Ethical Issues in Public Safety (PAR303)

Examine the moral and ethical issues that can arise in public safety and develop strategies to monitor ethical behaviour. Explore within an ethical framework the inter-relationships of personal values, individual responsibility, decision making, discretion and acountability. Specific topics to be covered include core values, codes of conduct, ethical dilemmas, corporate/organizational consequences, liability and the importance of critical thinking. This course is conducted by the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC). It does not carry a Grade Point Value (GPV), but it will count towards fulfilling the credit requirements of the degree.

• Morals, ethics, values and distinguishing right from wrong
• Individual, corporate and societal responsibilities and duties
• Behaviour, decision making and the use of discretion
• The influence of subculture, peers and organizational dynamics
• Ethical leadership and management
• Code of ethics, statements of principles and organizational core values
• Policies, supervision, centralized administration and early warning systems
• Using core values to guide decision-making
• Ethical dilemmas and the process of effective resolution
• Ethical issues during an investigation and Nobel Cause corruption
• Legislation, liability and litigation; individual and corporate responsibilities
• Moral culpability verses legal culpability
• Critical thinking and principled reasoning, the guidance of actions and behaviours

• Debate the major arguments concerning the importance of ethics in the field of public safety
• Distinguish alternative theoretical viewpoints and issues regarding morals, ethics, values, ethical codes, ethical standards and ethical dilemmas
• Contrast individual values and responsibilities with those of organizational values and corporate/organizational consequences
• Analyze an ethical dilemma, contrasting issues that include decision making, discretion and the structure of accountability
• Use core values to guide decision making
• Differentiate between corporate/organizational and individual misconduct, as well as issues related to consequences and liability
• Perform critical thinking, evaluating the moral permissibility of a course of action including the resolution of an ethical dilemma
• Design strategies to monitor ethical behaviour