Criminal Justice Ethics

This new anthology provides an engaging collection of essays that address fundamental questions of social justice within the criminal justice profession. Following an introductory section on ethical reasoning are sections on the nature of criminal guilt, law making, law enforcement, judicial processing, punishment, and emerging issues of the media and technology. Selected readings present opposing views, which allow students to explore diverse ethical positions. Actual court opinions and hypothetical cases contribute to students' understanding of ethical issues facing criminal justice professionals today.

Criminal Justice Ethics offers both instructors and students:

• Lively ethics debates on a broad range of criminal justice issues
• Introductory articles on contemporary ethics and ethical thinking
• Actual and hypothetical case studies which compare legal and ethical reasoning
• Internet resources incorporated into each section and an appendix
• Professional ethics focus with additional resources on career explorations

Criminal Justice Ethics blends the disciplines of philosophy and criminal justice, and invites students to become involved in ethical controversies through a combination of sound ethical pedagogy, lively debates, and compelling case studies.

This collection of thought-provoking, easy-to-read essays articulates drastically different moral beliefs about the relationship between criminal justice and social justice, and the importance of ethical behavior of individuals working in the system. The essays—which include hypothetical cases as well as actual court opinions—show readers how moral beliefs are examined and defended, and encourage them to examine and defend their own positions. In many cases, the articles present different sides of an issue, often in the form of direct debates between experts (e.g., feminist scholar Catherine MacKinnon on prostitution law vs the International Committee for Prostitutes' Rights and its "World Whores' Congress Statements"; O.J. Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran vs Yale Law Professor Akhil Reed Amar). Often includes articles that argue for unpopular or unusual positions.

An introduction on ethical reasoning and ethics pedagogy is followed by sections on the nature of criminal guilt, law making, law enforcement, judicial processing, punishment and emerging issues (technology and media). Issues addressed include Drug Legalization; Prostitution; Corporate Violence; Hate Crimes; Abortion; Police Ethics; Deception & Influence; Selective Enforcement; Lawyers Ethics; Plea Bargaining & Due Process; Treatment of Inmates; Death Penalty; Cyberspace; and Media. Includes resources on professional Code of Ethics.

For anyone involved in/with the criminal justice system.