In this chapter we touched on some of the ethical issues that correctional personnel

face in institutional correctional settings.

In previous chapters you learned how discretion plays a role in each phase of the criminal

justice system. In corrections, discretion is involved when a correctional officer, for

example, chooses whether to write a disciplinary "ticket" or merely delivers a verbal reprimand;

this is similar to the discretion that police have in traffic stops.

Discretion is also involved when a formal disciplinary committee makes a decision to

punish an inmate for an infraction: The punishment can be as serious as increasing the length

of a sentence through loss of good time or as minor as a temporary loss of privileges.

This type of discretion is similar to the discretion of the prosecutor and judge in

a criminal trial.

Correctional officers also make daily decisions regarding granting inmates' passes, providing

supplies, and even answering questions.

As always, when the power of discretion is present, the potential for abuse is also present.

Sometimes correctional professionals have the power to do things that they don't have

the legal authority to do. That is, some officers can deny an inmate a pass to go to the doctor

even though, according to the prison rules, the inmate has a right to go. When officers

exceed their authority, inmates' only recourse is to write a grievance.

Professional ethics, as provided in a code of ethics, should guide correctional officers,

and other staff members, in their use of discretion and power, but, as with law enforcement and

other legal professionals, adhering to a code of ethics is influenced by many things including

the prison's "subculture" and institutional values.

As we can see, these individuals have much in common with other criminal justice practitioners,

in the area of discretion, and they are also in a unique position in that they hold power

over the most basic aspects of life for confined inmates.

This position allows correctional officers either to intensify the humiliation that incarcerated

offenders feel, or to make the prison experience more tolerable for those who serve their time.

Experience tells us that the most difficult decisions for correctional officers arise

from the personal relationships that develop with inmates, the trust that is sometimes

betrayed, the favors that seem harmless, and the coercive environment that makes violence

normal, and caring abnormal.

Correctional treatment personnel (i.e., psychologist) have their own problems in resolving conflicts

between loyalty toward clients and toward the system.

To be in a helping profession in a system geared for punishment is a difficult challenge

for anyone, and the temptation to re-treat into bureaucratic compliance or, worse, "egoistic

relativism" is always present.

Although this chapter has discussed officers mistreating inmates and correctional professionals

engaging in other unethical conduct, it should not be implied that criminal justice workers,

as a whole, are blatantly or pervasively unethical.

Arguably, the criminal justice system operates as well as it does only because of the caring,

committed, honest people who choose it as a career.

Please now continue with your weekly assignments