Incorporating Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development into the Justice System - Chief of the Police -CRIMINAL JUSTICE 220

Incorporating Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development into the Justice System
Chief of the Police
1




Incorporating Kohlberg's Stages of Moral
Development into the Justice System
Chief of the Police
Strayer University
Felicia McCaw
Professor Judy Tompkins
CRJ 220
Online Summer 2016
August 18, 2016

Incorporating Kohlberg's Stages of Moral
Development into the Justice System
Chief of the Police
2

Justice as a concept in the American Justice System reflects the unequivocally right to fair treatment by a unified statutory regulated governmental system that is bound with laws, principles and codified codes. Based on consequential actions the acts of criminality are treated as infraction of rules, laws and breaking of the principles of laws and restrictions. As a distributive function it provides protection and fairness to people who are victimized and punishment to those who violate and break laws and is proper administration of the law throughout the land.

As a facilitator to ensure justice is evoked and carried out, as the Chief of Police and head administrator to law enforcement officers, to ensure correct duty is performed as well as that they live within the boundaries of ethics in their working career. It is one of my responsibilities to ensure that the level of ethics are instilled as a moral inhibitor to committing errors or “sins” against the code. Further as an operative it is imperative that officers in this department be exposed to the three levels of Kohlberg’s Stage of Moral Development.

The three levels of Kohlberg’s Stage of Moral Development include the following interpretation to be utilized in addressing each level within this department:

Level One
Pre-Conventional Morality

Stage 1 – In this stage or level emphasis will be made to law enforcement officers that obedience and punishment is socialized in and outside the acts of justice until it is internalized and instilled inwardly. Also, that at this stage the ability to be absolute and correct without compromise or self-violation will be realized through internal training until clarity is realized and acknowledged.

Stage 2 – Rationalization and fair play will be established in interpersonal relationships that will help keep order and is allowable for correct action.

Incorporating Kohlberg's Stages of Moral
Development into the Justice System
Chief of the Police
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Level Two
Conventional Morality

Stage 3 - In this stage or level the ability to be interpersonal and conformity will be socialized and inwardly interwoven within along with respect for upper authority and social order retainership and maintenance. Also, in this stage the internal need will be acknowledged to allow the correct analysis of good officer, bad officer as well as good intent.

Stage 4 – In this stage active perception of how law officers are viewed by society will be learned in training sessions and how to reflect and teach nolmalcy of behavior in relation to the following of laws, rules, performing civic duty, honoring the power hierarchy and maintain an correct and orderly society.

Level Three
Post - Conventional Morality

Stage 5 – In this stage or level the social contract is what all law enforcement officers will have to adhere to and in be involved within and as such affectively learn to use universal ethical principles to allow it to be an inhibitor to incorrect duty and lack of conscience to prevent bribery and corruption. Also, in this stage is the requirement for upper education that will improve performance, attitudes toward diverse races to help proceed to Stage 6.

Stage 6 – In the final stage law officers will be taught that their purpose is to be democratic and protect people’s basic rights and how to relay to them that universal principles sometimes override democratic process due to the need for law and order. Further in this stage comes the possibility of using deadly force and its moral conflicts as well as consequences of actions that are required when left no other recourse.

These levels and stages have the capacity to shift around until all law officers have successfully reached Stage 6 because they are relevant to insure that a good structural moral base has been established to assist all in their duty to serve and protect. Further having training and coaching helps to ensure correct protection for them and the populace, reputation on the streets and as a good facilitator to ensure correctness and fairness is being done.

This customized interpretation of Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development can be used by law enforcement to evaluate three types of criminals (felons, misdemeanors, and civil infractions) to determine the level or stage that they are in morally as well as get a brief synopsis

Incorporating Kohlberg's Stages of Moral
Development into the Justice System
Chief of the Police
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psychologically to interpret or evaluate the possibility of hidden hostility, difficulty in securing as well as possible rehabbing them for readmission into society. For example, all criminals would be looked at by a law officer being in Stage 4 and indicate that his duty is to correctly charge and act on the law. Further that they are at Stage 1 because they lack any moral inhibitors and as such cannot reach another stage or level unless the first one has or have been accomplished. As such the theory of written in stone does not facilitate that the progressive change will occur or progression to the Stage 6 will ever be accomplished.

Morality in itself is an integrious quality that has to be internalized and helps stabilize norms of society as well as help a structuralized value system that is complementary to law, law enforcers duties and changes in law and processes. When viewed morality, norms and value is the skeletal system of law enforcement that is built upon and become flesh, blood and bone.

Since morality is the base of ethics and can be viewed as the structure because it dictates what is good and bad conduct supportive of morality since it explores and questions how to keep a level of correctness in law enforcers duties by seeking to define good and evil, rights of the wrong, wrongs of the right, virtue of vice, vices of virtue, justice and crime.

Therefore, ethics is tantamount of importance in decision making in the criminal justice system and is an affective symbolizer and corrective arsenal for making ethical choices or decisions when gauging scenarios. Various approaches by law officers in my department will be possible to retain ethics as well as prima facie duties that has and always will be an innate moral obligation to be incumbent in varying situations.

Further, the act of fidelity is an implicit and explicit agreement to fulfill promises or agreements in relation to service or duty. Secondly, justice as relates to duty is also an internalized incumbent because it serves to improve the conditions of others as well as retain respect to virtue, intelligence and pleasure. Lastly, nonmaleficence is the last duty required and that is to not intentionally injure or harm suspects.

In facilitating that duties are being met the next restriction would be the preventing of law enforcement officers moving on self-interest, pursuit of pleasure by immediate acting on police corruption and insuring this avenue is addressed because it violates ethics, morality and correct duty. The removal of the “bad” officer would be effectively written up, processed and dismissed if the act of criminality is significant if not then disciplined. Further any acts that are in conflict to law administration would receive discipline and if not able to be resolved the law enforcement officer would be transferred immediately.

In conclusion, as the Chief of Police the purpose is to keep the level of correct policing stable, consistent, honest without police nonmalefience.

REFERENCES

KOHLBERG'S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2016, from http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~ncoverst/Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development.htm
KOHLBERG'S THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2016, from https://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/kohlberg01bk.htm
Gould, Marie. 2016. “Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development.” Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development – Research Starters Sociology 1-5. Research Starters – Sociology, EBSCOhost (accessed August 19, 2016)
Telep, C. W. (2011). The Impact of Higher Education on Police Officer Attitudes toward Abuse of Authority. Journal Of Criminal Justice Education, 22(3), 392-419. doi:10.1080/10511253.2010.519893
Scharf, P., Linninger, R., Marrero, D., Baker, R., & Rice, C. (1978). Deadly Force: The Moral Reasoning and Education of Police Officers Faced With the Option of Lethal Legal and Violence. Policy Studies Journal, 7450-454. doi:10.1111/1541-0072.ep11833387
Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved August 19, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics
Chief of police. (n.d.). Retrieved August 19, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_of_police

Justice. (n.d.). Retrieved August 19, 2016, from
https://en.wikipedial.org/wiki/justice

W. D. Ross’s Moral Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved August 19, 2016, from
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/-tlockha/hu329ov8.htm