Ethical Scrapbook

Ethical Scrapbook II
Cynthia Molina
May 2, 2016
University Of Phoenix
CJS 211
Kristopher Crowley

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Ethical Scrapbook Project

Ethics are an important facet of life. These beliefs concerning right and wrong compel people
to act in specific ways. The following scrapbook highlights the manner in which ethics affects
individuals.

Good Samaritan Acts

When Eugene Dorsey crashed on his bike
alone, a stranger assisted him (Dorsey, 2011).
Good Samaritan Acts occur all the time.

Although these acts general go

unnoticed, there have been cases in which
good Samaritans were sued for helping people.
In this second photo, nurses stop to assist
motorists injured in accident (Olin, 2011).
This scene brought into question whether nurses
and other non-doctors are protected by good
Samaritan laws.
Despite legal issues, people can be
found performing good deeds everywhere. In 2011, Officer Larry DE Primo was caught on film
purchasing a pair of boots and thermal socks for a homeless man who had no shoes (New York
Post, 2012). Often people go far above the call of duty and perform extreme acts of kindness.

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Acts of Vigilantism
The Guardian Angels have been a
controversial crime fighting group for a very long
time (Bloom, 2012). When the Guardians were
invited by local businesses to help in the Adams
Morgan area of Washington DC many citizens protested
the group. The Angels have been considered controversial due
to their vigilante practices of detaining criminals.
Unlike groups like the Guardian Angels, there are
those who sometimes take the law into their own hands.
Phoenix Jones is a masked superhero who operates in the
City of Seattle (Tunstill, 2011). Phoenix has been arrested
on several occasions for acting as a vigilante. His crime
fighting is deeply frowned upon by police.

Other crime fighters choose to fight crime in

using more technological methods. Hactivist group
Anonymous declared war on terrorism after the
killing of employees at Charlie Hebo in France
(Thompson, 2015). Anonymous has taken
responsibility for hacking police websites and leaking
information to the public that it feels it needs to
know. Anonymous members are wanted by both federal and state authorities.

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Acts of civil disobedience

Occupy Wall Street was a movement demanding
economic reforms (MAHLER, 2012). In 2011, the
movement reached its zenith and was responsible
for large protests that disrupted city operations.
Members of the movement were arrested on
several occasions.
The shooting of Michael Brown, an
unarmed black teen, by police in Ferguson,
Missouri spawned tremendous protest across the
nation. Since that shooting many incidents of
police brutality towards African Americans has
been highlighted in the press. Protests continue
across the nation (NBC News, 2015).
Prolife groups across the US continue to
protest Planned Parenthood centers and abortion
clinics (Kennedy, 2015). Each year members are
arrested in acts of civil disobedience that range
from peaceful blocking of doors to violence.

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Criminal acts by Professionals
Enron was multibillion dollar company that
executives committed fraud concerning
accounting records (NPR, 2015). Workers and
investors lost billions of dollars and the scandal
called into question corporate governance.
Enron and similar scandals led to changes in laws concerning accounting practices of
corporations.
Rod Blagojevich was the governor of
Illinois and was convicted of multiple counts of
fraud and abuse of power (Biography, 2015).
Blagojevich is serving time in prison for his
crimes. His lack of ethics has severely marred
the governorship of the state of Illinois.
Bernie Madoff' ran a multibillion-dollar
Ponzi Scheme. The Madoff situation was
unethical and highlights the need for
accountability in corporations and businesses.
Madoffs crimes emphasized the need to have
laws such as Sarbanes/Oxley Act (Solomon &
Sandberg, 2002).

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Discussion

I believe that every state should have a Good Samaritan Law because it limits liability
claims and encourages citizens to act with empathy and charity towards others. The Utah State
Legislature: best explains the limits of liability:
A person who renders emergency care at or near the scene of, or during an
emergency, gratuitously and in good faith, is not liable for any civil damages or
penalties as a result of any act or omission by the person rendering the emergency
care, unless the person is grossly negligent or caused the emergency (Utah
Legislature, 2015).
We believe that the most important benefit to this law is derived from the fact that one
can choose to help another without worrying about civil liabilities. For example, an individual
does not have to second guess himself while conducting lifesaving aid such as cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) due to the fact that the person could break a rib. The law also states that a
person acting in good faith can assist government agencies and political subdivisions without
being held liable for civil damages. During time critical situations, an individual should not have
to be concerned with possible legal ramifications when rendering aid.
The individuals shown in the Good Samaritan examples acted appropriately. The
appropriateness of their actions can be seen in any number of philosophic positions such as duty
ethics or the Golden Rule (Boylan, 2009). These examples show how society benefits from
Good Samaritans and why they should be protected.
In the first example of vigilantism, the Guardian Angels are a difficult group to clearly
mark as ethical or unethical. Because they use nonlethal tactics and they have proven effective as
a crime fighting group for a very long time, I would consider them ethical (Bloom, 2012).
However, it should be noted that the Angels are not always welcome by either police or citizens.

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This is a perfect example of why law enforcement officers should enforce the law. While the
Angels are ethical they are untrained in law enforcement and this could create ethical dilemmas.
Our next example of vigilantism is Phoenix Jones who is a masked superhero who
operates in the City of Seattle (Tunstill, 2011). Phoenix has caused injuries to himself and to
other people in his efforts to fight crime. Jones may believe that he is acting ethically but in
reality he is breaking the law by assuming the role of police rather than as a concerned citizen.
Jones shows us how vigilantism is too high a cost and the necessity for law enforcement.
The Hactivist group Anonymous is an unethical group not based on its intentions but
rather on its actions. The group has taken an ends justify the means approach to serving justice.
The group has released information that is both personal and dangerous. Without regard for
privacy Anonymous continues its hunt for evidence by hacking personal accounts and those of
the authorities (Thompson, 2015). The group is unethical because it does not weigh any moral
implications with its actions.
These examples reflect how vigilantism is never a good thing. Each case warrants the use
of law enforcement rather than civilian involvement. There is never a time when one would need
to step outside the law in order to enforce the law. Each of these situations reflect how
vigilantism is causal to other issues such as invasion of privacy or endangering innocent people.
Each of the examples of civil disobedience represent an ethical situation. As a society in
which we are free to protest, civil disobedience is a cornerstone of change. For example, there
are many historical circumstances such as the Civil Rights Movement. African Americans were
constantly opposed by the legal establishment despite the fact that the constitution clearly
equality for all people. This legal doctrine was not being applied to the rights of African
Americans until civil disobedience took place in the form of protests and riots. What these acts of

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civil disobedience represent is a correction in law or in social fairness. When citizens are acting
for the good of society to correct an injustice this justifies civil disobedience and makes it
ethical.
There are many professions that hold ethical responsibilities. These forms of ethics are
known as applied ethics. To understand the difference between a moral or personal ethic one
must define an applied ethic. There are two basic elements that define an ethic as being applied.
These elements include controversy and morality (Bookchin, 2001). To be considered an applied
ethic the subject of the ethical considerations must be considered controversial. This
understanding can be seen in the example of a robbery by gunpoint ending in murder. The
murder of the person is not an applied ethic because murder is not controversial it is considered
immoral universally (Bookchin, 2001). However, if the subject of gun control is raised in this
same situation then the subject becomes an issue of applied ethics because gun control is
controversial (Bookchin, 2001). In the same manner, applied ethics are present in almost all
fields such as business or medicine. There are many conditions which can create unethical
behavior in fields such as these. Most commonly, unethical behavior takes place when applied
ethics are unknown to the workers or they are ignored by leadership. These two conditions set
the stage for unethical behavior as seen in the scrapbook examples Criminal acts by
Professionals.
People often think that American society is predisposed to unethical behavior but in
reality this is an exaggeration. On the whole, crime and unethical behavior is blown out of
proportion. For instance, police corruption and brutality is a very hot topic currently but this is
mainly due to the media fanning the flame of social unrest. If all police were corrupt, our society
would have serious issues that would make it difficult to function correctly. The problem in these

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situations is that the media spotlights a single case and this makes people generalize that all
police are corrupt in some way. On the whole, most Americans act ethically and the proof of this
can be seen when you compare US society and behavior with other countries. The US does not
exhibit the levels of corruption that many societies throughout the world show clearly.
As far as criminal justice and policing, this scrapbook highlights how police need to be
the examples of ethical behavior for society. One of the major problems with policing in the US
is that government is too influential in police practices. This occurs as a result of politicians
being in charge of who receives police jobs and having control over the manner in which police
investigate. To uphold higher ethical standards within police agencies, there will need to be a
focus on ethical standards and practices. This focus on ethics will bring awareness to agencies
and help to create a more ethical police force.

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References

Biography. (2015). Rod Blagojevich. Retrieved from Biography:

http://www.biography.com/people/rod-blagojevich-392652
Bloom, G. (2012, January 4). Should DC Use the Guardian Angels to Prevent Crime? Retrieved
from Examiner: http://www.examiner.com/article/should-dc-use-the-guardian-angels-toprevent-crime
Bookchin, M. (2001). What is Social Ecology? Environmental Ethics, 62-76.
Boylan, M. (2009). Basic ethics: Basic ethics in action (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.
Dorsey, E. (2011, August 23). Good Samaritan Act- Eugene Dorsey . Retrieved from English
Period 5: http://english-10-period-5.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-samaritan-act-eugenedorsey.html
Kennedy, S. (2015, January 22). Thousands protest abortion in annual March for Life on
National Mall. Retrieved from ABC News:
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2015/01/thousands-set-to-protest-abortion-in-annual-marchfor-life-in-d-c--110783.html
MAHLER, J. (2012, August 1). Oakland, the Last Refuge of Radical America. Retrieved from
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/magazine/oakland-occupymovement.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
NBC News. (2015). Michael Brown Shooting. Retrieved from NBC News :
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/thousands-march-aroundcountry-protesting-against-police-violence-n267966

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New York Post. (2012, November 29). Touching: NYPD officer gives homeless man boots.
Retrieved from New York Post: http://nypost.com/2012/11/29/touching-nypd-officergives-homeless-man-boots/
NPR. (2015). The Fall of Enron . Retrieved from NPR: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/enron/
Olin, J. (2011, July 28). Good Samaritan Laws Do They Cover Nurses? Retrieved from RN
Central: http://www.rncentral.com/blog/2011/good-samaritan-laws-do-they-cover-nurses/
Solomon, D., & Sandberg, J. (2002). Leading the news. Wall Street Journal, A3.
Thompson, M. (2015, January 9). Anonymous declares war over Charlie Hebdo attack.
Retrieved from CNN: http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/09/technology/anonymous-charliehebdo-terrorists/
Tunstill, J. (2011, January 23). Real Life Superheroes Keep Watch over Seattle. Retrieved from
Commuter: http://lbcommuter.com/2011/01/23/real-life-superheroes-keep-watch-overseattle/
Utah Legislature. (2015). Title 78B Chapter 4 Section 501. Retrieved from Utah Legislature:
http://le.utah.gov/code/TITLE78B/htm/78B04_050100.htm