Introduction
The mandate of any criminal justice system is to aid in the enforcement of moral and ethical demeanor in society. The justice system is mandated to bring order in the society by establishing correctional measures to the offenders and to sanction punishments to those involved in felonious acts. The employees of the criminal justice system are assigned a delicate duty of inspiring the society to observe a proper ethical rubric as mandated by the constitution (Kania & Davis, 2011).
Society and the conduct of the justice system employees
The society has absolute rights to expect high standards of conduct from the employees of the criminal justice system. The logic in this expectation is understandable in both legal and moral sense (Pollock, 2009). If the justice system employees are engaged in initiating moral, ethical templates in the society, then it is only fair that they too adhere to these standards. The need to be a reflection of whatever they “advocate” for is indeed, very imperative (Kang, Kim & Lee, 2009).
Why should society have high expectations of the employees of the justice system?
Members of the justice system are equal members of the community, just like the non-employees of the justice system. They, too, have an inherent responsibility to hold high, the ethical standards as enshrined in the canons of the land. The society does not expect these employees to be above the law; these employees must fully adhere to the societal conventions, the normative responsibilities, and the constitutional regulations in the community (Pollock, 2009).
Sexual conduct and use of alcohol are very salient ethical issues that the employees of the justice system must safeguard themselves. These employees must elevate themselves against such amatory acts that defile their integrity and dignity. The employees of the justice system must gravely watch against these moral and ethical issues relating to gender and sexual probity issues (Pollock, 2009).
Significance of oversight boards for criminal justice
The establishment of community oversight boards is an affirmation of the interests of the community in the issues of the justice system. The institution of this oversight board has helped in linking the employees to the other members of society. The oversight board has helped to demystify the misconception that the employees of the criminal justice system are to be treated with much reverence. The board has provided the missing link between the other members of the society and the criminal justice system (Kania & Davis, 2011).
The criminal justice system engages in correctional measures of the offenders who are later integrated into the society at the end of their punishment; in this regard, the oversight board has a well-defined role, they are engaged in the advisory role of supervising the integration of such individuals into the society (Kania & Davis, 2011). The board manages the whole process of supervising the inclusion of those who are incarcerated. The boards provide independent supervision to the criminal justice system to ensure that there are no “excesses” in the justice system. The involvement of these oversight boards in the affairs of the justice system is a very sure way of “injecting” transparency and professionalism into the system; it gives an independent audit of the occurrences within the justice system (Pollock, 2009).
Labour unions for criminal justice employee
Criminal justice system employees, just like other professionals, should be allowed to be members of associations that pursue their interests constitutionally. The membership of these employees in the labor unions must be focused on improving the terms of engagement with their employer but not to jeopardize their duties. It is crucial for these employees to be given a forum where they express themselves and voice their concerns regarding their contractual obligations with their employers. For a long time now, membership into the labor unions by the criminal justice system employees has been restricted” (Pollock, 2009).
The myth is that labor actions such as strikes and go-slows would be synonymous with the membership into these unions. Well, this may be an accurate observation, but it is the role of the government to address the concerns of their employees. Through the labor unions, deficiencies in the professions can be effectively “indemnified” (Pollock, 2009).
The role of the criminal justice system in the maintenance of the social order in society is profound. Therefore, it is unimaginable that these employees would take even a single day off duty to engage in issues of advocacy for better work conditions, this is why the enrolment into labor association would prove very vital in the management of employment matters of the employees of the criminal justice system. The concept of collective bargain assigns a group of representatives the role of negotiating for better work conditions other than having individual complaints directed to the administrators. The labor unions would thus prove very significant in addressing the issues of the employees collectively and exhaustively without the need to individually petition the employers (Kania & Davis, 2011).
References
Kang, D. S., Kim, Y. S., & Lee, D. W. (2009). The Influence of Organizational Justice on Employees’ Motivation to Participate in Training: A Quality System Perspective on Human Resource Practices. Asian Journal on Quality, 7(1), 1- 14. Web.
Kania, R. R., & Davis, R. P. (2011). Managing Criminal Justice Organizations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. New York, NY: Elsevier JAI. Web.
Pollock, J. (2009). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice. Washington, D.C.: Cengage Learning. Web.