Ethical Challenges in Criminal Justice
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Introduction
There have been numerous calls and protests across the US rallying against police brutality, especially on Black-American citizens. The use of police body cameras aimed to hold the cops accountable for their actions when arresting offenders and excessive use of force. It was thought that when the public sees the video of cops on daily duties, it will open up how police abuse occurs and formulate ways to address them. It would further help reduce racial biases by police and prosecute the officers caught using excessive force on offenders. Law enforcement officers should not deceive the world by switching off the body cameras while interacting with suspects and offenders. They are responsible for respecting the badge of human civil rights and upholding integrity in their duties in the service. The report reviews the failure of police body cameras and whether violent video games lead to crime.
Ethical Concern to the Public and Criminal Justice Professionals
The public expects the police officers to provide protection and enforce the law justly. Law enforcement officers must form a lasting relationship with the public through trust, honesty, respect, and fair treatment, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, race, disability, education, and religion. The International Association of Chiefs of Police has published codes of ethics that form the base of ethical practice in law enforcement. Police should lead by example, serve the community, be impartial, respect the badge, take responsibility, and be accountable.
Critical ethical issues that police officers engage in include excessive use of force, switching off the body cameras, and intimidation, resulting in racial bases and negative perception by the public. Police body cameras were meant to ensure the police acted justly towards offenders and justify the police killings that have been reported in the country. However, there is a sharp limitation on the use of body cameras because the police switched them off, fails to use them completely, or forgets that they are supposed to put them on.
The courts have also failed to convict officers who could not use their body cameras and applied excessive force, despite the Presidential Administration’s push for police-worn cameras. The failures in the justice system point out the limitations in recording the police. What was deemed an easy fix to police use of excessive force has resulted in numerous ethical issues arising, such as the accountability of cops, the ability of courts to prosecute police offices violating civil rights, and the viability of wearing police body cameras. Some notable cases, such as that of Ray Tensing, failed to result in a conviction despite the presence of body cameras and video evidence. Walter Scott’s shooting in North Charleston, South Carolina, was captured by a bystander on a cell phone. The cop was seen shooting the fleeing Scott eight times in the back, even though he was not a threat to the cop or other people around. The judge in the case declared a mistrial, and the jury hung.
Violent Video Games and Crime
Exposure to violent video games is considered to trigger real-world violence on specific individuals after the increase in mass shootings across the US. For instance, the shooter in El Paso, Texas, referred to video game soldiers, stating he was familiar with video violence. Many point to the skeptical views on the exposure to violent video games in the real-world, but critical connections are not yet proven. The correlation between violent video games and mass killing or violent behaviors is minimal. However, the American Medical Association Council on Science and Public Health likened the excessive exposure to violent video games to gambling because the users become somewhat glued and attracted or cherish what they see on the screen, feeling that they can do the same in the physical world. Research on whether violent video games cause violence in the real-world is little, though some data indicate a connection with reduced empathy and some social misbehaviors among users.
Attempts to Correct the Issue
Law enforcement agencies and criminal justice systems are working to find effective strategies to ensure those police body cameras are effective in ensuring police accountability. Technological problems must be solved, such as clarity, view angles, voice records, battery, and the storage capacity of body-worn cameras. The police should be trained to permanently use these cameras in incidents that involve interaction with civilians. Privacy concerns need clarification to educate the public on the need to be recorded during police interaction as evidence and justification for the use of force.
Policing problems need to be fixed in all law enforcement departments, from the legal standards on the use of body cameras to applying force. Police training must include manuals and guidelines that point to the mistakes police make on duty, prevent such, and why it is necessary to have devices like body-worn cameras. De-escalation can be done and succeed during training programs, rather than in the physical world, resulting in misuse of power or technological devices aimed at creating transparency in the force. Racial discriminations need societal enlightenment to prevent them from spilling over to police agencies, creating personal biases. Law enforcement, federal agencies, legislators, and other lethal violence stakeholders must review all underlying problems in society and not blame symbolic violence on violent video games.
Conclusion
The use of body-worn cameras will reduce false accusations, ensure transparency and accountability from the police force. The body-worn camera technology was brought to assist police departments in maintaining their integrity. Individual officers found tampering and misusing such devices need to be prosecuted and held accountable. Research on the effects of exposure to violent video games should help legislators and law enforcement officers curb, manage, and stop violent behavior among the public. Key stakeholders must address all ethical issues in law enforcement and other vital government institutions to create trust, accountability, and quality services.