MCCCD Program Description

Ethics and the Administration of Justice

Course: AJS123

First Term: 2024 Fall

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Occupational
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: Introduces and explores ethical issues and the justice system. Focuses on ethics and the law, the police, courts and corrections. Reviews ethical theory, concepts and practices as they relate to administration of justice. Explores issues of how media/social media shape ethics. Encourages critical thinking and value decision making in criminal justice system situations.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Describe the concepts of ethics, integrity, professionalism, values and public trust. (I) 2. Explain the differences in the standards of individual moral behavior and institutional ethics in criminal justice. (I) 3. Describe the relationship of law, standards of morality, ethics, and society. (I) 4. Distinguish the core elements of justice of different justice systems as well as the historical origins of ethical and justice theories. (II) 5. Describe the theories of moral development and moral decision making. (III) 6. Explain how internal characteristics and external influences impact the actions of individuals working in a criminal justice profession. (IV, V, VI, VII) 7. Describe the rationales for punishment and correction of criminal behavior. (VI)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Ethics and the law A. Defining basic concepts 1. Ethics 2. Integrity 3. Professionalism 4. Values 5. Public trust B. Individual moral behavior C. Institutional ethics D. Law, society and morality II. Principles of justice A. Elements of justice B. Types of justice 1. Distributive 2. Retributive III. Ethical theory A. Historical origins 1. Classical 2. Modern B. Theories of moral development C. Moral decision-making D. Ethical decision-making processes IV. Ethics and the police A. Working police personality B. Use of force 1. Physical force 2. Deadly force C. Police practices D. Use of discretion E. Other contemporary ethical developments V. Ethics and the courts A. Prosecutor B. Defense attorney C. Judge D. Jury VI. Ethics of punishment and corrections A. Rationales for punishment and corrections B. Use of discretion by correctional personnel C. Corruption and other ethical issues VII. Modern ethical issues in the administration of justice A. Code of ethics B. Public servant role C. Ethical leadership D. Media/social media roles in ethics

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: February 27, 2024

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.