Ethical Decision Making in the Criminal Justice System

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the discipline of ethical decision making by criminal justice professionals in a system where great authority is given, and even greater responsibility is expected. The concept of discretion will be an ever-present factor in discussions of critical decisions made by law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. In this course, students will be exposed to ethical scenarios, and they will be asked to discuss what the proper course of action was, or should have been. In addition to real-life case studies, students will be asked to work through challenging hypotheticals that test their understanding of ethical dilemmas in the criminal justice field. In sum, the student of this course will have the opportunity to develop a much greater awareness of the ethical tests faced by criminal justice professionals on a daily basis and the expectations of society in that regard.