Imagine the following scenarios:

Sam and his friends are out partying on a Friday night. They drive by a street named "Samuel Lane" and, all in good fun, Sam's friends steal the street sign for Sam, which he then proudly displays on the wall in his living room.

Linda knows that her 21 year old son, who lives with her, smokes "weed". He keeps it in the garage and has been very good about following her rule that he cannot smoke it in the house or anywhere near Linda.

Jasmine and Cletus work in the same office and - though both are married to other people - are having an affair. At least three times a week, they clock out from work and spend their lunch hour at a local motel where they can be alone together for about an hour and a half.

All of the above scenarios involve ethical and moral choices.

You may agree with or disagree with the choices made by the actors in the scenarios.

However, if Sam, Linda, Linda's son, Jasmine and Cletus were friends or acquaintances, you probably would not take any action against them as a result of their engagement in the above activities.

Now let's change things a bit. Imagine the modified scenarios below:

Sam - a corrections officer -- and his friends are out partying on a Friday night. They drive by a street named "Samuel Lane" and, all in good fun, Sam's friends steal the street sign for Sam, which he then proudly displays on the wall in his living room.

Linda is a probation officer. She knows that her 21 year old son, who lives with her, smokes "weed". He keeps it in the garage and has been very good about following her rule that he cannot smoke it in the house or anywhere near Linda.

Jasmine and Cletus are police officers who work in the same precinct and - though both are married to other people -- are having an affair. At least three times a week, they clock out from work and spend their lunch hour at a local motel where they can be alone together for about an hour and a half.

Ponder this: Do you feel differently about the moral choices made by Sam, Linda, Jasmine and Cletus now that you know they are criminal justice professionals?

In your initial discussion post, please do the following:

Explain your initial impression regarding the above scenarios, and then discuss whether or not that impression changed once you realized that the actors were criminal justice professionals.

Criminal justice professionals seem to be held to a higher moral standard than ordinary citizens. Do you feel there is any justification for this seeming "double standard"? Please provide support for your position.