Understanding Discretion in Criminal Justice: Roles and Ethical

School: Southern New Hampshire University - Course: CJ 230 - Subject: Accounting

Zaquawn Harris CJ 230 Project 1 SNHU What it means to exercise discretion in the criminal justice field is for a police officer to have the decision to make his own choice based on his discretion. Exercising discretion is being able to have an independent choice free from any other opinions or discretion. Discretion is used by law enforcements officers all the way to the judicial system. Law enforcements officers exercise discretion when they are detaining, questioning, searching and seizing, investigating and arresting individuals. Prosecutors and judges exercise discretion when deciding a sentence or charge for an individual, deciding how and when to prosecute, and judges base their discretion on the rule of law. The role of discretion is used in the criminal justice field to make official decisions and judgements. The roles of integrity, authority and discretionary power are used in the criminal justice system by using discretionary decisions by creating a relationship between them. "Integrity means wholeness in public and private life consisting of habits of justice, temperance, courage, compassion, honesty, fortitude, and disdain for self-pity." [ CITATION Joy191 \l 1033 ]. In criminal justice integrity is known as being able to uphold the law and still have a strong moral code while having trust from the public. Authority in criminal justice is viewed as "Unquestionable entitlement to be obeyed that comes from fulfilling a specific role." [ CITATION Joy191 \l 1033 ]. Discretionary power is defined having the authority to be able to decide based on two or more options. These roles share a relationship between integrity,

authority and discretionary power because it gives the person the ability to decide between two or more options in the field based on their discretion. Ethics and morals play a role in the discretionary decision-making process within the criminal justice field. Morals is defined as "Principles of right and wrong." [ CITATION Joy191 \l 1033 ]. Ethics is defined as "The discipline of determining good and evil and defining moral duties." [ CITATION Joy191 \l 1033 ]. Ethics and morals are different because morals are determining what is correct or incorrect and ethics is determining the difference between good and evil duties. Morals and ethics effect the discretionary decision-making process is gives the person decides who, when and where to use their discretionary powers. The discretionary decision that I made for the scenario listed was giving a verbal warning to the male driver about not stopping and running through traffic lights and I would get medical help for the female passenger. I also let the male driver know the possibilities that could have happened if any other cars were coming when he went through the red light and let him know to next time pull over and we could escort him safely to the hospital. The reason that I made this decision is because the male driver was trying to get the women to the hospital so she could safely deliver her child. I also decided to make this decision because the male put on his hazard lights to let me know that there was something potentially wrong.