Corruption In Prison Essay

Ethics refers to a system of moral standards that guide the decision for human conduct of what is right and wrong based on everyday life situations. Today, the prison system is filled with people from various backgrounds and lifestyles. People who come into the system not knowing who they will encounter while they are there often lead to corruption. While there are systems and policies in place that helps at times to protect each prisoner, the same systems and policies can create an environment that can be detrimental to the prisoner’s well-being.

There are a number of causes of corruption within the correctional facilities. Some of them include low pay, low educational levels of the staff members, gang membership, and other causes. Correctional officers are not paid well enough, while they work in an environment that gives them plenty of opportunities to make up for those payments. Some of the different forms of corruption includes theft of personal belongings from inmates committed by the correctional officers, drug/alcohol/money/weapons trafficking in contraband, acts of embezzlement, and lastly, staging inmate fights (gladiator-style). These corruption practices have a negative impact on the …show more content…
Thus, it is necessary to conclude that corruption within the correctional system should be rooted out. Today, there are different organizations that provide new staff members’ advice on how to be honest, respectful, protect human rights, and follow professional ethics. Corruption within the correctional system has a negative impact on the criminal justice systems and leads to demoralization of the staff members. The major goal of today’s correctional facilities is to reduce corruption through the improvement of the employee’s ethical behavior. All correctional officers must strictly follow the code of ethics and remember to remain ethical in any situation, both on and off