As with law enforcement and court personnel, co
ections and probation and parole officers are held to a high ethical standard. Co
ections and probation and parole agencies must be diligent in their efforts to address acts of malfeasance.
You are assigned to a conduct review board at your agency. The head of your department has instructed each of you to collaborate to review three officers’ conduct issues. As a group, you must determine if the conduct engaged in by each of the officers in the scenario is ethical or unethical. Following the determination, you must designate a committee decision and outcome for the officer- involved incident. Each of the officers involved have agreed to a committee review of their action set and will abide by the committee’s findings. Please follow the action steps that follow to guide the committee’s recommendation:
1. Determine the incident’s classification:
1. No misconduct
2. Misconduct but excusable
3. Minor misconduct
4. Intentional misconduct
5. Major misconduct (conduct unbecoming an officer)
2. Justify the classification. The designations are progressive in their level of malfeasance. Your rationale should be well detailed and supported. Use the textbook and other credible outside research sources to support your rationale. All components of the events and actions are to be examined and evaluated.
3. Make a recommendation regarding officer discipline or lack thereof and justify the punishment by explaining the committee’s findings and their reasoning for recommending the discipline.
Use the matrix below to assist in the assignment of consequence:
No misconduct — No punishment
Misconduct but excusable — May include a 1-year counseling letter in the officer’s personnel file. Retraining may be required.
Minor misconduct — 1- to 5-year discipline letter in officer’s personnel file. 1- to 6-month suspension from specialty assignment (SWAT, detectives, marine unit, honor guard, field training officer, etc.). Includes loss of specialty pay for the assignment. Retraining may be required.
Intentional misconduct — Suspension for up to 30 days without pay. Reassignment from specialty unit (SWAT, detectives, marine unit, honor guard, field training officer, etc.). Demotion from rank to former rank (i.e., corporal to officer, sergeant to officer, lieutenant to sergeant). Permanent discipline letter in officer’s personnel file. Training mandated.
Major misconduct (conduct unbecoming an officer) — Suspension for up to 1 year unpaid. Last chance agreement letter (states that any similar misconduct will result in immediate termination) or termination.
4. Evaluate what type of co
uption is presented in each of the incidents (noble cause, structural or affiliation hypothesis, rotten apples
otten ba
els, and /or “slippery slope”). Recommend strategies to control this type of co
uption and also ways and means to prevent further instances. How could the agency avoid this behavior (training, policy and procedure, greater supervision, support of “whistleblowers”)?
This is a group assignment wherein each team member must participate equally. Regular meetings should be conducted to analyze each of the incidents and make recommendations regarding the finding and recommended punishments. Your final essay should thoroughly document the committee’s (group’s) finding and associated recommendation set. This essay should be 3–5 pages in length and use at least two credible outside research sources, including academic journals, to support your view.
ScenariScenario 2: Video Shows Cuyahoga County Jail Officer Pummel Mentally-Ill Inmate After Turning Off Body Camera
Scenario 3: Probation Officer Accused of Secretly Recording Teen Who Was House Sitting
Scenario 1: Co
ections Office Accused of Improper Conduct With Inmate