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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments x xi
Preface xxiii
List of Tables x xix
List of Figures x x xi

CHAPTER 1 An Overview of Ethics 1


CHAPTER OUTLINE 1

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 2

INTRODUCTION 2

W H AT I S M O R A L I T Y ? 3

D E S C R I P T I V E A N D N O R M AT I V E M O R A L I T Y 4
Descriptive Definitions of Morality 5
Etiquette, Law, and Religion 5
Normative Definitions of Morality 6
W H AT I S “ E T H I C S? ” 7

M E TA E T H I C S 7
Metaphysical Issues 8
Psychological Issues 9
Egoism and Altruism 9
Emotion and Reason 9
Male Versus Female Morality 10
N O R M AT I V E E T H I C S 10
Teleological Ethics 10
Deontological Ethics 11
Virtue Ethics 12
APPLIED ETHICS 12
Professional Ethics 14
Codes of Professional Ethics 15
The Importance of Professional Ethics 15

vii
viii CONTENTS

T H E R E L AT I O N S H I P B E T W E E N M O R A L I T Y A N D E T H I C S 16

M O R A L I T Y, E T H I C S , A N D T H E C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E P R AC T I T I O N E R 17

Case Study 1.1. Discovering Personal Values 18


T H E N AT U R E A N D S O U R C E O F P R AC T I T I O N E R VA L U E S 18
The Occupational Career of the Practitioner 19
The Moral Career of the Practitioner 20
VA L U E S I N AC T I O N : T W O M O D E L S O F T H E C R I M I N A L
JUSTICE PROCESS 22
Crime Control Model 22
Due Process Model 23
Summary 24

Thought Exercise 1.1: Ethical Issues and the Exercise of Discretion


in Criminal Justice 25
Key Terms 25
Discussion Questions 26
Resources 26
References 26

CHAPTER 2 Systems of Ethics 29


CHAPTER OUTLINE 29

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 30

INTRODUCTION 30

SYSTEMS OF ETHIC S 31
General Distinctions 31
F O C U S I N G O N B E H AV I O R : T E L E O L O G I C A L E T H I C S 32
Ethical Egoism 32
Critique of Ethical Egoism 33
Act Utilitarianism 33
Critique of Act Utilitarianism 35
Rule Utilitarianism 36
Critique of Rule Utilitarianism 36
F O C U S I N G O N B E H AV I O R : D E O N T O L O G I C A L E T H I C S 38
Kantian Ethics 38
The Categorical Imperative 39
The Hypothetical Imperative 40
Critique of Kantian Ethics 41
Religious Ethics: Divine Command Theory (DCT) 42
The Euthyphro Dilemma 44
Modified Divine Command Theory 44
Critique of Divine Command Theory 45
F O C U S I N G O N C H A R AC T E R : V I R T U E T H E O R I E S 48
Virtue Ethics 48
Content s ix

Arête, Phronesis, and Eudaimonia 49


The Concept of Virtue 49
The Temperate and the Continent Person 50
Critique of Virtue Ethics 50

Thought Exercise 2.1: Using Force: The Temperate and the Continent
Police Officer 51
Summary 52

Thought Exercise 2.2: Ethical Issues and Privatizing the Police 53


Key Terms 54
Discussion Questions 54
Resources 55
References 55

CHAPTER 3 Moral Dilemmas in Criminal Justice 58


CHAPTER OUTLINE 58

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 59

INTRODUCTION 59

THE MORAL ARENA 60

MOR AL DILEMMAS 62
The Role of Emotion in Moral Dilemmas 63
Categories of Moral Dilemmas 64
Epistemic and Ontological Dilemmas 65
Self-Imposed and Other-Imposed Dilemmas 65
Obligation-Based and Prohibition-Based Dilemmas 66
Moral Dilemmas and Conflicting Obligations 66
Resolving Dilemmas: Common-Sense Morality? 66
M O R A L D I L E M M A S A N D C R I M I N A L J U S T I C E P R AC T I T I O N E R S 67
Moral Dilemmas and the Police 68

Thought Exercise 3.1. Obligations and Moral Dilemmas


Involving Police Officers 69
Moral Dilemmas and Prosecutors 69

Thought Exercise 3.2. Moral Obligations and Moral Dilemmas


Involving Prosecutors 70
Moral Dilemmas and Defense Attorneys 71

Thought Exercise 3.3. Moral Obligations and Moral Dilemmas Involving


Criminal Defense Attorneys 72
Moral Dilemmas and Judges 72
Moral Dilemmas in Corrections 74

Thought Exercise 3.4. Moral Obligations and Moral Dilemmas


Involving Judicial Elections 74
x CONTENTS

Thought Exercise 3.5. Moral Obligations and Moral Dilemmas Involving


Probation/Parole Officers 76

Thought Exercise 3-6. Moral Obligations and Moral Dilemmas


Involving Corrections Officers 77
Summary 78

Case Study 3.1: Whistleblowing in the Criminal Justice System 79


Key Terms 80
Discussion Questions 80
Resources 80
References 80

CHAPTER 4 Moral Reasoning and Criminal Justice Ethics 84


CHAPTER OUTLINE 84

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 85

INTRODUCTION 85

MOR AL REASONING 86
What Is Moral Reasoning? 86
The Process of Moral Reasoning 87
Recognizing Moral Issues 87
Attending to Moral Facts 88
Sorting the Moral Considerations 89
Reasoning by Analogy 89
Resolving Conflicts Among Considerations in Moral Reasoning 89
Learning From Experience and Changing One’s Mind 91
Moral Learning From Moral Reasoning 91
Overturning Moral Theories 91
Moral Dumbfoundedness 92
THE DEVELOPMENT OF MOR AL RE ASONING 93
Kohlberg’s Levels and Stages of Moral Reasoning 93
Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory 94
Methodological Issues 94
Problems With Kohlberg’s Theory 96
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR MOR AL REASONING 97
The Structure of Moral Arguments 98
Formal Principles of Moral Reasoning 98
General Rules to Guide Moral Reasoning 99
Normative Claims 99
Consistency in Thinking 99
Specific Rules in Moral Reasoning: Avoiding Errors 100
Mine-Is-Better Thinking 101
Double Standards 101
Content s xi

Unwarranted Assumptions 101


Oversimplification 102
Hasty Conclusions 103
Tu Quoque 103
Moral Conventionalism 104
Moral Legalism 104
Moral Prudentialism 105
Slippery Slopes 105
Argument to the People 106
Red Herrings 106
Summary 108

Thought Exercise 4.1: The Ethics of Assembly-Line Justice 109


Key Terms 110
Discussion Questions 110
Resources 110
References 111

CHAPTER 5 A Framework for Analysis 114


CHAPTER OUTLINE 114

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 115

INTRODUCTION 115

A F R A M E W O R K F O R A N A LY S I S 116

A T E M P L AT E F O R A N A LY S I S 117
Facts 118
Details 118

Case Study 5.1: The Rookie and the Restaurant Tab 119
Ethical Issue 120
Identifying Moral Ideals 120
Substantive and Procedural Ideals 121
Principle of Respect for Persons 121
Identifying Obligations 123
Fidelity Obligations 123
Nonfidelity Obligations 124
Obligations in the Template 124
When Obligations Conflict 125
When Ideals and Obligations Conflict 125
Identifying Consequences 126
Types of Consequences 127
The Principle of the Double Effect 127
Implicit Opposites When Identifying Consequences 128
The Conclusion 128
xii CONTENTS

Case Study 5.2: The Hostess and the Police Officer 130
Summary 131

Case Study 5.3: The Ethics of Campaign Contributions for Judges 133
Key Terms 137
Discussion Questions 137
Resources 137
References 138

CHAPTER 6 Police Ethics—A Contextual Overview 139


CHAPTER OUTLINE 13 9

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 14 0

INTRODUCTION 14 0

THE FUNC TIONS OF POLICE IN MODERN AMERIC A 14 2


Prominent Features of American Policing 143
THE CONTE X T OF POLICE ETHIC S 14 5
The Individual Context of Police Ethics 145
Individual Characteristics and Police Ethics 146
Rotten Apples Theory 146
The Organizational Context of Police Ethics 146
Rotten Barrels Theory 147
The Community Context of Police Ethics 147
Rotten Orchards Theory 147
E T H I C A L I S S U E S I N T H E R E C R U I T M E N T, S E L E C T I O N , A N D T R A I N I N G
OF POLICE OFFICERS 14 8
Police Recruitment and Selection 148
Prehiring Procedures 151
Police Academy Training 152
Field Training 154
Ethical Issues in Field Training 156
The Police Officer’s Occupational Career 157
E T H I C A L I S S U E S A N D T H E C U LT U R E O F P O L I C I N G 159
Adaptations to the Stresses of Policing 159
Police Gratuities 160
Competing Views on Gratuities 161
The Exchange Nature of Gratuities 162
The Moral Career of the Police Officer 163

Case Study 6.1: Police Gratuities 164


T H E O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L E N V I R O N M E N T O F P O L I C I N G 16 6
Factors Affecting the Organizational Environment
of Police Departments 166
The Presence of Rules 166
Content s xiii

The Police Chief 167


Supervisors 167
Department Resources 168
Recruitment and Selection 168
Ethics and Integrity Training 168
Internal Control Mechanisms 169
Summary 169

Thought Exercise 6.1: The Ethics of Preemployment Psychological


Evaluations (PPEs) 170
Key Terms 172
Discussion Questions 172
Resources 172
References 173

CHAPTER 7 Ethics and the Tactics of Policing 177


CHAPTER OUTLINE 17 7

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 178

INTRODUCTION 178

MODERN POLICE WORK 18 0


A Typology of Police Work 180
T H E U S E O F D E C E P T I O N BY P O L I C E 181
Deception During Investigation 181
Police Stings 182
Legal Limits on Deception During Investigation 182
Deception During Interrogation 183
Police Interrogation Techniques 183
The Reid technique 184
Critique of the Reid technique 185
Legal Limits on Deception During Interrogation 186
The Problem of False Confessions 187

Case Study 7.1: Police Deception and the False Confession:


The “Norfolk Four” 187
The Psychology of False Confessions 188
Deception in Court Proceedings 189
Police Perjury 190
Contributing Factors to Police Perjury 191

Thought Exercise 7.1. Police Officer Attitudes Toward


the “Blue Wall of Silence” 192
The Ethics of Police Deception 193
Alternatives to Police Deception/ Perjury 193
Moral Justifications for and Against Police Deception/Perjury 194
xiv CONTENTS

Public Attitudes About Police Deception/Perjury 194

Case Study 7.2: “Operation Heartland” 195


S U R V E I L L A N C E BY P O L I C E 196
Police Agencies and Surveillance 197
Passive Surveillance and Biased Policing 198
Profiling and Racial Profiling 198
The Problems with Profiling 199
The Ethics of Police Surveillance 200
Ethical Surveillance 201
T E AC H I N G A N D L E A R N I N G P O L I C E E T H I C S 202
Justifications for Teaching Police Ethics 203
To Whom Should Police Ethics be Taught? 203
Where Should Police Ethics be Taught? 204
What Should be the Goals? 205
What Should be the Content? 206
Summary 207

Thought Exercise 7.2: Minority Report and the Ethics of Predictive Policing 208
Key Terms 209
Discussion Questions 209
Resources 210
References 210

CHAPTER 8 Ethics and the Courts 215


CHAPTER OUTLINE 2 15

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 2 16

INTRODUCTION 2 16

T H E C O U R T R O O M W O R KG R O U P 2 17
Goals of the Courtroom Workgroup 218
Workgroup Dynamics 218
ETHICS AND PROSECUTORS 2 19
The Prosecution Function 219
Standards for the Prosecution Function 220
The Ethics of Prosecuting People 224
Narrowness and Cynicism 225
Discretion 226
Winning 226
Prosecutorial Misconduct 227
Prosecutorial Misconduct Defined 227
Types of Prosecutorial Misconduct 227
Prevalence of Prosecutorial Misconduct 228
Hurdles to Controlling Prosecutorial Misconduct 228
Harmless Error Doctrine 228
Absolute Immunity for Prosecutors 229
Content s xv

Case Study 8.1: Prosecutorial Ethics and Pursuit of the


Death Penalty 230
ETHIC S AND DEFENSE COUNSEL 230
The Defense Function: Model Standards 231
Broad Functions of Defense Counsel 231
Relationship with Clients 231
Standards for Defense Counsel During Litigation 232
Standards for Defense Counsel Post-Conviction 234
Defense Tactics and the Ethical Issues They Raise 234
“Zealously” Defending Clients 236
“Rambo” Litigation 237
Returning Civility to Litigation 238

Case Study 8.2: Defending the Indefensible 239


ETHICS AND THE JUDICIARY 239
Functions of the Judiciary 240
Model Standards for the Judiciary 240
ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct 240
Code of Conduct for Federal Judges 242
Summary 243

Thought Exercise 8.1: Regulating the Practice of Law 245


Key Terms 247
Discussion Questions 247
Resources 247
References 248

CHAPTER 9 The Ethics of Legal Punishment 251


CHAPTER OUTLINE 2 51

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 2 52


INTRODUCTION 2 52

THE LEGAL PUNISHMENT OF CRIMINALS 255


Crime, Legal Punishment, and the State 256
Defining Legal Punishment 257
J U S T I F I C AT I O N S F O R L E G A L P U N I S H M E N T 2 57
Consequentialist Justifications for Legal Punishment 258
Deterrence 258
Incapacitation 259
Rehabilitation 259
Critiques of Consequentialist Justifications for Legal Punishment 259
Retributivist Justifications for Legal Punishment 261
Guiding Principles of Retributivism 261
Sentencing Guidelines 261
Critiques of Retributivist Justifications for Legal Punishment 263
xvi CONTENTS

Other Justifications for Legal Punishment 264


Rights Forfeiture Theory 264
Critique of Rights Forfeiture Theory 265
Moral Education Theory 266
Critique of Moral Education Theory 267
C A P I TA L P U N I S H M E N T: A S P E C I A L C A S E 2 67
Capital Punishment: An Overview 267
Legal Aspects of Capital Punishment 268
Justifications for Capital Punishment 268
Race and Capital Punishment 269
Executing Innocents 270
The Death of Capital Punishment 272
Summary 272

Thought Exercise 9.1: Legal Punishment in Scandinavia:


A Different Response 273
Key Terms 276
Discussion Questions 276
Resources 276
References 277

C H A P T E R 10 Ethics and Institutional Corrections 280


CHAPTER OUTLINE 280

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 2 81

INTRODUCTION 2 81

INSTITUTIONAL CORREC TIONS AND PUNISHING OFFENDERS 282


Who’s Incarcerated? 283
The Characteristics of Incarcerated Persons in America 283
Ethical Issues and Prisons 286
P R I S O N S AS P U N I S H M E N T 287
Who Should Be Imprisoned? 287
What Do the Undeserving Deserve? 288
The Conditions of Confinement 289
Privatization 290
Abolition 291
PRISONS FOR PUNISHMENT 292
Correctional Staff in this Country 292
Ethics and Correctional Officers 293
Correctional Officer Duties 293
Correctional Officer Skills 293
The Occupational Culture of Correctional Officers 294
Types of Correctional Officers 294
Correctional Officer Code of Ethics 295
Content s xvii

Ethics and Treatment Staff 297


Treatment Staff Code of Ethics 297
Ethical Issues and Correctional Officers 299
Reciprocity in Prison 299
Prison Corruption 300
Classifying Correctional Officer Misconduct 301
Understanding Correctional Officer Misconduct 301
The Lucifer Effect 301
Responding to Correctional Officer Misconduct 304
Ethical Issues and Treatment Staff 305
Respect for the Dignity of Persons 305
Who’s the Client? 306
Confidentiality 306
Refusal of Services 306
Responsible Care 306
Competence 307
Integrity in Relationships 307
Multiple Relationships 307
E T H I C A L I S S U E S A N D JA I L S 308
The Misuse of Jails in America 308
Summary 311

Thought Exercise 10.1: The Ethics of Solitary Confinement 312


Key Terms 314
Discussion Questions 314
Resources 314
References 315

C H A P T E R 11 Ethics and Community-Based Corrections 319


CHAPTER OUTLINE 319

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 32 0

INTRODUCTION 32 0

A N OV E R V I E W O F C O M M U N I T Y- B A S E D C O R R E C T I O N S 32 1
Probation: Its History and Administration 322
Parole: Its History and Administration 323
Intermediate Sanctions: History and Purpose 324
COMMUNIT Y CORREC TIONS OFFICERS 32 6
Characteristics of Probation/Parole Officers 326
Probation/Parole Officer Training 327
Ethical Standards for Probation/Parole Officers 327
The Occupational Culture of Probation/Parole Officers 329
Duality in the Role of Probation/Parole Officer 329
Ethical Implications of Probation/Parole Officer Duality 330
xviii CONTENTS

ETHIC AL ISSUES IN COMMUNIT Y CORREC TIONS 3 31


Acceptable Penal Content 331
Probation/Parole Officer Caseload and Workload 333
Arming Probation/Parole Officers 334

Case Study 11.1: The Probation/Parole Officer’s Dilemma 335


Offender-Funded Corrections 336
For-Profit Privatization of Community-Based Corrections 337
Summary 339

Thought Exercise 11.1: The Ethics of Electronic Monitoring (EM) 340


Key Terms 342
Discussion Questions 342
Resources 342
References 343

C H A P T E R 12 Ethics and Forensic Science 345


CHAPTER OUTLINE 345

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 346

INTRODUCTION 346

A N OV E R V I E W O F F O R E N S I C S C I E N C E A N D I T S P R AC T I C E 3 47
The Disciplines of Forensic Science 347
Forensic Scientist Hiring and Training 349
The Occupational Culture of Forensic Practitioners 351
F O R E N S I C S C I E N C E S TA N DA R D S A N D C O D E S O F E T H I C S 353
Ethical Standards for Crime Laboratories 353
Practitioner Code of Ethics 356
E T H I C A L I S S U E S I N T H E P R AC T I C E O F F O R E N S I C S C I E N C E 358
Laboratory Analytical Procedures 359
Insufficient Analysis 359
Dry-Labbing 360
Indiscriminate Analysis 361
Analyzing to Fit the Law 361
Courtroom Testimony 361
The Difference Between Science and Law 362
Closing the Gap 363
Privatization of Forensic Services 365
Obligations to Maintain Professional Competence 366
Keeping Up With a Changing Field 367
Proficiency Testing 367
Competency Testing 368
Certification 369
Continuing Education 369
Whistleblowing 370
Summary 373
Content s xix

Thought Exercise 12.1: Questioning the Science Behind Forensic Science 373
Key Terms 375
Discussion Questions 375
Resources 375
References 376

C H A P T E R 13 Ethics and Criminal Justice Research 380


CHAPTER OUTLINE 380

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 3 81

INTRODUCTION 3 81

T H E R E S E A R C H P R O C E S S: A N OV E R V I E W 382
Human Inquiry and the Role of Science 382
The Rules of Scientific Inquiry 383
Social Scientific Research 383
CODES OF ETHIC S AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN RESE ARCH 385
The Nuremberg Code 386
Guiding Principles 386
The Helsinki Declaration 386
Guiding Principles 386
The Belmont Report 387
Guiding Principles 387
Impact of the Belmont Report 389

Case Study 13.1: The Prison Warden’s Dilemma 391


ETHICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 392
Why Care About Research Ethics? 392
Informed Consent 393
Accurate Information 393
Understanding 394
Voluntariness 394
Objections Surrounding Informed Consent 395
Confidentiality 397
Justifications for Confidentiality 397
Protecting Confidentiality 398
Managing Harm 399
Conceptualizing Harm 399
Conflicts of Interest 400

Case Study 13.2: Conflicts of Interest in Criminological Research 402


Contributing Factors 403
Researcher Safety 404
Issues in Researcher Safety 405
Addressing the Risks of Harm 406
Integrity and Misconduct 406
xx CONTENTS

Frequency of Scientific Misconduct 407


Reasons Scientific Misconduct Occurs 408
Preventing Scientific Misconduct 408
Summary 410

Thought Exercise 13.1: Ethical Issues in the Use of Self-Reports


to Study Crime 410
Key Terms 412
Discussion Questions 412
Resources 412
References 413

C H A P T E R 14 The Future and Criminal Justice Ethics 417


CHAPTER OUTLINE 417

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJEC TIVES 417

INTRODUCTION 418

A PRESCRIPTION FOR THE FUTURE 419


The Organizational Context of Criminal Justice Ethics 419
Modeling Ethics 422

Case Study 14.1: The Organizational Context of Ethics: The LAPD


Rampart Scandal 423
Proactive Strategies 424
Hiring Toward the Community 426

Thought Exercise 14.1: The Advantages of a College Degree for


Decision-Making Skills 427
Evaluate Agency Practices 428
Summary 430

Thought Exercise 14.2: The Ethics of Presumed Guilt 430


Key Terms 431
Discussion Questions 432
Resources 432
References 432

Index 435
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A s is the case with any book-length undertaking, acknowledging the contributions


of many people to its successful conclusion is called for. First, I want to offer my
foremost thanks to my editor at Oxford, Steve Helba, who’s now overseen two book
projects with which I’ve been involved (talk about a glutton for punishment!). I can’t
imagine working with a better editor. I also thank Oxford’s production team for their
dedication to producing the highest-quality end product. Thanks, as well, to my
­colleagues and friends J. Heith Copes, Jason G. Linville, and Bonnie S. Fisher for their
contributions. I also extend my sincerest thanks to those who reviewed drafts of the
book, and whose critiques improved not only what I said , but how I said it. Reviewers
included Marcel F. Beausoleil, Clairissa D. Breen, Greg Bridgeman, Gary Copus, Joel
M. Cox, Sherri DioGuardi, William E. Harver, Galan Janeksela, Linda Keena, Stephen
Mallory, Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, Gregory P. Orvis, Dylan Pelletier, David Polizzi,
Gwenola Ricordeau, Michelle Rippy, Edward Sieh, Juyoung Song, William White, John
T. Whitehead, Vanessa Woodward Griffin, and Glenn Zuern. Very special thanks to
my spouse, Tavis, for her support during another book project (much of which was
completed after I had allegedly “retired”) and for the feedback she provided on the
chapters. Finally, I thank the many undergraduate and graduate students at the
­University of Alabama at Birmingham who took my ethics classes over the years. They
helped me not only hone my own thinking about ethics and criminal justice but also
improve my teaching of it.
John Sloan
Orange Beach, AL
June 25, 2018

xxi
PREFACE

L et me begin with a disclaimer: I am neither a criminal justice practitioner, nor do I


play one on television. I am also not a philosopher, nor am I an ethicist. In fact, I am
a sociologist by training and a criminologist by specialization. “So,” you may be saying
to yourself, “what makes him qualified to write a textbook on criminal justice ethics?”
One reason I’m qualified is that for over 30 years, I’ve conducted research on various
aspects of the criminal justice system, the agencies that comprise it, and the people that
staff them. As part of my research, I’ve studied how criminal justice practitioners exercise
discretion; the organization and operation of police agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and
juvenile courts; and how appeals court judges reach decisions in the cases before them.
I’ve also surveyed, conducted focus groups with, and interviewed hundreds of practitio-
ners and learned what their professional lives involved, including the ethical issues they
confronted. Additionally, for over 20 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB) I taught a required course on criminal justice ethics to thousands of undergraduate
students who majored in criminal justice, and for more than 10 years taught a graduate-
level course on ethics to students pursuing a master’s degree in computer forensics and
security management. In preparation for teaching those courses, I’ve read about, studied,
and discussed ethics with academic philosophers, psychologists, and others interested
in ethics. I even received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2014 to
convene a workshop on ethics and digital forensics that was attended by scholars and
practitioners alike, all of whom were interested in ethics in the criminal justice context.
I say all of this not to pat myself on the back or to impress you (which I’m fairly sure
I haven’t managed to do—at least not yet—but give me a chance!). Rather, I share this
introductory tale to advise you that the perspective guiding this book is academic, al-
though its tone is supposed to be informal (but only you can judge how well that turned
out!). What I mean is that the information presented in this book is based on scholarly
research and commentary, rather than “war stories” or experience as might come from
an author who’d spent time as a police officer, crime scene investigator, probation officer,
judge, or prosecutor. On hearing this, some readers may at once dismiss the book as a
fruitless exercise by a “pointy-headed academic,” but let me add something. Over the
30 years I’ve conducted research on the criminal justice system, I have engaged in count-
less conversations with police officers (ranging from patrol officers and shift sergeants to

xxiii
xxiv PR EFACE

multiple chiefs of police), prosecuting attorneys (including several district attorneys, US


attorneys, and my late father, who was an assistant district attorney in Detroit), judges,
probation officers—including those working with juveniles, prison wardens, and
­directors of state and federal prison systems. One common element in conversations with
these practitioners involved/revolved around ethics and the sorts of ethical issues these
people faced along the way and were willing to share with me. To a degree, then, the
stories I’ve heard from and conversations I’ve had with those good people over the years
both informed and shaped not only how I teach ethics to criminal justice and computer
forensics students, but also how I think about ethics and criminal justice. This book is my
attempt to share with you, in a conversational tone, what I have learned about criminal
justice ethics over three decades and why I think ethics in the practice of criminal justice
is a pretty important topic.
Because you are reading a book on criminal justice ethics, it’s likely you are majoring
in criminal justice, criminology, or some related field, like homeland security or law and
society. Chances are also good that you are interested in pursuing a career in criminal
justice, whether in law enforcement, forensic science, the courts, corrections, or perhaps
even research. Your interest in criminal justice may have developed because you love so-
called police procedurals (e.g., CSI, NCIS, Law and Order SVU) that are a staple of prime-
time television, or so-called reality shows like Cops Reloaded or North Woods Law. You may
have envisioned yourself, like one of the main characters in these shows, solving a case,
arresting the “bad guys,” and ensuring that “justice is done” for victims.
Perhaps your interest in criminal justice developed because someone in your family
is working (or has worked) in the system as a police officer, probation officer, prosecutor,
or other official, or you encountered someone who worked in the system who had a positive
influence on your life. Because of these people, you decided the careers they had chosen
were important on some level; that what they do is righteous, noble, virtuous, or honorable.
These people give back to the community. They put their lives on the line to protect and
serve others they don’t even know. They work to ensure victims are not forgotten or that
offenders who engage in crime are first punished, but also given a second chance. In short,
you respect these people and what they do, and want to become one of them.
Alternatively, it could be that your interest in criminal justice arose because you or
someone you knew experienced an injustice at the hands of a criminal justice practitioner.
Perhaps you were unfairly pulled over by a police officer for “driving while black”
(­Bhatnagar, 2009) or saw corrupt criminal justice officials reaping benefits from the injus-
tices they perpetrated. These experiences motivated you to learn more about the criminal
justice system and ultimately helped you decide to try and change the system from the inside.
Regardless of your motivation for wanting to become a criminal justice practitioner,
you probably view the system and its personnel as either just or good or as having the
potential to become as much. You may see the people working in the system as good.
Rather than seeking to destroy, they seek to build. Rather than caring only about self,
they care about others. They are upright and virtuous. Additionally, you may perceive
that what they do is also good. Fighting crime, helping victims, and ensuring that crimi-
nals are fairly punished for their behavior is good, at least in part because the result is
preservation of the social order. Helping offenders “learn from their mistakes” and get a
“second chance” is good as well, as it results in positive change for these individuals, who
can then be welcomed back into the community.
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Reminiscences
of my life in camp with the 33d United States
colored troops, late 1st S.C. Volunteers
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Title: Reminiscences of my life in camp with the 33d United


States colored troops, late 1st S.C. Volunteers

Author: Susie King Taylor

Release date: April 30, 2024 [eBook #73499]

Language: English

Original publication: United States: Susie King Taylor, 1902

Credits: David E. Brown and the Online Distributed Proofreading


Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced
from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK


REMINISCENCES OF MY LIFE IN CAMP WITH THE 33D UNITED
STATES COLORED TROOPS, LATE 1ST S.C. VOLUNTEERS ***
Susie King Taylor.
REMINISCENCES OF
MY LIFE IN CAMP
WITH THE 33D UNITED STATES
COLORED TROOPS LATE 1ST
S. C. VOLUNTEERS

BY
SUSIE KING TAYLOR

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

BOSTON
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR
1902
COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY SUSIE KING TAYLOR
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
To
COLONEL T. W. HIGGINSON
THESE PAGES
ARE GRATEFULLY DEDICATED
PREFACE
I have been asked many times by my friends, and also by members
of the Grand Army of the Republic and Women’s Relief Corps, to
write a book of my army life, during the war of 1861-65, with the
regiment of the 1st South Carolina Colored Troops, later called 33d
United States Colored Infantry.
At first I did not think I would, but as the years rolled on and my
friends were still urging me to start with it, I wrote to Colonel C. T.
Trowbridge (who had command of this regiment), asking his opinion
and advice on the matter. His answer to me was, “Go ahead! write it;
that is just what I should do, were I in your place, and I will give you
all the assistance you may need, whenever you require it.” This
inspired me very much.
In 1900 I received a letter from a gentleman, sent from the Executive
Mansion at St. Paul, Minn., saying Colonel Trowbridge had told him I
was about to write a book, and when it was published he wanted one
of the first copies. This, coming from a total stranger, gave me more
confidence, so I now present these reminiscences to you, hoping
they may prove of some interest, and show how much service and
good we can do to each other, and what sacrifices we can make for
our liberty and rights, and that there were “loyal women,” as well as
men, in those days, who did not fear shell or shot, who cared for the
sick and dying; women who camped and fared as the boys did, and
who are still caring for the comrades in their declining years.
So, with the hope that the following pages will accomplish some
good and instruction for its readers, I shall proceed with my
narrative.
SUSIE KING TAYLOR.
Boston, 1902.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction by Col. Thomas Wentworth
Higginson xi
Letter from Lieut.-Col. C. T. Trowbridge xiii
I. A Brief Sketch of my Ancestors 1
II. My Childhood 5
III. On St. Simon’s Island, 1862 11
IV. Camp Saxton—Proclamation and Barbecue. 1863 18
V. Military Expeditions, and Life in Camp 22
VI. On Morris and Other Islands 31
VII. Cast Away 37
VIII. A Flag of Truce 40
IX. Capture of Charleston 42
X. Mustered out 45
XI. After the War 53
XII. The Women’s Relief Corps 59
XIII. Thoughts on Present Conditions 61
XIV. A Visit to Louisiana 69
Appendix.
Roster of Survivors of 33d Regiment United States
Colored Troops 79
A List of the Battles fought by the Regiment 82
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Mrs. Susie King Taylor Frontispiece
Group: Capt. A. W. Heasley, Capt. Walker, Capt.
W. W. Sampson, Capt. Charles E. Parker 16
Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson 24
Group: Major H. A. Whitney, Lieut. J. B. West,
Henry Batchlott 28
Group: Lieut. John A. Trowbridge, Lieut. Eli C.
Merriam, Lieut. James M. Thompson, Lieut.
Jerome T. Furman 36
Group: Capt. L. W. Metcalf, Capt. Miron W.
Saxton, Capt. A. W. Jackson, Corporal Peter
Waggall 40
Lieut.-Col. C. T. Trowbridge 46
Schoolhouse in Savannah 54
INTRODUCTION
Actual military life is rarely described by a woman, and this is
especially true of a woman whose place was in the ranks, as the wife
of a soldier and herself a regimental laundress. No such description
has ever been given, I am sure, by one thus connected with a
colored regiment; so that the nearly 200,000 black soldiers (178,975)
of our Civil War have never before been delineated from the
woman’s point of view. All this gives peculiar interest to this little
volume, relating wholly to the career of the very earliest of these
regiments,—the one described by myself, from a wholly different
point of view, in my volume “Army Life in a Black Regiment,” long
since translated into French by the Comtesse de Gasparin under the
title “Vie Militaire dans un Régiment Noir.”
The writer of the present book was very exceptional among the
colored laundresses, in that she could read and write and had taught
children to do the same; and her whole life and career were most
estimable, both during the war and in the later period during which
she has lived in Boston and has made many friends. I may add that I
did not see the book until the sheets were in print, and have left it
wholly untouched, except as to a few errors in proper names. I
commend the narrative to those who love the plain record of simple
lives, led in stormy periods.
THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON,
Former Colonel 1st S. C. Volunteers
(afterwards 33d U. S. Colored Infantry).
Cambridge, Mass.,
November 3, 1902.
LETTER FROM COL. C. T.
TROWBRIDGE
St. Paul, Minn., April 7, 1902.
Mrs. Susan King Taylor:
Dear Madam,—The manuscript of the story of your army life
reached me to-day. I have read it with much care and interest, and I
most willingly and cordially indorse it as a truthful account of your
unselfish devotion and service through more than three long years of
war in which the 33d Regiment bore a conspicuous part in the great
conflict for human liberty and the restoration of the Union. I most
sincerely regret that through a technicality you are debarred from
having your name placed on the roll of pensioners, as an Army
Nurse; for among all the number of heroic women whom the
government is now rewarding, I know of no one more deserving than
yourself.
Yours in F. C. & L.,
C. T. TROWBRIDGE,
Late Lt.-Col. 33d U. S. C. T.
REMINISCENCES

I
A BRIEF SKETCH OF MY ANCESTORS

My great-great-grandmother was 120 years old when she died. She


had seven children, and five of her boys were in the Revolutionary
War. She was from Virginia, and was half Indian. She was so old she
had to be held in the sun to help restore or prolong her vitality.
My great-grandmother, one of her daughters, named Susanna, was
married to Peter Simons, and was one hundred years old when she
died, from a stroke of paralysis in Savannah. She was the mother of
twenty-four children, twenty-three being girls. She was one of the
noted midwives of her day. In 1820 my grandmother was born, and
named after her grandmother, Dolly, and in 1833 she married
Fortune Lambert Reed. Two children blessed their union, James and
Hagar Ann. James died at the age of twelve years.
My mother was born in 1834. She married Raymond Baker in 1847.
Nine children were born to them, three dying in infancy. I was the
first born. I was born on the Grest Farm (which was on an island
known as Isle of Wight), Liberty County, about thirty-five miles from
Savannah, Ga., on August 6, 1848, my mother being waitress for the
Grest family. I have often been told by mother of the care Mrs. Grest
took of me. She was very fond of me, and I remember when my
brother and I were small children, and Mr. Grest would go away on
business, Mrs. Grest would place us at the foot of her bed to sleep
and keep her company. Sometimes he would return home earlier
than he had expected to; then she would put us on the floor.
When I was about seven years old, Mr. Grest allowed my
grandmother to take my brother and me to live with her in Savannah.
There were no railroad connections in those days between this place
and Savannah; all travel was by stagecoaches. I remember, as if it
were yesterday, the coach which ran in from Savannah, with its
driver, whose beard nearly reached his knees. His name was
Shakespeare, and often I would go to the stable where he kept his
horses, on Barnard Street in front of the old Arsenal, just to look at
his wonderful beard.
My grandmother went every three months to see my mother. She
would hire a wagon to carry bacon, tobacco, flour, molasses, and
sugar. These she would trade with people in the neighboring places,
for eggs, chickens, or cash, if they had it. These, in turn, she carried
back to the city market, where she had a customer who sold them for
her. The profit from these, together with laundry work and care of
some bachelors’ rooms, made a good living for her.
The hardest blow to her was the failure of the Freedmen’s Savings
Bank in Savannah, for in that bank she had placed her savings,
about three thousand dollars, the result of her hard labor and self-
denial before the war, and which, by dint of shrewdness and care,
she kept together all through the war. She felt it more keenly, coming
as it did in her old age, when her life was too far spent to begin
anew; but she took a practical view of the matter, for she said, “I will
leave it all in God’s hand. If the Yankees did take all our money, they
freed my race; God will take care of us.”
In 1888 she wrote me here (Boston), asking me to visit her, as she
was getting very feeble and wanted to see me once before she
passed away. I made up my mind to leave at once, but about the
time I planned to go, in March, a fearful blizzard swept our country,
and travel was at a standstill for nearly two weeks; but March 15 I left
on the first through steamer from New York, en route for the South,
where I again saw my grandmother, and we felt thankful that we
were spared to meet each other once more. This was the last time I
saw her, for in May, 1889, she died.
II
MY CHILDHOOD

I was born under the slave law in Georgia, in 1848, and was brought
up by my grandmother in Savannah. There were three of us with her,
my younger sister and brother. My brother and I being the two eldest,
we were sent to a friend of my grandmother, Mrs. Woodhouse, a
widow, to learn to read and write. She was a free woman and lived
on Bay Lane, between Habersham and Price streets, about half a
mile from my house. We went every day about nine o’clock, with our
books wrapped in paper to prevent the police or white persons from
seeing them. We went in, one at a time, through the gate, into the
yard to the L kitchen, which was the schoolroom. She had twenty-
five or thirty children whom she taught, assisted by her daughter,
Mary Jane. The neighbors would see us going in sometimes, but
they supposed we were there learning trades, as it was the custom
to give children a trade of some kind. After school we left the same
way we entered, one by one, when we would go to a square, about a
block from the school, and wait for each other. We would gather
laurel leaves and pop them on our hands, on our way home. I
remained at her school for two years or more, when I was sent to a
Mrs. Mary Beasley, where I continued until May, 1860, when she told
my grandmother she had taught me all she knew, and grandmother
had better get some one else who could teach me more, so I
stopped my studies for a while.
I had a white playmate about this time, named Katie O’Connor, who
lived on the next corner of the street from my house, and who
attended a convent. One day she told me, if I would promise not to
tell her father, she would give me some lessons. On my promise not
to do so, and getting her mother’s consent, she gave me lessons
about four months, every evening. At the end of this time she was
put into the convent permanently, and I have never seen her since.
A month after this, James Blouis, our landlord’s son, was attending
the High School, and was very fond of grandmother, so she asked
him to give me a few lessons, which he did until the middle of 1861,
when the Savannah Volunteer Guards, to which he and his brother
belonged, were ordered to the front under General Barton. In the first
battle of Manassas, his brother Eugene was killed, and James
deserted over to the Union side, and at the close of the war went to
Washington, D. C., where he has since resided.
I often wrote passes for my grandmother, for all colored persons,
free or slaves, were compelled to have a pass; free colored people
having a guardian in place of a master. These passes were good
until 10 or 10.30 p. m. for one night or every night for one month. The
pass read as follows:—
Savannah, Ga., March 1st, 1860.
Pass the bearer —— from 9 to 10.30. p. m.
Valentine Grest.
Every person had to have this pass, for at nine o’clock each night a
bell was rung, and any colored persons found on the street after this
hour were arrested by the watchman, and put in the guard-house
until next morning, when their owners would pay their fines and
release them. I knew a number of persons who went out at any time
at night and were never arrested, as the watchman knew them so
well he never stopped them, and seldom asked to see their passes,
only stopping them long enough, sometimes, to say “Howdy,” and
then telling them to go along.
About this time I had been reading so much about the “Yankees” I
was very anxious to see them. The whites would tell their colored
people not to go to the Yankees, for they would harness them to
carts and make them pull the carts around, in place of horses. I
asked grandmother, one day, if this was true. She replied, “Certainly
not!” that the white people did not want slaves to go over to the
Yankees, and told them these things to frighten them. “Don’t you see
those signs pasted about the streets? one reading, ‘I am a
rattlesnake; if you touch me I will strike!’ Another reads, ‘I am a wild-
cat! Beware,’ etc. These are warnings to the North; so don’t mind
what the white people say.” I wanted to see these wonderful
“Yankees” so much, as I heard my parents say the Yankee was
going to set all the slaves free. Oh, how those people prayed for
freedom! I remember, one night, my grandmother went out into the
suburbs of the city to a church meeting, and they were fervently
singing this old hymn,—
“Yes, we all shall be free,
Yes, we all shall be free,
Yes, we all shall be free,
When the Lord shall appear,”—
when the police came in and arrested all who were there, saying
they were planning freedom, and sang “the Lord,” in place of
“Yankee,” to blind any one who might be listening. Grandmother
never forgot that night, although she did not stay in the guard-house,
as she sent to her guardian, who came at once for her; but this was
the last meeting she ever attended out of the city proper.
On April 1, 1862, about the time the Union soldiers were firing on
Fort Pulaski, I was sent out into the country to my mother. I
remember what a roar and din the guns made. They jarred the earth
for miles. The fort was at last taken by them. Two days after the
taking of Fort Pulaski, my uncle took his family of seven and myself
to St. Catherine Island. We landed under the protection of the Union
fleet, and remained there two weeks, when about thirty of us were
taken aboard the gunboat P——, to be transferred to St. Simon’s
Island; and at last, to my unbounded joy, I saw the “Yankee.”
After we were all settled aboard and started on our journey, Captain
Whitmore, commanding the boat, asked me where I was from. I told
him Savannah, Ga. He asked if I could read; I said, “Yes!” “Can you
write?” he next asked. “Yes, I can do that also,” I replied, and as if he
had some doubts of my answers he handed me a book and a pencil
and told me to write my name and where I was from. I did this; when
he wanted to know if I could sew. On hearing I could, he asked me to
hem some napkins for him. He was surprised at my
accomplishments (for they were such in those days), for he said he
did not know there were any negroes in the South able to read or

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