Introduction
Future ethical challenges that may arise and develop in criminal justice.
Ethics is the foundation of law enforcement, and as technology continues to develop, it will come with a lot of ethical considerations. In the future, the criminal justice system will be forced to deal with young people who are capable of using weapons that can cause mass destruction. There will be a lot of questions regarding information pollution, the recreation of extinct species, and genetic engineering.
The role of ethics plays in the enforcement of laws.
Ethics in law enforcement ensures that officers are prepared to enforce and follow the law. Ethics guides officer’s behavior and affects decisions made by the defense attorney, prosecuting attorney, judicial, and even the police officers. For example, the defendant has the role of correcting all wrong statements, or they could be accused of obstructing justice. Therefore, the defense attorney has the ethical responsibility to refrain from giving any form of assistance to the client and encourage the defendants to correct the fraudulent information. Another example is the police officers who must respond quickly to all sorts of crimes. In the crime scene, the officer should inform the offender of their rights to an attorney and let them know that anything they say may be used against them in the court of law. Without proper administration of the Miranda rights, assailant’s confessions might not hold up in the court of law. It is unethical for the officer to threaten an offender to give a confession.
How ethical enforcement relates to the role of investigating and combating terrorism
During the investigation, the continuous exchange of information between different agencies is needed. Therefore, explicit rules that are guided by ethics must be followed and applied. That is why law enforcement agencies emphasize that all the methods and techniques that are necessary for successful terrorism investigation should be considered. How the information is extracted from the suspects and other people should be done correctly to avoid causing harm to innocent civilians. Most likely, terrorists are unlikely to cooperate, and the way information is extracted from them should be humane and be regulated to avoid frustrations and encourage clear thinking.
Role of ethics have in creating and guiding policy around technology in the criminal justice system? Provide an example.
Technology has made law enforcement officers respond quickly to calls for services and be able to apply the internet to combat crimes. According to Douglas (2017), ethics ensure that technology promotes and protects citizen’s rights and that officers use the technology ethically. Ethics also bridges the available gap between the organizational policy and the behaviors of the law enforcement officers by introducing behavioral expectations and enforcing rules that must be followed. For example, with the invention and introduction of motorized vehicles for patrol, the officer should at no time break the state-mandated speed limit while they are not on their official duties.
Should there be mandatory ethics training in all law enforcement agencies? Why or why not? If so, how often should they be attended? Should there be public involvement or oversight?
Proper training is a vital component in the law enforcement community, and without that, law enforcement portrays a bad picture of the whole policing culture. There should be mandatory ethics training in all law enforcement agencies. If all officers go through ethical training, they get a chance to prepare themselves for unpredictable situations and know how to think and react ethically. Furthermore, they can identify options and find alternative ways to address the problem. Ethics training should begin with new professionals in the field and extend throughout their career until they go for retirement. Public involvement is significant in ethics training. Involving the public ensures that there are creation and maintenance of trust between the community and law enforcement agencies.
Are there any agencies currently requiring mandatory ethics training on an annual basis? Provide examples
Chicago police department requires compulsory ethics training on a yearly basis. Chicago police department expects all members to abide by the law and maintain a high level of the department codes of ethics and department standards. All employees are expected to finish the annual employee ethics training (Chicago Police Department, 2017).
In conclusion, without ethics, law enforcement agencies would have little meaning since its application would be hard to predict.
References
Chicago Police Department, C. P. (2017). CITY OF CHICAGO EMPLOYEE ETHICS TRAINING.Retrieved from http://directives.chicagopolice.org/directives/data/a7a57be2-1294231a-bf312-942d-6b0ebf6b8aa5d85d.html
Douglas, H. (August 21, 2017). American International Journal of Contemporary Research. Technology Ethics for Law Enforcement Lieutenant Joe Peny Armstrong Police Department 11935, 10. Retrieved from https://silo.tips/download/technology-ethics-for-law-enforcement