Introduction/Preface
How might this material fit your educational needs?
The purpose of this text is quite simple. It fits my teaching needs and in doing so, I assert that it too may fit your needs. I offer this script in whole or part for your use and would encourage peer feedback. I have written this from the lens of a Criminal Justice practitioner for nearly forty years. My career began in the early 1970’s until 2010. As one can imagine, the ethical significance of each member of a CJ system is critical. I further assert that albeit this was written for self-serving interests to teach in the CJ discipline, I strongly believe that it remains sufficiently generic that it can fit in many other disciplines that accompanies professor imagination splicing your inventive juices.
Often professors, teachers, coaches, or trainers are provided a range of written materials (generally text books) that may fit a module or two of the desired material by the instructor. We often find ourselves researching many articles to supplant the selected text rather than to supplement. A major benefit of writing material for Open Educational Resources is that it provides a starting point and peers may add to the submitted material. Herein lies one of my personal interest, I would encourage my peers to provide a counterpoint section for each chapter provided within this material. Thus, we may collectively add to the critical thinking cycle of our future practitioners.
Additionally the diction, tone, categories, and fluctuating between first and third person, moderate citations, accompanied with associated humor is hopefully acceptable to the reader. If not, put this material down and fear not, I have been rejected by higher authority. The material is presented in a decipherable conversational style so you may take a breath during this association and the ability to imagine yourself in any of the scenarios. What has been written here is the truth, however I may embellish it a tad in order to make it interesting but the presentation is without fabrications. I must however provide a disclaimer at this juncture: To my knowledge I have never knowingly met with Russian Agents.
The actions of government agencies in the criminal justice system are challenged to balance individual due process rights, with the need to provide effective crime control for the larger part of society. The decentralization of the criminal justice system, as displayed in the picket fence model is designed to provide separate but linked services at various government levels. The theme of this course is the challenge for the criminal justice system to balance its efforts in crime control, while acknowledging due process rights. The central premise of the due process model is the presumption of innocence. Due process protects the rights of a defendant while being processed through the system. I will bet that with moderate tweaking this material can fit your discipline as well.
The first acknowledgment of any criminal justice practitioner is to understand that “Rules of Evidence are Rules of Exclusion”. By the same token not all evidence excluded from a trial or not seeing the light of day does not necessarily mean that the evidence was obtained illegally. The study of procedural due process has often been intriguing to me. How then why must someone be ethical when no one is looking over their shoulder? I bet this may apply to business, law, medicine as well as policing.
This course explores the evolution of ethics, the impacts of ethics within the administration of justice, and how does one maintain a strong ethical center when no one is watching. Sklansky (2006) asserts the demographics of policing has all but removed the “Blue Curtain of Silence” in policing. This author tends to agree with Sklansky, after serving a near 40 years in policing of which 28 years was as the head of an agency. This notion serving some is that most police are honest, which is true, but often never celebrated. Those that make headlines are generally officers in trouble. These headlines often create false equivalences that some accept. That is, officers just cover for wrong doing by other officers and are probably as corrupt. The latter is simply not true. So what keeps most in the CJ system honest? This journey explores these questions and hopefully will dispel false positives. Stop and think of the new medical student that has enormous educational loans to repay. Why not take a harmless kickback from a pharmaceutical company to peddle their drug? Hmmmm, street corner pharmaceutical entrepreneurship brought into a medical office?
We will discuss course expectations further during our first meeting. The syllabus has been made available to you in advance of the course beginning. During our first meeting we will take time to introduce each other and get relaxed. My goal is to create a comfortable environment that makes a tough subject, like the law, a fun experience.
I look forward to meeting you and getting to build a relationship with you. In the meantime go into the Syllabus read it and follow the instructions for your first submission.
Best
Dr. Mark L. Whitman
