Bernard Madoff was one of the most respected investors in America. However, Madoff used a Ponzi scheme to increase his wealth. The Ponzi scheme made thousands of people lose billions of dollars of their hard earned money.
If I were in the same position, I would not have engaged in this unethical conduct. Corporations also engage in unethical conduct regularly. I would ensure that I use legal means to acquire wealth. This would prevent future litigation.
In a litigious society, people may be reluctant to help other people when they face emergencies. Fear of liability may make people desist from helping other people. Most jurisdictions have laws that protect the public from liability as they attempt to rescue people who face various emergencies.
However, Good Samaritan laws protect people who attempt to rescue other people out of kindness. An individual who attempts another individual while expecting a reward is not a Good Samaritan. All jurisdictions should have a Good Samaritan law that would prevent Good Samaritans from litigation. This would encourage people to assist people who face emergencies. This would help in saving the lives of many people. However, Good Samaritan laws should exclude people who assist due to rewards.
It is wrong to permit vigilantism when the justice system fails. Vigilantes punish people who violate various laws. In so doing they ignore the social concept of law. Also, vigilantes decide what the law is. Vigilantes usually lack the necessary training that would enable them to tackle criminals. Therefore, they may engage in unlawful activities while tackling criminals. In most instances, vigilantes act in self-preservation.
Therefore, if they become powerful, they may pose a serious threat to the justice system and the peaceful co-existence of people in a certain society. Powerful vigilante groups may become criminal groups. However, several instances may force an individual to violate the law to enforce another law. I would violate the law if doing so would enable me to protect my family or me without inflicting harm to many people. I would fight off people who try to harm people who are close to me.
Civil disobedience is one of the most powerful tools that may help in changing unfair laws. However, civil disobedience cannot challenge all unjust laws. Historically, civil disobedience has helped in changing unjust laws. Rosa Parks is one of the people who highlight how civil disobedience may help in challenging unjust laws.
Parks refused to give her seat to white people. In so doing, she violated the law that required black people to offer their seats to white people. Her civil disobedience helped in changing the unjust law. I disagree with laws that infringe on the privacy of people. Therefore, I would consider violating these laws. People have a right to engage in various activities without the supervision of the government.
People who engage in professional or commercial activities may violate various laws. Various parties may violate a law if doing so would enable them to earn financial benefits. In a highly competitive environment, various parties may infringe various laws to maintain their competitive edge. Pharmaceutical companies may engage in unlawful practices while undertaking studies to make new drugs.
In some instances, pharmaceutical may fail to obtain informed consent from people who are participating in the testing of various drugs. Creating these drugs would improve the competitiveness and income of an individual. This makes factor drives these companies to engage in unethical activities. Testing of Depo-Provera in Zimbabwe is one of the cases that highlight the unethical conduct of pharmaceutical companies. The company coerced women to take in the clinical study.
American society is predisposed towards unethical behavior. Corporations have a culture of corruption. Executives of most companies offer themselves huge salaries. Sometimes these executives may offer themselves huge annual bonuses when the company has made losses in the financial year. Also, corporations may falsify their financial records to show that they are very profitable. This enables companies to attract investors.
The culture of cheating usually begins in school. People use dishonest means to succeed in school. Students believe that if they use honest means, they may be at a disadvantage. Corporations also have a cheating culture.
They believe that if they use honest means to gain competitiveness in the market, they may be at a disadvantage. Companies usually use loopholes in tax laws to reduce their operational cost. It is very hard for normal citizens to engage in ethical activities if the government and large corporations engage in unethical activities.
Ethical considerations have a significant effect on criminal justice. The government and law enforcement personnel should ensure that they adhere to the standard code of ethics. Brutality, corruption, and off-duty behavior are the major ethical issues that affect criminal justice. Subjecting law enforcement personnel to rigorous examinations would help in determining their mental capacity.
This would help in reducing the occurrence of unethical behaviors among law enforcement personnel when they are off-duty. Formulation of cross-examination strategies that do not rely on torture would help in reducing police brutality. Also, the enactment of tougher laws on corruption would help in reducing corruption among law enforcement personnel.