According to the assigned readings, all religious systems have some similarities and differences. Whereas the differences depend on an individual foundation of the systems, the similarities are universal. One major similarity that the religious systems have is the belief in a supernatural/higher being e in a different place, far from earth. All people on earth, regardless of their religious affiliations aspire that one day, they will go to this place for their second life. Because of such beliefs, the religious systems tend to have similar principles of morality and law because such principles are supposed to guide them to meet the higher being. The religions have Ten Commandments, albeit in different versions. In fact, these commandments differ only in their wording. As such, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and other religions are similar. This gives a good background for law enforcers to apply universal laws in the society (Pollock, 2007).
Approaches to Explaining Human Behavior
Basically, there are three approaches to explaining human behavior. The biological theory argues that certain biological characteristics and traits have an influence on one’s behavior. Through sociobiology, it is possible to explore how empathy and altruism has have evolved in people. The second approach is the learning theory (Pollock, 2007). This theory argues that people are more likely to learn and improve their morals from the reward system. Although this is the case, the learning theory is relativistic because it stipulates that learning in humans is neutral. As such, there is no single moral theory that is true. People in the society are more likely to adopt moral theories that have been rewarded at the expense of those that have not been rewarded. The developmental theory suggests that morality can only be developed at a stage of social and emotional development that is advanced. Moral stages have a hierarchy whereby the highest stage has moral principles that are most perfect (Pollock, 2007).
Distributive and Corrective Justice
Distributive justice and corrective justice mean different things in law. Distributive justice entail cases where the offender is punished in a method that will not necessarily help them become better members of the society. This justice system does not take into account the need for the offender to be given the second chance to repent. In essence, one is subjected to hard conditions that are more detrimental to their bodies than being helpful. Distributive justice in courts may involve sentencing the offender to life imprisonment or to the death sentence. Practically, when this is the case, offenders do not get an opportunity to change. Corrective justice, on the other hand, is less serious when compared to distributive justice (Delattre, 2006). Corrective justice is geared to helping the offender become a better person in the society. Whereas the distributive justice was common in the traditional periods, civilized societies have adopted corrective justice. A good example of corrective justice in practice is giving offenders/prisoners an opportunity to have some vocational training while in prisons so that they can be absorbed into the job market upon returning to the society.
Ethical Dilemmas That Police Officers Face
Police officers face several ethical dilemmas when performing their duties, more so as regards to their powers of discretion. In practice, police officers find themselves in difficult situations related to discrimination when making arrests. In most cases, they tend to prefer handling the less influential members in the society because they may not receive a negative reaction from the community members (Delattre, 2006). In using force and investigating cases, they also get biased and face various challenges. All in all, they prefer to deal with people whose influence in the society is limited.
Types of Police Corruption and Misconduct
There are many types of police corruption and misconduct. Abuse of power by the police is among the major misconducts. In this, police take advantage of the role they play in the society to mistreat people in the society. Misconduct may take the form of illegal searches and sexual abuse directed towards the members of a society. Corruption is another major misconduct that police involve themselves in (Reviews, 2013). In this case, they engage in corrupt activities to protect criminals from being apprehended. Abuse of power is another form of police misconduct. In this case, they act contrary to what is expected from them because of the role that they hold in the society.
The Public Servant Role and the Crime Fighter Role
The public servant role dictates that law enforcement officers (police officers) have the duty to protect citizens from harmful practices. In this case, officers are seen as playing the role of a servant as opposed to being the bosses. Normally, this is not the case as officers engage in corrupt practices to mistreat citizens. The crime fighter role, n the other hand, dictates that police officers’ role is to fight crime in the society. The increase in crime in the society is based on the argument that officers have been reluctant in enforcing this duty, leading to an increase of crime rates in the society. In practice, both the crime fighter role and the public servant role are not consistent (Reviews, 2013). Public service and crime fighting roles are not incompatible when one follows the law. However, it is unacceptable for one to break the law in order to fight a crime.
References
Delattre, E. (2006). Character and cops: Ethics in policing (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: AEI Press.
Pollock, J. (2007). Ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.
Reviews, C. (2013). Studyguide for ethical dilemmas and decisions in criminal justice by. S.l.: Cram101 Incorporated.
