Incorporating Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development into the Justice System
Assignment 2: Incorporating Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development into the Justice System
Due Week 7 and worth 120 points
Imagine you are the chief of police. As the chief of police, you will need to ensure that your law enforcement officers lead ethical careers. In order to prepare for this assignment, review Chapters 7 through 9 in the textbook. Then, research Kohlberg’s stages of moral development and find at least two (2) relevant articles that discuss Kohlberg’s theory, Means vs. Ends, and Kantian ethics.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:
1. Identify and discuss the three (3) levels of Kohlberg’s stages of Moral Development, and explain how you would address each level within your department.
2. Explain how your officers can use Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development to evaluate three (3) types of criminals who are at different stages of moral development.
3. Illustrate two to three (2-3) ways in which you would address self-interest and pursuit of pleasure to prevent police corruption.
4. Identify and discuss at least three (3) Prima Facie Duties that you believe all of your law enforcement officers should fulfill.
5. Support your position statement with two (2) relevant and credible references, documented according to latest edition of APA. (Note: Do not use open source sites such as Ask.com, eHow.com, Answers.com, and Wikipedia.)
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
•Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA format (latest edition). Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
•Include a cover page developed in accordance with the latest edition of APA, including a running head, page number, the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page, revision of the previous assignment, and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
Incorporating Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development into the Justice System
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In the first level of Kohlberg’s stages of Moral Development, one will consider the power of the authorities as they fear harm to themselves (Pollock, 2012). The moral judgment of the criminal is also affected by the punishment and reward gains that influence their decision making. This level should be address by meeting the needs of the police to avoid self-interests that harm the department. The second level is the conventional phase where the actions of a criminal are influenced by rules, regulation and need to conform. At this level, the rules and regulations should be clearly stated to avoid conflicts associated with role expectations (Pollock, 2012). The third level is the conventional phase where moral judgment is internalized, with behavior dependent on the ethics. It is harder to address level thereof the theory since it involves higher-order morality, but emphasis on ethical practice and the code of conduct during training allows the officers to internalize the importance of ethics.
The theory can be utilized to evaluate criminal behavior by first focusing on the external conditions that increase the risk of one engaging in crime. In the first level individuals are motive by self-interest and punishment. At the second level is the need to determine how societal expectations influence criminal behavior. While progressing to the conventional stage an individual focuses on supporting personal liberties. Moral development occurs sequentially, but peo...