BJOC 1.2 - Ethics and Professionalism

Terminal Performance Objective (TPO):

Given the need for student comprehension, the student will explain the concept of ethics in corrections with emphasis on the consequences of unethical officer behavior and improper officer interaction with inmates in accordance with the Basic Jail Officer Reference Textbook.

BJOC 1.2 - Ethics and Professionalism

Enabling Objectives (EO’s):

As a result of this instruction, the student will be able to identify the benefits of ethical, and the consequences of unethical, decision making and behavior as related to:

1.2.1        Describe professionalism. 

1.2.2        Identify reasons for ethical and unethical officer behavior.

1.2.3        Identify 9 types of unethical conduct.

1.2.4        Describe the Code of Silence and how an officer can overcome the silence.

1.2.5        Identify consequences of unethical behavior.

A professional law enforcement officer, including the jail officer, may be identifiable by his/her conduct, knowledge, and obligation to serve the public and the agency.

What are the four distinguishing characteristics of a profession?

1.      A common area or standard of knowledge,

2.      Members meet or exceed certain set standards of qualifications,

3.      Controlled or guided by a national governing organization, and,

4.      Have a national standard of conduct.

“Ethics” and “ethical” are derived from the old Greek word “ethos” which means to define what is good or bad, or what is right or wrong, based on what is morally expected of a person.  It essentially lays out how people need to act or conduct themselves based on set standards or principles for the setting

List and describe 3 reasons for ethical behavior. 

(There are five in the manual)

1.      Personal Pride

2.      Rules & Regulations

3.      Upward Mobility

4.      Role Model

5.      Avoid the Set-up

List and describe 4 influences of ethical behavior.

1.      Peer Pressure

2.      Social Control

3.      Fear of Punishment

4.      Training

A code of conduct is a positive tool for law enforcement, but it is mostly generalized and broad in scope, not really specifying what is right or wrong, so let us look at what can constitute unethical conduct.

List and describe 6 types of unethical conduct.

 (There are nine (9) in the text)

1.      Dishonesty

2.      Brutality

3.      Prejudice

4.      False Swearing

5.      Violating Laws and Regulations

6.      Civil Rights Violations

7.      Sexual Misconduct

8.      Discourtesy

9.      Accepting Gratuities

You can misuse your authority by deliberately interfering with an inmate’s protected rights under the United States Constitution and the amendments referred to as the Bill of Rights.  Interfering with medical access, access to the courts and attorneys, improper disciplinary action, and failing to provide grievance materials are only a few examples.

An officer has no right to receive anything of value from anybody outside of the employer for performing the job. For whatever reason, an officer should not accept, solicit, or coerce anyone for a gratuity or prohibited gift for the purpose of personal gain or profit.  This includes gain or profit for themselves, their family or friends, and for other officers.  An officer should not engage in any type of financial transaction that involves an inmate, an inmate’s family or friends, or anyone else that has an interest in how departmental business is conducted.  This type of conduct is a misuse of an officer’s official position.

Your behavior on the job and off the job is a direct reflection on your personal integrity and the professional integrity of your co-workers and department.  Jail officers and other criminal justice personnel, even when they are not on duty, stand out as representatives of the system.  The standard by which they are judged, even in their private lives, are often higher than those required for other members of society.  You, as an officer, must understand that your individual conduct and behavior, whether on the job or off duty, reflects on your fellow officers and agency.  An officer should not engage in any activity or outside employment that jeopardizes his or her ability to perform the duties of a jail officer. 

When an officer observes unethical conduct of others but fails to report that misconduct, they have become indifferent and insensitive to their work, the jail environment, and to the rules and regulations concerning facility operations.  This is apathy.  Apathy is a severe problem for jail operations.

 There are several things that an agency can do to discourage silence.  First, offer adequate training in professional and ethical conduct, letting officers know what is expected of them.  This can be accomplished with annual ethics training, continuous training of agency policies and procedures, as well as training in specific liability areas.  Secondly, the agency should offer a method of anonymously reporting misconduct.  Officers may feel more at ease in reporting an incident when they are not known.  This allows an officer to avoid pressure or retribution from others involved.

The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council set the standards for applying for, receiving, maintaining, and loss of the jail officer certification in the state of Georgia.  Every person that wants to be employed as a jail officer in Georgia must first apply to POST.

The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council has the authority to:

• deny an application and not accept the applicant,
• suspend or revoke an officer’s certification for cause, and/or,

·         conduct hearings to investigate violations of policy and standards and to take disciplinary action when necessary.