Correction Professionals Misconduct

One of the few occupations that require morality is the department of correction. The correctional officers are bound by the ethics code in order to faithfully serve the humanity, preserve life and protect the vulnerable from repression or intimidation. Certain correctional personnel are engaged in the conduct of these codes of ethics that adversely affect the provision of services in this department. The following misbehaviours:
Free of charge Gratuities are normally given with the gift-giver expecting better treatment of some services from the correctional professional in the future. Corrections professionals should not accept gratuities because: people will expect different treatment after they have given the gifts, gratuities can easily erode the confidence that the public on the correctional professionals, the receipt of gratuities can contribute to major corruptions such as bribery. Once an officer gets used to corruption, it may be very difficult to stop and may at times ask for the bribery to facilitate courses of action that are against the law (Fantz, 2015). Therefore, corruption by correctional professionals can block justice. The correctional professionals are normally paid by the public funds and therefore, they should treat everyone equally. Brutality brutality in the corrections facilities normally results from the excessive use of force, disrespect and ridicule by the corrections officers. Brutality as times also contributes to perjury since officers who commit brutality to inmates are most likely to lie on the stand to prevent the possibility of a lawsuit or departmental charges. Brutal officers make the life of inmates in the facility quit difficult. Some prisoners find it hard to bear with the brutality and some end up attempting escape or even suicide. Correctional officers’ brutality has been the leading cause of inmates’ deaths. ProfanityThis refers to the instances which correctional professionals use obscene language, which may offend the inmates. These officers are expected to use effective verbal communication. Languages which are considered unethical in the correction facilities are words having religious connotations and sexual language. Officers use these offensive words to degrade, discredit or gain the attention of inmates whom may appear less cooperative to the correctional officer. Offensive language has a psychological effect on the inmates and can stress them out. Sex on duty or duty relatedThis occur when a correctional officer has sex contacts with a female or a male inmate. When an officer gets sexually attracted to an inmate, they may start giving them special treatment in exchange of the sexual favors. This contributes to disrespect from the other inmates to that particular officer and therefore making it very difficult for him to control them. Sexual contact with inmates is against the codes of ethics that guides correctional officers. Misuse of confidential informationCorrectional officers are sometimes involved in cases whereby they jeopardize ongoing investigations by leaking some confidential to the friends, lawyers or even relatives of the inmates. Friendliness should not affect the actions or the decision making of these officers. This affects the progress and the outcome of cases. Such behavior contradicts the ethics of their job (Buell & McCampbell, 2003). Officers being stressed and burned outCorrectional professionals are normally stressed by factors such as: insufficient salaries, overtime demands, lack of support from administrations, and long working hours. Officers suffering from stress and burn outs normally find it difficult to do their work effectively. Measures should be taken to address stress among officers. ReferencesBuell, M., & McCampbell, S. (2002). Preventing Staff Misconduct in the Community Corrections Setting. Corrections Today, 65(1).Fantz, A. (2015). How prison guards go bad. CNN. Retrieved 1 August 2017, from http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/25/us/new-york-prison-break-contraband-smuggle/index.html