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Running Head: Ethics, Morality and the Law

The Contrasting Differences Between Ethics, Morality and the Law

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Chelsy Wilson

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Atlanta Metropolitan State College
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Running Head: Ethics, Morality and the Law
Ethics and morality have a substantial role in the profession of criminal justice. The

morals of criminal justice practitioner could possibly have detrimental effects on the people that

they service. On the contrary the morality of a criminal justice practitioner could possibly have

exceptional effects on the community that they service. This paper will expound on how ethics,

morality, and laws are dissimilar.

Ethics is the section of knowledge that deals with moral principles.

Law enforcement personnel now have the increasing demands of the public for their ethical

accountability (Parsons-Pollard, 2006). Law enforcement personnel essentially live their lives in

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a fishbowl. They are under the scrutiny of family members, friends and strangers who are

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observing their actions both on and off duty. The popularity of social media has put even more

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pressure on Law enforcement personnel to make ethical decisions when serving the community.
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Ethical issues are not only synonymous with law enforcement personnel, lawyers also
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have an ethical responsibility (Joy,2002). A defense attorney must be extremely careful to

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uphold their ethical standards when representing a person accused of criminal activity. They

must make sure that their defendant does not make a false testimony. They also must be cautious
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with not assisting their client in making a false testimony and if a false testimony is made the
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defense should encourage their client to rectify their statement. If the ethical standards of a

prosecutor are not maintained an innocent person can get charged with a crime that they did not
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commit. A prosecutor must ensure that their testimonies are honest and accurate to justify their

claim. It would be unethical for them to present evidence that has been tampered with or to have
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an untrustworthy witness give their account of the crime. Prosecutors have the

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Running Head: Ethics, Morality and the Law
responsibility to present the facts in their entirety that are not based on fictitious lies or biased

judgements against the defendant.

As previously stated it is imperative for law enforcement personnel to practice ethical

integrity. Police officers are the first criminal justice practitioners to respond to criminal activity.

They are faced with critical like or death decisions and must act accordingly to ensure their

ethical integrity. It would be unethical for a police officer to plant evidence in a crime scene, or

even to remove evidence from a crime scene. Officers should not engage in unethical behavior

like violence or threats to obtain a confession from an offender. As public servants police officers

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have the obligation to make non-biased, non-discriminatory and legitimate judgement calls to

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protect all residents (Parsons-Pollard, 2006).

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Judges have the important responsibility of maintaining their ethical integrity while
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pursuing justice. They must be un-biased when deciphering the law and evaluating the evidence
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presented. It would be un-ethical for a judge to engage in preferential treatment of their family
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or friends. Receiving bribes or inconspicuous gifts is a common un-ethical practice that some

judges participate in (Brauer & Loh , 2001).

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Morals are a person’s standards or beliefs of what is considered acceptable and

unacceptable for them to participate in. Effective policing involves not only acting legally but
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acting morally as well. In appropriate circumstances police officers exercise discretion when
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deciding to make an arrest or give out a ticket. Traffic violations are circumstances that occur

frequently where police discretion is more likely to occur. If a police officer pulls someone over
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for speeding and asks them the cause of there speeding and the person replies that

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Running Head: Ethics, Morality and the Law
their wife is in labor the police officer can practice discretion. The same officer will use his

morals in justifying why he did not give the motorist a ticket. A child stealing candy from the

store is an offense where police would most likely practice their discretion. Most people can

agree that it is immoral to arrest a child for stealing pieces of candy. Police discretion is not

absolute and should not be expected for every circumstance. Homicide is an offense that does not

allow police discretion for several reasons one being that it is immoral to murder someone.

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Running Head: Ethics, Morality and the Law

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