Chapter Questions
Socrates taught that virtue is knowledge and knowledge is virtue. How can college education in the field of criminal justice improve the quality of justice on the street?
Of the four sources of the truth (opinion, belief, science, and reasoning), which is the most necessary for the criminal justice professional, and why? Give examples.
Plato used the allegory of the cave to illustrate the resistance of unprofessional people to face the truth. How does this relate to the behavior of criminal justice practitioners who insist on using unjustified labels and clichés? Discuss three such clichés and explain the reasons behind the resistance.
Aristotle's theory of realism was grounded in the concepts of potentiality and actuality, and the mean. What from this philosophy can professional police officers use when dealing with juvenile delinquents?
What is the relationship between the ethics of corrections and the obligation of correctional officers to be moral at the workplace? Give three examples.
Define relativist morality and discuss its origins. How does relativist morality influence the behavior of police officers, especially those who patrol areas where minority groups reside?
Explain the hierarchy of values, beginning with the lowest intrinsic evil and ending with the highest intrinsic good. How can adherence to this hierarchy enhance the performance of probation and parole officers?
Should a criminal justice practitioner adhere to the act-utilitarian philosophy, the ruleutilitarian philosophy, or both? Give examples from the field of policing.
Do you agree or disagree with the statement that ethical judgments are "a product of intentionally and freely made choices, unless there is strong evidence to the contrary"? Why or why not?
Examine your actions at the workplace as well as the actions of your colleagues. How closely do such actions fit Maslow's profile of the ethical person?