Community corrections centers are essential in the criminal penal system because they offer other options to imprisonment and help criminals successfully reintegrate into the community. Making sure that offenders adhere to the conditions of their monitoring, which might involve travel limitations and attending therapy, is one of the main legal duties of parole and supervision agents. Officers of parole and probation must also keep the public safe. They must stay ethical boundaries with the criminals they monitor, eliminate biases of interest, and uphold confidentiality.
Consequentialism, which contends that the appropriateness of a decision relies on its results, is the ethical theory that most accurately defines the situation. In this instance, Daniels’ and Ponzi’s decisions were motivated by the idea that goals justify measures. The negative effects of their conduct were not considered because both men thought their behavior would benefit them personally (Ahlin, 2019). Ponzi’s misbehavior might have detrimental effects. If the court learns that Ponzi fabricated Daniels’ transcripts of attendance, it may call into question the legitimacy of the overall community prisons program. This might harm the courts’ capacity to administrate justice effectively (National Institute of Corrections, 2001). Furthermore, unethical conduct might develop if different community justice employees copy Ponzi’s behaviors and think they may benefit from doing the same.
Institutions should adopt an exceptionally stringent code of principles that defines which conducts are permissible and what practices should not be tolerated to mitigate unacceptable conduct from community corrections staff. Frequent instruction meetings should be held to ensure all personnel knows their obligations. Organizational administration should also structure accountability and oversight to guarantee that workers are responsible for their conduct (DeMatteo, 2019). Ongoing audits of absenteeism logs and other documentation and a method for staff to disclose illegal conduct. Lastly, organizations should enforce a zero-tolerance approach for unacceptable behavior, with obvious repercussions for staff members who transgress the organization’s moral policy.
Therefore, a slight restriction of the offender’s rights can result in negligent treatment despite the benefits of having comparatively lenient punishment in the justice system. In this situation, ethics loses its ability to control human behavior, and in case of such schemes disclosure, it may have serious repercussions for offenders who receive the appropriate punishment. Thus, representatives of law enforcement organizations and offenders must constantly raise the standard of legal culture and responsibility.
References
Ahlin, E. M. (2019). Semi-structured interviews with expert practitioners: Their validity and significant contribution to translational research. SAGE Publications Ltd. Web.
DeMatteo, D., Heilbrun, K., Thornewill, A., & Arnold, S. (2019). Problem-solving courts and the criminal justice system. Oxford University Press.
National Institute of Corrections. (2001). Civil liabilities and other legal issues for probation/parole officers and supervisors (3rd ed.). U.S. Department of Justice.