the factors which motivate a correctional officer to engage in unethical frauds. Yes, some of the unethical behavior is worse than others. For instance, deontological ethics suggest that some crimes are worse compared to others. This is the main reason why offenses are categorized into different categories, and also judgment is based on the type of crime that one has committed. For example, corruption practices range from small acts of theft to large scale criminal conspiracies such as drug trafficking and selling paroles, among many others. No, the correctional institutions do not have barriers that discourage officers from acting ethically since rules and regulations are governing the correctional facility.
- Underserving deserves term is applied in prison to mean that offenders deserve safety, lawfulness, and hope of which they lack in the correctional facilities. Most inmates have the fear that they might be victimized in some way behind bars. An ethical prison is the one that correctional officers adhere to the code of ethics about morals and effective discharge of duties.
- I would ensure that there is universality and consistency when it comes to protecting the offenders. I would also enhance the oversight framework of research, which revolves around activities taking place within prison. It would be significantly opposed by utilitarianism and deontologists since they do not consider universality on inmates. If I were a state commissioner of corrections, I would design a prison focusing on security, evidence-based practices, be right-sized, have rehabilitation programs, and one with a healthy and safe environment. Yes, I would sell the ideal system to the public and governor for purposes of funding and also to help me rectify where there is a problem with the system.
References
Braswell, M., McCarthy, B., & McCarthy, B. (Eds.). (2015). Justice, crime, and ethics (Eighth ed.) [Eighth edition.]. Waltham, MA: Anderson Publishing. (2015).