A Code of Ethics

A Code of Ethics is a concept of organizational behavior related to ordinary managerial practices. A set of outlines or rules is provided by a Code of Ethics which explains the acceptable behavior for the members of an organization. This value system works to strengthen the promises and ethics of an organization. In criminal justice system, a Code of Ethics works as a value system so that the everyday operations can be performed reliably and appropriately. The behavior of directors, managers, supervisors and all other workers of criminal justice organizations must always be in conformity with the accepted Code of Ethics (Braswell, McCarthy, & McCarthy, 2008).

All type of communication- written, oral and nonverbal, are common in criminal justice. The structure of each and every criminal justice command depends on both formal and informal communications. In some command structures, the orders and instructions start from leaders and go down to the lower ranked employees. The chain of command is an example of such command structures. For example, a captain may order a lieutenant to raise the number of patrolling officers in a particular area. The lieutenant must obey the captain’s order since the captain is of higher rank than lieutenant, on the chain of command. The direction of the criminal justice system is dictated by federal and state laws, public and organizational policies, and managerial practices. The criminal justice system must stick to the policies developed by the General Assembly of each state. Legislatures can make laws in accordance with the interpretations of both the national and state constitutions. The criminal justice system has the responsibility of strengthening the law, finding whether an individual violated the law or not and imposing appropriate punishment according to the crime committed. Beside these, the criminal justice system must also check that whether any organizational policy disagrees with any legislated law.