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Ethics in Criminal Justice Administration

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Ethics in Criminal Justice Administration CJA 484 Lori Madison Nowhere is ethical behavior more important than the administration of criminal justice. Lack of ethical behavior undermines the purpose of the criminal justice system. The cost of unethical behavior will be the downfall of the criminal justice system and only by gaining a true understanding of what ethical behavior is and how to maintain it will the system continue to flourish. While the ethical standard individuals develop through the years are important; utilizing critical thinking skills ensuring ethical standards stay in place. Many people assume that good ethical behavior is part of an individual’s makeup but in reality ethical behavior is …show more content…

Situationists believe that everything is relative and base the actions taken on the assessment of the situation. These individuals choose not to acknowledge the universal moral code or rules followed by society. Subjectivist also believe in the relative and reject societal codes however these individuals maintain personal moral principles used when assessing situations. Absolutists follow idealism believing that the best outcome is attained by following the universal moral principles. Exceptionists follow the same belief as absolutists with the slight difference. They believe that certain situations allow deviation from these beliefs (Bailey, 2009). Another important training module is critical thinking. Critical thinking helps individual’s reason right from wrong to ensure good decision making skills. Critical thinking helps individuals make objective decisions when analyzing information. At the core of critical thinking are cognitive skills and affective dispositions. Cognitive skills are used during interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation. Affective dispositions require and individual to be inquisitive, maintain a concern for being well-informed, know when to employ critical thinking, be aware of one’s own bias, and willingness to reconsider or revise when needed. Making an ethical decision does not occur instantly. Individuals usually have time to consider the action and any alternatives. This is where crimtial

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