LAS 3710
Nicole Trujillo-Pagán
February 4, 2016
Morals, Ethics and Violence in Law Enforcement Law enforcement is a small subject of the many categories that fall under criminal justice. Law Enforcement is the “prevention, detection, and investigation of crime and the apprehension and detention of individuals suspected of law violation” (Law Enforcement). This means that jobs like police officers, parole officers, judges, US Marshals, and even attorneys are law enforcement. Although there are different challenges faced by each of these jobs, there are some dominant ones that the entire law enforcement faces. Morals and ethics can often times conflict with the law causing a internal conflict or challenge to the law enforcer and …show more content…
Wayne Anderson and Barbara Bauer discuss this challenge in detail in their journal article “Law Enforcement Officers: The Consequences of Exposure to Violence. Anderson and Bauer state that there are three types of violence’s that police officers and other law enforcers deal with; violence toward others, violence that the officer uses against others, and violence against the officer (Anderson & Bauer pg. 381). In the Violanti et al. study, as discussed in Anderson et.al’s article, suicide for officers was three times more likely than any other municipal employee (Anderson & Bauer pg. 383). This is related to the effects of violence an officer uses against others, the use of deadly force. Anderson et al. believe that after an officer has shot someone or been shot, they should get at least 1-2 weeks on leave to become mentally stable and work through their reaction to the incident. This challenge is something that is not easily fixed. Something to look at when discussing the violence that law enforcers are living in is the environment and people that law enforcers surround themselves in. For example, a prison correctional officer may face different challenges with offenders than a parole officer who is trying to help the parolee find work. The parole officer must examine the, 6 main predictors that influenced whether prisoners would work more once they were released, …show more content…
These challenges can have very negative outcomes if not handled or taken care of properly. From prosecutor to security guard morals and the law and living in violence are part of the job.
Bibliography
Anderson, Wayne, and Barbara Bauer. "Law Enforcement Officers: The Consequences of Exposure to Violence." Journal of Counseling & Development 65.7 (1987): 381-84. EBSCO Host. Web. 04 Feb. 2016.
"Ethics vs Morals." Ethics vs Morals. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
"Law Enforcement." Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). Web. 04 Feb. 2016.
M., Emelda. "Difference Between Law and Ethics.” Difference Between N.p., 14 Jan.
2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Siemsen, Cynthia. "Identify Reinforcement: Seasoned Women Defenders." Emotional trials: the moral dilemmas of women criminal defense attorneys. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2004. . Print.
Visher, Christy A., Sara A. Debus-Sherrill , and Jennifer Yahner. "Employment After
Prison: A Longitudinal Study of Former Prisoners." Justice Quarterly 28 (5): 698-718.