CRJ5447 PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
3 Credit Hours
Student Level:
This course is open to students on the college level in their freshman or sophomore year.
Catalog Description:
CRJ5447 - Professional Responsibility in Criminal Justice (3 hrs)
This course explores the major components involved in the study of ethics and applies those components to the field of criminal justice. Focus is placed on the code of conduct and ethics of those employed in the criminal justice field. The goal of the course is to produce professionals who are not only critical thinkers, but who have the skills necessary to pursue sound ethics in their day-to-day decisions and activities.
Course Classification:
Lecture
Prerequisites:
None
Controlling Purpose:
Professional Responsibility in Criminal Justice will have students explore the major components involved in the study of ethics as it relates to the criminal justice field. The student will explore the code of conduct and ethics of the criminal justice profession and relate this to other professions to see why there is such a need for criminal justice professionals to be held to a higher standard. The student will be exposed to critical thinking skills designed to make them able to make sound ethical decisions in day-to-day law enforcement operations.
Learner Outcomes:
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a foundation for ethical decision making and professional integrity.
- Compare and contrast the ethical code for different professions and explain the need for a high ethical standard in law enforcement.
- Apply professional ethical codes to day-to-day problems and issues that may arise.
- Demonstrate an understanding of police corruption and how individual and group ethics appear to the public when both properly and improperly utilized.
- Communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and through written documentation with diverse populations.
- Demonstrate ethics, integrity, teamwork, and professionalism.
- Apply the criminal justice code of ethics.
- Compare and contrast ethical theories.
- Demonstrate the resolution of ethical dilemmas.
- Apply ethical decision making process in practical situations.
- Examine the effects of workplace subculture on ethical behavior.
- Describe the process of ethical development.
- Examine ethics and ethical concerns in criminal justice.
- Explain the relationships between practitioner’s behavior and their ethical knowledge and decision making.
- Identify the basic functions of ethics and institutional policies.
- Describe how ethics function with other social control systems.
- Summarize the role of maintaining integrity within the institutional organization.
- Examine the impact of personal behavior on your profession.
- Describe the ethical decision-making process as it relates to the use of discretion.
Unit Outcomes for Criterion Based Evaluation:
The following outline defines the minimum core content not including the final examination period. Instructors may add other material as time allows.
UNIT 1: Morality, Ethics, and Behavior
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the students will be able to describe, identify, and explain the basics of personal and professional ethics and morality and how that relates to behavior. The student will be able to relate how these concepts apply to behavior and decision making.
- Define Morality and Ethics
- Discuss how morality applies to the law and behavior
- Conduct ethical dilemma analysis
- Identify ethical systems and methods of ethical decision making
- Discuss theories of moral development
UNIT 2: Law and Justice
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the students will be able to describe, identify, and explain the differences between what is perceived as justice and law. The student will be able to discuss the concept of justice and justifications for law.
- Discuss the origin of the concept of justice, components of justice.
- Explain distributive justice , corrective justice, and restorative justice
- Identify the paradigms and justification for laws
- Discuss how moral people deal with laws believed immoral
- Explore the concept of victim’s rights
UNIT 3: Ethics and the Criminal Justice Professional
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the students will be able to describe, identify, and explain the concept of ethics and how it directly relates to all aspects of a career in law enforcement.
- Describe the issues faced by the criminal justice professional including the police subculture.
- Discuss the differences in discretion, duty, and discrimination
- Describe the types of corruption and explain what defines corruption
- Discuss policy making in criminal justice and the difficulties in balancing law and justice.
- Identify the differences police officers have in being crime fighters vs. public servants.
UNIT 4: Ethics and Other Criminal Justice Fields
Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the students will be able to describe, identify, and explain the application of ethical issues for areas of the criminal justice field.
- Identify ethical issues faced by attorneys
- Identify ethical issues faced by judges
- Identify ethical issues faced by corrections
- Discuss ethical implications and the Constitution
- Ethical considerations in the war on the terror.
Projects Required:
The student will be responsible for all course material and reading. The student will be graded on written assignments, exams, quizzes, discussion questions, daily assignments, class participation, and other methods at the discretion of the instructor. Class projects will include unit exams, chapter quizzes, pop quizzes, daily assignments, written ethical analysis of current cases and scenario based decision making.
Textbook:
Contact Bookstore for current textbook.
Materials/Equipment Required:
Attendance Policy:
Students should adhere to the attendance policy outlined by the instructor in the course syllabus.
Grading Policy:
The grading policy will be outlined by the instructor in the course syllabus.
Maximum class size:
Based on classroom occupancy
Course Timeframe:
The U.S. Department of Education, Higher Learning Commission and the Kansas Board of Regents define credit hour and have specific regulations that the college must follow when developing, teaching and assessing the educational aspects of the college. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester hour of credit or an equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time. The number of semester hours of credit allowed for each distance education or blended hybrid courses shall be assigned by the college based on the amount of time needed to achieve the same course outcomes in a purely face-to-face format.
Refer to the following policies:
402.00 Academic Code of Conduct
263.00 Student Appeal of Course Grades
403.00 Student Code of Conduct
Disability Services Program:
Cowley College, in recognition of state and federal laws, will accommodate a student with a documented disability. If a student has a disability, which may impact work in this class which requires accommodations, contact the Disability Services Coordinator.
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