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Handling an Ethical Dilemma as a Criminal Justice Professional

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As a criminal justice professional, how would you act if you are confronted by your supervisor and asked to do something that was morally against your principles?

Give an example of a situation in the criminal justice field in which a moral or ethical dilemma could be presented to you. For this example, discuss the following:
• How you would approach the situation?
• What steps or actions would you or should you take?
• What are potential positive and negative consequences for various actions taken or not taken?
• What ethical principles (from consequentialism, deontology, and virtue theories, for example) would come into play in this situation?

Be sure cite all sources used in APA format

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Solution Summary

This library solution provides suggestions for handling situations, as a criminal justice professional, that pose a moral or ethical dilemma, such as a supervisor asking you to do something that goes against your moral and ethical principles. An example is given of a potential moral or ethical dilemma a police officer might face on the job with potential positive and negative outcomes of different actions the officer might take. An overview of how consequentialism or utilitarianism and deontology or formalism might approach the situation is also provided.

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As a criminal justice professional, how would you act if you are confronted by your supervisor and asked to do something that was morally against your principles?
This would be a challenging situation because if you do not do what your supervisor asks you risk potentially losing your job or some other adverse job-related consequence. However, it is important to adhere to your own moral compass and not act against your personal moral principles. One suggestion is to discuss the situation with your supervisor. Explain to the supervisor that you are uncomfortable with the request and state your reasons why. State your position in a respectful and professional manner. You might also offer a suggestion for an alternate course of action that would be in line with your moral principles. That way you are not simply refusing a supervisor's request or command. You are also offering a solution. Ultimately, only you can decide which is more important to you - the risk of losing your job by going against a supervisor or doing something you are morally opposed to.

Give an example of a situation in the criminal justice field in which a moral or ethical dilemma could be presented to you.
Suppose you are a police officer patrolling a residential area during the day. You observe a vehicle speeding through a school zone. The vehicle is clocked driving 15 mph over the posted speed limit. You turn on your patrol car lights and prepare to pull over the speeding vehicle.

The speeding vehicle stops and when you approach the car you discover that the driver is an off-duty police officer from a neighbouring county. The off-duty officer attempts to downplay the fact that he was speeding through a school zone. He expects you to extend "professional courtesy," look the other way and not issue a traffic citation (Goodman, 2008, p. 67). ...

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