Criminal Justice Ethics Week 2 Case Study

Criminal Justice Ethics Week 2 Case Studyweek 2 Case Studyscenarios

Criminal Justice Ethics – Week 2 Case Study Week 2 Case Study Scenario: Sue Yoo is a new attorney fresh out of law school. Yoo has accepted a position with the Grantham County District Attorney's office as an assistant prosecuting attorney. The first day on the job, Chris P. Bacon, who is also an assistant district attorney introduces himself to Yoo and says, “I am your mentor for the first 90-days to help you get acclimated to your new job.” Bacon shows Yoo to her office. As Yoo admires her, new oak desk and bookcase filled with brand-new law books, Bacon hands Yoo the large stack of files he had been carrying. Bacon tells Yoo, "These are your files to prosecute.” Bacon turns away from Yoo and starts to walk toward the door, but instead of leaving, he shuts the door quietly. Bacon then turns around and walks back to Yoo’s desk and states, "I do not know what you learned in law school, but in the real world, the attorneys around here work under time and money constraints.” Bacon continues to explain how the attorneys handle the cases in their office and the point system. Yoo looked confused, and asked Bacon, “What are you trying to tell me?” Bacon said, “Yoo, you look like a smart girl, so let me lay it out for you, get through these cases quickly, offer the defendants' plea deals, and for each case that ends with a conviction, you will get five points.” At the end of the month, the assistant district attorney with the most points receives an extra day of vacation, off the books, of course." Bacon pauses, looks Yoo in the eyes, and states, "If you have a problem with this, there is the door, and this conversation never happened, but if not, welcome to the team." “Always remember that law is considered the basement of morality; even if you never break a law that does not automatically make you a moral person” (Pollock, 2019, p. 75).

Paper For Above instruction

The ethical climate of an organization significantly influences employees' behaviors and perceptions of acceptable conduct within the workplace. Two mechanisms from Bandura’s social cognitive theory, specifically within the context of workgroup and organizational influences, offer valuable insights into this scenario. First, observational learning, a core component of Bandura's model, suggests that individuals learn behaviors by watching others, especially authority figures. In the scenario, Bacon models unethical behavior by emphasizing the importance of efficiency and conviction points over justice and morality. His actions implicitly communicate to Yoo that prioritizing case closure and conviction rates, even through unethical means such as offering plea deals for personal gain, is acceptable. Such modeling creates an organizational climate where unethical shortcuts become normalized, influencing new employees to adopt similar practices to fit into the organizational culture. If the organizational environment rewards outcome-oriented behaviors regardless of moral implications, employees learn that ethical considerations are secondary to meeting performance targets, fostering a corrupt workplace ethic.

Secondly, reinforcement mechanisms within the organization further dictate employee conduct. Positive reinforcement, such as rewards for high case completion rates and off-the-books vacation days, incentivizes unethical practices like rushing cases or pushing plea deals, which compromises the integrity of the justice process. The off-the-books vacation symbolizes an organizational endorsement, consciously or unconsciously, of behaviors that may skirt legal or ethical standards. An organization's ethical climate, therefore, becomes a powerful determinant of how employees perceive their responsibilities. When rewards are tied to unethical behaviors, it fosters a culture where moral lapses are not only expected but also encouraged to achieve organizational goals. In this scenario, the organizational influence persuades new employees like Yoo that bending ethical standards to meet productivity metrics is acceptable, ultimately undermining the integrity of the justice system and public trust. Organizations must actively promote an ethical climate that aligns behavior with core moral principles, discouraging actions that compromise justice and fairness.

References

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