Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice

EthicalIssues in Criminal Justice

Thecriminal justice system is a highly respected and revered institutionin any country for the role it plays on restoring peace and cohesion.Therefore, it is necessary that the players in the criminal justicesystem uphold high ethical values in their service. Ethical standardsare the foundation and guiding principle for judges, lawyers, policeand other professionals in the criminal justice system. Theprofessionals in this institution tend to face a myriad of ethicaldilemma in their duties. Ethics is paramount for every individual inthe criminal justice as it guides them in making critical decisionsregarding various cases. The public requires that every individualinvolved should be able to execute their roles in a competent waythat denotes high ethical values. As a result, the public gainsconfidence and trust in criminal justice when ethics are applied whendetermining various cases.

ThePurpose of Research in the Field of Criminal Justice

Aresearch on criminal justice is paramount in understanding the mostcommon ethical issues that red to arise from time to time and how tominimize them.

Tounderstand the reasons why various stakeholders in the criminaljustice system should need to uphold ethical standards as they servein the criminal justice system.

Researchon criminal justice is instrumental in trying to unearth the basichuman behaviors which are acceptable. Also, it is helpful inunderstanding how people are expected to live and interact with oneanother.

Researchon is also necessary for trying to evaluate what role is played bydifferent parties which make up the criminal justice, in enhancingan environment that necessitates the application of ethics.

Itis through research that people get to ascertain the most prevalentand common forms of crime and come up with the far-reaching solutionswhich can be utilized by the security forces to deter those crimes.

Benefitsof Research in Criminal Justice

Studyingcriminal justice helps us to acquire tremendous knowledge on what canbe done to ensure that the best approaches are taken to shape theinstitution (Cronkhite, 2013). Knowing the key requirements in thecriminal justice system, proper and fundamental decisions can be madeto ensure that it remains effective in handling crimes.

Itis also important to conduct research on criminal justice tounderstand the roles of each professional involved. Moreover, ithelps to evaluate the ethical standards they should uphold in solvingcriminal cases on a daily basis.

Wecan understand the reasons why people commit crimes and take thenecessary measures to close the gaps in the criminal justice thatcould be favoring criminals to perpetuate crimes.

TheDifferences between Qualitative and Quantitative Research

QualitativeResearch

Qualitativeresearch is an exploratory research which the researchers use tounderstand opinions as pertains to an issue. Primarily, qualitativeresearch is based on observations and descriptions of behaviors. Inmost cases, it is used to scrutinize thoughts and opinions as a wayof getting deeper understanding of an underlying issue. A researcherusing qualitative method collects data which could be in the form ofpictures or words and analyze it extensively. However, qualitativeresearch analyzes a problem from the understanding and viewpoint ofthe individuals who are directly involved.

QuantitativeResearch

Quantitativeresearch uses statistical data to quantify a problem so that it canbe used to either support or deny certain claims. Systematical modelsof data analysis are mostly used in quantitative research. Thismethod mainly involves a large number of participants who aresurveyed to get first-hand information as regards to a particularissue. Essentially, quantitative research enhances generalizationsince it involves getting information from a large group ofindividuals.

Differencesbetween Pure and Applied Research

Pureresearch

Accordingto Yin, (2013), pure research involves a study on a particular issuewithout having a particular intended goal in mind. People who aremostly driven by curiosity apply pure research to study and comparevariables. People who desire to gain knowledge on variousperspectives use basic research. Furthermore, this research isintended to answer the how, what or why questions and might not callfor a practical solution to a problem. For instance, a person wouldlike to know the issues facing criminal justice without necessarilyhaving any fundamental reason rather than just gaining knowledge onthe issues involved.

AppliedResearch

Asopposed to pure research, applied research is conducted with the aimof solving a specific problem. Most of the field such as educationand medicine tend to utilize applied research to solve variousunderlying issues. Once applied research is done, the researcher caneventually develop ideas and solutions to a problem. For instance,applied research can be used in criminal justice to analyze theexisting ethical issues to provide solutions to enhance and promotetransparency

EthicalIssues

Corruption

Mostofficers in criminal justice have been found guilty of engaging incorruption (Banks, 2013). They tend to demand a certain amount ofmoney from defendant to make a judgement on their behalf. Police alsotend to demand kickbacks from the accused so that they can releasethem without proper investigation. Corruption in criminal justiceaffects the cases making criminals walk scot free.

PoliceBrutality

Timeand again, police have been accused of discriminating suspectswithout clear evidence of their involvement in the crime. People fromvarious parts of the world have intensified complaints against policeofficers for torturing them for the crime they did not take part.This compromises the inherent values of criminal justice.

RacialPrejudice

Securitypersonnel, especially in the U.S., have discriminated citizens basedon their race. Blacks have suffered most at the hands of policeofficers for non-existent crimes. Many of them have also been jailedeven without the profound and clear justification of being on thewrong side of the law.

Explainingwhy ethics in criminal justice research is important

Ethicsenables police and community to operate together in peace without anyiota of suspense between them. When police officers act in an ethicalmanner when dealing with citizens, they are more likely to create anenvironment of trust and respect.

Ethicaljudges can interpret cases of crime in a fair and transparent mannerthereby, making a final judgment without being unfair to thesuspects. They can also make fair judgments without any externalinterference or coercion. Therefore, with due regard to ethics, theycan make critical decisions which are based on the aspect of truth.

Defenseattorneys and lawyers who act on behalf on of a suspect in a court oflaw should ensure they are ethical in ensuring that their testimoniesare not based on falsehood. Such untruthful testimonies can bedetrimental since the judge may end up implicating the wrong person.

Conclusion

Ethicsyield positive outcomes in the criminal justice, and therefore, it isan imperative aspect that should be prioritized. It is important forall the parties involved to conduct their roles in a manner thatdepicts a proper understanding of ethical values. Unfairness anddiscrimination are usually perpetuated by people who fail torecognize the need to behave ethically. Therefore, it is necessaryfor every person to uphold justice and fairness as a way of ensuringthe criminal justice system is a recognized institution for being themost ethical.

References

Banks,C. (2013). Criminaljustice ethics: Theory and practice.Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Cronkhite,C. L. (2013). Lawenforcement and justice administration: Strategies for the 21stcentury.Burlington, MA: Jones &amp Bartlett Learning.

Yin,R. K. (2013). Casestudy research: Design and methods.Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc.