The U.S. criminal justice system is based on evolving philosophy regarding criminal behavior, rehabilitation and justice. This philosophy, in turn, is based on ethics, which creates the principles on which law and criminal justice practices are built and shaped. Focusing on the police, courts, and corrections systems, this paper discusses the ethical challenges each of these components in the criminal justice system face. Police officers are expected and required to follow law enforcement ethics as defined by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. This code of ethics, which was written in 1957, often creates ethical issues or dilemmas for those serving to uphold the law. Five modern ethical issues in law enforcement involve the officer’s off-duty life, upholding the law and your rights, using necessary force, acting impartially and profiling. Common complaints of ethical misconduct in the include improper demeanor; failure to properly disqualify when the judge has a conflict of interest; engaging in ex parte communication and failure to execute their judicial duties in a timely fashion. Behavior outside of the courtroom can also be at issue.
Related to the mini-case discussed in class today: Is non-discrimination on the basis of classifications such as those protected under in the EEOC reading a fundamental universal right, regardless of the country/location/culture/religious context of a business or its home country? Or is such non-discrimination variable as a right, depending on culture, etc.? What if customers in a particular country or culture have a discriminatory preference-for example, if customers in a particular industry or culture statistically have a greater preference for interaction with someone of a specific gender, race, nationality, etc.? Should companies be permitted to consider such a customer preference in their hiring and employment practices? Why or why not?
Under the laws enforced by EEOC, it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person’s race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to retaliate against a person because he or she complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit. I believe that this should be enforced regardless of the country/location/culture/religious context of a business or its home country.
In the case, “Protecting Against Birth Defects”, discussed in class, the company had policies that prohibited women without proof of infertility from working with chemicals associated with birth defects. I disagree with the policy of this company because it discriminates on the basis of gender. Although the risks associated with the children of women working around these chemicals was higher, the offspring’s of men also faced similar risks. It is unfair to have this policy in place only for women. A fair policy would have been demanding proof of infertility irrespective of gender. The company will need to protect itself from future litigations if a child was born with defects. Although the company could have clearly stated the risks involved to all employees regarding birth defects, it does not protect the company against future lawsuits by th
