Case Studies in Criminal Justice Ethics

by Braswell, Michael; Miller, Larry; Pollock, Joycelyn

• ISBN13: 9781577664666
• ISBN10: 1577664663
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-05-04
• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction	1	(8)
SECTION 1 ETHICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT	9	(26)
1 Homegrown Terrorism	13	(2)
Prejudice expresses itself through the assault of an elderly Arabic man by two teenage boys.
2 Park Place	15	(2)
A police officer finds a bias toward law enforcement in more affluent neighborhoods.
3 Room at the End of the Hall	17	(2)
Faced with several options, a police officer must decide how to handle a possible sexual assault at a college fraternity house.
4 A Victim of Rape?	19	(2)
A young woman alleging rape is treated differently by a police officer because she is rooming with someone who is a known prostitute.
5 Different Choices, Equal Protection	21	(2)
Two police officers answer a domestic disturbance call involving two gay men.
6 A Christmas Wish	23	(2)
A homeless person refuses help on an extremely cold Christmas Eve.
7 Fringe Benefits	25	(3)
A rookie police officer finds that there are unexpected benefits that may go with being a police officer.
8 The Transmission of Justice	28	(2)
A police officer helps someone's son gain pretrial diversion and accepts the father's offer to repair his personal car. Now the son is in trouble again.
9 Double Bind	30	(2)
A police officer answering a domestic disturbance call realizes that the wife involved is also the girlfriend of her divorced partner.
10 Convicted By DNA?	32	(3)
A police officer must decide whether to report his partner, who is involved in a case of "noble cause corruption."
SECTION II ETHICS AND THE COURTS	35	(28)
1 Diversion or Subversion?	40	(2)
A judge tries to determine the best course of action to take with two college women charged with DUI.
2 Juvenile Probation: Boot Camp or Boot Hill?	42	(2)
A juvenile court judge must decide what to do with a highly manipulative nineteen-year-old boy whose delinquent behavior seems to be increasing.
3 The Court and Child Abuse	44	(2)
A family court judge is considering what is best for the child and the parents involved in a child abuse case.
4 Child Rapist	46	(3)
A district attorney is faced with the prosecution of a man for statutory rape. Is it a crime, or is it ignorance? The law is clear, but the circumstances are clouded.
5 A Question of Credibility	49	(2)
An assistant district attorney must decide what to do when she has information indicating that an officer may be committing perjury.
6 It's a Rat Race, and the Best Rat Wins	51	(3)
A prosecutor discovers that another prosecutor misled the jury about evidence.
7 Everyone Does It	54	(2)
A young intern discovers that the attorney for whom she is working receives court appointments by paying a court administrator for them.
8 Brothers and Law	56	(2)
An attorney must decide whether to let his brother-in-law plead self-defense and offer testimony that he believes is probably a lie.
9 Probation or Prison?	58	(2)
A probation officer must decide what recommendation to give a judge regarding a repeat nonviolent offender.
10 "My Job Is to Defend the Constitution"	60	(3)
A defense attorney learns of information that could help release a violent offender whom she knows to be guilty and must decide what to do about it.
SECTION III ETHICS AND CORRECTIONS	63	(35)
1 The Limits of Responsibility	67	(2)
A group of men discuss their role as citizens regarding whether they have any responsibility in helping at a homeless shelter.
2 The Minister and the Ex-Offender	69	(2)
The pastor of a church is surprised at the resistance of his congregation regarding a former member who has returned from prison.
3 Temporary Release	71	(3)
A correctional lieutenant must decide whether to let a convicted murderer attend his mother's funeral under armed escort.
4 Six Months to Go	74	(2)
Will an inmate keep quiet when his cell mate is sexually assaulted by other inmates, or will he intervene?
5 Home Sweet Home	76	(2)
After being incarcerated for thirty years, an elderly inmate is being released.
6 A Legacy of Corruption	78	(3)
Correctional officers are selling contraband to inmates. A young correctional officer must decide whether to report it.
7 A Question of Policy	81	(2)
An inmate wants a trusted correctional officer to send out a personal letter in violation of correctional policy.
8 Confidentiality or Security?	83	(2)
A prison counselor must choose whether to maintain confidentiality with his inmate client or to report a possible impending escape.
9 Who's Running the Prison?	85	(5)
A prison warden faces interference from a prominent local politician.
10 Sexual Harassment	88	(2)
A probation officer discovers that a former client is being sexually harassed by her current probation officer.
11 Prisons for Profit	90	(8)
A prison escape demonstrates some disadvantages of private correctional institutions.
SECTION IV
1 The Teacher, the Delinquent, and the Gang	98	(3)
Gangs in a public school are causing a problem for a teacher.
2 A Family of Offenders	101	(3)
A juvenile aftercare worker tries to salvage a juvenile offender who is from a family of offenders.
3 A Choice of Punishments	104	(3)
A young man faces the possibility of jail for making a series of poor choices.
4 "I Sorry, Officer"	107	(2)
A police officer catches a seven-year-old boy stealing items from cars in a parking lot.
5 Neighborhood Brat	109	(2)
A juvenile bureau officer is faced with parent problems when he attempts to deal with a young boy causing trouble in the neighborhood.
6 Zero Tolerance or Intolerance?	111	(3)
A school resource officer must decide if he is willing to testify before the school board on behalf of a senior high school student who has been found in possession of two Tylenol tablets and is being expelled from school.
7 Cruisers	114	(3)
A police sergeant is faced with curbing the number of teenage cruisers creating havoc in a shopping center parking lot.
8 Right Side of the Tracks—Wrong Side of the Law	117	(3)
A group of upper-middle-class teenagers (including a senator's son) are involved in small-time drug sales and vandalism.
9 A Loving Father?	120	(3)
A criminal investigator must investigate two young girls' accusations of incest by their father.
10 Welcome Home?	123	(2)
A state trooper who picks up two juvenile girls on an interstate highway suspects that the girls may have run away because their parents have abused them.
11 A Conflict of Traditions	125	(2)
A family court judge must decide whether to grant custody of two small children to an abusive father or to a mother who has adopted a homosexual lifestyle and has moved in with her lesbian "friend."
References	127