Criminal Justice Ethics

Catalog description

This course provides a short introduction to general ethics (about 1/3 of the semester) with applications to practices and problems in the criminal justice field. Its focus is less on specific rules of ethical conduct for criminal justice professionals than on their interface with issues of common public concern. We will debate the legitimate functions and limitations of the criminal law, as well as a selection of moral problems in policing, judicial processing and corrections. In addition, a number of recent high-profile Supreme and Appeals Court cases in the areas of civil rights and civil liberties will be analyzed. The emphasis will be on developing discussion skills and familiarity with essential patterns of legal and moral reasoning. May not earn credit in both PH 324 and PHLS 324.