THE COUNCIL OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES OF JAMAICA

COURSE NAME:
Ethics in Criminal Justice
COURSE CODE:
CJUS1102
CREDITS:
3
CONTACT HOURS:
45 (45 hours theory)
PRE-REQUISITE(S):
None
CO-REQUISITE(S): None

SEMESTER:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is a course with concentrated examination of the ethical concerns of the criminal justice
practitioner. Topics include determining moral behavior, developing moral and ethical behavior,
ethics and law enforcement, ethics and the courts, ethics and corrections, the ethics of
punishment, policy and management issues, professionalism, pride and ethics for practitioners. It
should serve as a sort of yard stick for students who intend to enter to field of criminal justice to
gauge their decisions.
Emphasis is placed on individual responsibility, accountability and the development of values.

COURSE OUTCOMES:

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. understand the types of justice and underlying moral and ethical systems.
2. understand how criminal justice practice can be subsumed under ethical belief.
3. examine the historical evolution of justice and ethical thought in Western philosophy.
4. evaluate ethical decision-making opportunities in criminal justice.
5. articulate informed opinion about clear and consistent ethical decisions.
6. appreciate the bases for policymaking decisions.
7. apply ethical principles and concepts in decision making.
8. recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas in professional activities.
UNIT I – Moral and Ethical Systems (5 hours)

Learner Outcomes:

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. explain the concept of ethics and ethical behaviour.

2. assess the moral and ethical systems of criminal justice.
3. compare the theories of moral and ethical behaviour.

Content:

1. Ethics and ethical behaviour

2. An overview of Moral and Ethical Systems
a. The Normative Approach
b. The Descriptive Approach
3. The reliability of the ethical systems
4. The inaccuracies of common morality
5. Perspectives on Moral and Ethical Behaviour
a. Deontological systems
b. Teleological systems

UNIT II – Historical Perspective on Justice and Morality (4 hours)

Learner Outcomes:

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. outline the historical concept and ethical phenomena of crime

2. critique the Greek and Hellenistic philosophy and philosophers
3. demonstrate critical thought on dogma of Medieval times

Content:

1. History of Justice and Morality

a. Crime is a sin: its history
b. A paradigm shift of justice and morality
2. Greek and Hellenistic Philosophy
a. Background
b. Socrates
c. Plato
d. Aristotle
3. Ancient teachings and Religious Ethics
 a. St. Augustine
b. St. Thomas Aquinas
c. William of Ockham

UNIT III – Theories of Ethics (7 hours)

Learner Outcomes:

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. critique various philosophical view points on ethics and criminal justice

2. examine the ethics behind the theory of utilitarianism
3. discuss the existence of ethics in administering retributive and restorative justice
4. analyze case studies dealing with the theories of ethics

Content:
1. Naturalism, Emotivism, Egoism, and Intuitionism
a. Empiricists
b. Rationalists
c. Utilitarianism and ethics
2. Bentham and Mill: Classic Utilitarianism
a. Locke: Modern Liberalism
b. Sidgwick and Singer
c. John Rawls
3. Retributive and Restorative Justice
a. Retribution and Retributivism
b. Retribution, Juveniles and the mentally challenged
c. Retribution and White-Collar criminals
d. Retribution, Victim’s rights and restorative justice
4. Case studies and analyses on ethical theories

UNIT IV – Police Ethics (7 hours)

Learner Outcomes:

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. discuss the issues of legitimacy and trust as important issues in ethics

2. create their own version of the police code of ethics
3. assess the relevance of ethics in conducting duty and exercising discretion
4. discuss corruption and immorality and police ethics
 5. analyze the extent to which perception affects a police officer in the carrying out of his
duty
6. analyze case studies dealing with Police ethics both locally and internationally

Content:

1. Substantive concepts in Police Ethics

a. Legitimacy and trust
b. Action or service
c. Relevance and utility of a code of ethics
d. Duty and discretion
e. Corruption and immorality
2. Advanced substantive concepts in Police Ethics
3. Overreach of technology
4. The principles of basic encounter
5. The role of psychology
6. Case studies and analysis on Police ethics

UNIT V – Legal Ethics (6 hours)

Learner Outcomes:

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. discuss ethics and the role of the lawyer in society

2. analyze public opinion, politics and perception of lawyers
3. assess the canons of the legal profession and the extent to which it ensures ethical conduct
4. analyze the role of a trial system in society: judges and prosecutors

Content:

1. Concepts in Legal Ethics

a. Public Opinion, Politics and Perception
b. The legal professional approach to ethics
2. Advanced concepts in Legal Ethics
a. Ethics of judges
b. Ethics of Prosecutors
c. Ethics of the Adversarial System
UNIT VI – Ethics in Correctional Facilities (7 hours)

Learner Outcomes:

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. critique the social and moral issues associated with corrections

2. assess the relevance of social justice
3. examine the ethics of punishment
4. determine whether prisons should be abolished
5. examine the patterns of prison corruption
6. discuss whether there should be fraternizing of staff and inmates
7. analyze case studies dealing with ethics in correctional facilities

Content:

1. Correctional Ethics
a. The ethics of punishment
b. Arguments for the abolition of prisons
c. Corollary of mass imprisonment
2. Advanced concepts in Correctional Ethics
a. Patterns of prison corruption
b. Prisoner/staff fraternization
3. Case studies and analyses on ethics in correctional facilities

UNIT I – Policy Making, Leadership and Ethics (7 hours)

Learner Outcomes:

At the end of this unit, you will be able to:

1. discuss the administrative ideologies in an organization

2. analyze the management/staff divide and the ethical concerns
3. determine the importance of servant leadership
4. examine the theories of leadership and how they influence policy making
5. analyze various policy making models and their influence on ethical leadership

Content:

Ethical Leadership and Policymaking

a. Introduction
b. Organizational dynamics and restructuring
 c. Delegation of leadership

METHODS OF DELIVERY:

1. Discussion
2. Lectures
3. Guest lectures
4. Interviews
5. Research
6. Observation
7. Presentations
8. YouTube presentations
9. Debates
10. Role play
11. Simulation
12. Case studies

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION:

1. Course work
a. Case Study and analysis 15%
b. Presentation/ Research 25%
2. Final Examination: 60%
a. Case Study Analysis
b. four essay type questions choose any 2 questions (2 hours)

RECOMMENDED TEXTS:

Banks, C. (2013) Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice (3rd ed.) Sage Publication Inc. CA:
USA

Kleinig, J. (2008). Ethics and Criminal Justice: An Introduction. Cambridge Press: USA

Pollock, J.M. (2014). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice (8th ed.) Cengage
Publishing; CT: USA

ONLINE RESOURCES:

Jamaica Constabulary Force - http://www.jcf.gov.jm

Ministry of Justice - http://www.moj.gov.jm