The Importance of Honesty and Integrity in Criminal Justice - Essay Example

The Importance of Academic Integrity in the Criminal Justice and Security Field Criminal justice and security are fields that are based on honesty and truth. An individual who works with a police person expects that the individual is going to help them in the best way possible. As an example, when a crime is committed, a police officer is called, and the individual who was a victim of the crime expects the officer to find the perpetrator of the crime. In most communities, the police and security make people feel better when they are around. They also are the people that someone turns to when there is a problem in the community. There seems to be an unspoken commitment from the community that says that the police are people that can be trusted. As an example, when children are told to not talk to strangers, they are instructed that they can talk to the police. This shows the importance of the police in the community and in society in general. Academic Integrity and College Performance Fitzmaurice (2008) states that morality is an active process that is comprised of the ability to understand the meanings of social interaction. This suggests that individuals in any society must understand how they are to interact with other members of that society. One of the issues for criminal justice students is that they must uphold the moral code of the society. In America, as an example, a student must understand that they must do their own work inside the college classroom. This is particularly important in criminal justice because a police officer is expected to act with integrity when they are dealing with suspects and victims. It can be surmised that if the individual cannot act with integrity when they are attending college, they will not act with integrity when dealing with suspects and victims. This may or may not be true, but in society’s eyes, this is a reality. Academic Performance and Trust in Law Enforcement East (2010) states that academic dishonesty provides a “breach of trust undermining academic traditions” (p. 71). In criminal justice, an officer who breaches the trust of other officers is also undermining the criminal justice tradition of being trustworthy in service the public. A student in criminal justice cannot expect to excel in their career if they look for ways to cheat the system. As an example, if the student finds that it is easier to find someone else to write their paper than it is to do their own work, and their professor finds this out, the student is likely to receive an “F” in the class or its equivalent. If this student receives an “F” but still attempts to go into criminal justice, many professors, who are usually officers, will wonder how the student can actually expect to be trusted by any department. In fact, the professor may suggest a different career field for the individual. The professor may wonder how an individual can be trusted to do what they are supposed to be in the field. As an example, if a student is willing to cheat in college to gain their degree, how can their partner believe that the individual will protect them in the field? In thinking about the criminal justice field, there are many careers to consider. Many people leave a criminal justice program who will become security officers, they serve in government jobs at the local, state, and federal levels, they become judges, corrections and in the military. In each of these positions, the individual is held to the highest standards possible and are expected to carry on the tradition of honesty and integrity in their private and professional lives. The majority of professors in these fields are seasoned officers who know the standards of their individual communities and their departments. Although the public may hear about “crooked cops” in the news, this is not the standard that most criminal justice graduates aspire to; instead, they want to be the best they can be in their fields. Many people go into criminal justice to make the world better. They want to serve and protect. They want to know that they can provide the needed protection for their families and their community. The criminal justice program forms the foundation for this type of behavior, and students are taught the value of the officer, and the traditions and understandings that such a position expects. Honesty as a Form of Decision Making Kingshott, Hughes, Mullendore and Prinsloo (2008) state that students in criminal justice must reflect on their own values and examine the factors that will help them become strong leaders in their chosen profession. In addition to leadership, the individual will have an amount of power greater than most citizens in their communities, and their decisions will impact other people (Kingshott et al., 2008). The classroom is in many respects a training ground for students to understand why and how these decisions are made, and to create an opportunity for the student to examine situations that they have not been in previously. If an individual cannot deal with the power differential between their career as an officer and the general public, they may not make good officers. In the classroom, students are expected to act with integrity and understand who they will become as police officers. As an example, a student who is late for class because of personal priorities may be seen as someone who will be late to the scene of a crime or too late to work on a daily basis. This decision could mean that the individual is not ready for the rigor of college or the time management that is involved. What students do not understand is that criminal justice is a field where they will be held accountable for ever action and inaction that they do. The public will always watch what they do and expect them to act and respond in certain ways. Those police officers, who are not able to meet this type of standard, may not do well in the criminal justice field. A student who cannot withstand the rigors of getting to college classes on time, who cannot organize their schedule in such a way that they provide a cohesive member of the class, and who cannot work on their coursework and hand it in on time, may not become the best police officers. Criminal justice students have a responsibility to be honest. They must understand that since they will be representing criminals, they must adhere to the rules of jurisprudence. It would be very difficult for an officer if he or she began to randomly arrest people for no reason, to promote false evidence on someone who is innocent or provide evident to allow someone who is guilty to go free. This would undermine the very essence of what law enforcement is about and it would damage the reputation of the officer. Officers who would promote such behavior would be opening the door for corruption and anarchy. These behaviors are not acceptable in law enforcement and should not be acceptable in college courses. Conclusion The importance of honesty and integrity in criminal justice includes adherence to age old traditions. Police officers and others in this field are expected to do their best and are held to the highest standards. A criminal justice student must be honest in their academic pursuits because this provides a foundation for their future. A criminal justice student is laying a foundation for their future and a loss of integrity can prevent them from moving forward. References East, J. (2010). Judging plagiarism: a problem of morality and convention. Higher Education, 59(1), 69-83. doi:10.1007/s10734-009-9234-9 Fitzmaurice, M. (2008). Voices from within: teaching in higher education as a moral practice. Teaching In Higher Education, 13(3), 341-352. doi:10.1080/13562510802045386 Kingshott, B. F., Hughes, F., Mullendore, K., & Prinsloo, J. (2008). A leadership approach to criminal justice education: developing tomorrows decision makers. Criminal Justice Studies, 21(1), 61-77. doi:10.1080/14786010801972712 Read More