The purpose of this course is to explore the moral and ethical dilemmas which are a part of the everyday decision making of criminal justice professionals, and how these perplexing decisions challenge one's personal as well as organizational integrity.  You will examine common ethical dilemmas encountered by criminal justice professionals in various elements of the institutions of policing, courts, and corrections, and will test your reactions to hypothetical circumstances which might be faced in a criminal justice career.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to recognize ethical choices when they arise in criminal justice employment, and will appreciate the consequences of the decisions you make for the individuals and institutions touched by your work.

Sounds neat enough, right?  But here is the real story: 

At the heart of the unique ethical milieu in criminal justice is the fact that a variety of jobs in the profession give one set of individuals great personal power over other individuals.  Thus, we aren’t concerned here with ethics as cheating, or theft, or fraud – analogues to “white collar crime”.

 We are instead focused on how one person exercises power over the basic freedoms and physical conditions experienced by another:

·         how one person can determine the “attention” given to another by the criminal justice system, thus affecting susceptibility to arrest, indictment, and trial; and,

·         how one person can impact trial outcomes and therefore the punishments – deprivations of liberty and potentially life -- inflicted by the criminal justice system; and,

·         how one person conditions the daily circumstances of incarceration of another, including duration thereof and the timing of parole.

These are awesome responsibilities.  And my overriding concern in conducting this course will be to leave you ever mindful of the extraordinary responsibilities, and powers, which we entrust to criminal justice professionals.  To the point:  Profound respect for the corrupting influence of absolute power is my singular educational goal for your completion of this course.  An enduring respect for this phenomenon will enable you to deal with unexpected ethical dilemmas you encounter in the future whether or not the specifics of those future events have been covered in the course.

 NOTE: This course requires completing assignments on a fixed weekly schedule, with some mid-week deadlines. Registration closes January 18.

Prerequistes:

ADJ 100 is a strongly recommended (by me) co-requisite for students majoring in Administration of Justice.  For students majoring in Legal Assisting, either Criminal Law or the Introductory course (LGL 110) is a strongly recommended co-requisite.  

For students not in either program, please recognize that this course presumes basic familiarity with the structure, responsibilities, operations, and policies of major institutions of criminal justice in this country:  the police, the courts, and the corrections system.  And I am not talking about what you learn watching CSI on television.   

Of course, proficiency (at the high school level) in spoken and written English is recommended for successful completion of this course.  Yawn.

In plain English: this course requires substantial independent reading and writing.  If you cannot communicate to me in writing what you are learning, I cannot possibly assess your progress.  If you need more specialized English literacy training, get it now and take this course later.  

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

A. Understand and demonstrate a working knowledge of the nature of ethics

B. Understand the need to become aware of and open to ethical issues in criminal justice

C. Understand the need for more personal and organizational responsibility in dealing with criminal justice ethical issues

D. Understand and demonstrate a working knowledge of specific ethical issues related to the criminal justice system

E. Understand and demonstrate a working knowledge of proven approaches, methods and techniques for dealing with criminal justice ethical issues

Your course grade will be determined by a written case study and 2 exams, according to the following points:

On approximately ten occasions, you will submit written answers to chapter study questions or partipate in online discussion forums.  These efforts are graded on a pass/fail basis.  The forums are set up separately for groups of 3-5 students, allowing each student to assume significant and original responsibility for contributing to the discussion.   Your failure to complete, or failure to earn a passing grade on, these pass/fail activities will result in reduction in the final semester grade, from whatever it would otherwise be, as follows: failure of 2 activities subtracts one grade letter; failure of a 3rd activity subtracts one additional grade letter; and, failure of 4 or more activities results in an "F" grade for the course

Your semester grade for the course will be based on the following scale, subject for adjustment as necessary for performance on pass/fail activities. Please note that you also must pass the final exam in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments, as well as finish all assignments graded Completed/Not Completed

There are 2 exams in this course.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : jowells@nvcc.edu
Telephone : (703) 323-3347
You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person at ELI. Appointments are required.

06/30/2010