Discussion 1:

The required textbook chapters and the Ethics: What is right? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. video provide a number of definitions for the term ethics and multiple theories about moral conduct (Warmerdam & Garcia, 2004).

Based upon your own professional experience, create your own, personal working definition of ethics, and explain the significance that ethics have in your daily life (i.e., work and/or life outside of work).

Your definition should include the consequences you have observed or experienced for violations of your fundamental definition of ethics (i.e., consequences to you or to others).

Guided Response:

When you examine and create your own personal definition of ethics, ponder the many, varying theories about ethics. How does your personal ethical theory match or draw from established codifications of moral conduct? Are ethics situational? Why or why not?

Discussion 2:

The required textbook chapters and "The Importance of Ethics in Criminal Justice" article discuss varying applications of ethics throughout the criminal justice system (Chauhan & Srivastava, 2009).

In your discussion post, provide an analysis of the significance of ethics in the criminal justice system. Provide an example from within the past 10 years of a situation where either the functioning or public impression of the criminal justice system was harmed due to lack of proper ethical conduct.

Explain how proper ethical decision making would have alleviated the problem in your example.

Guided Response:

Ethics in a vacuum are meaningless; without moral conduct, ethics are irrelevant meaningless ideals. Examine either personal or news-worthy events, and provide examples of situations were moral actions were required, but failed to be followed. Present how things could have gone better, or difficult situations could have been avoided, through moral actions.