Ethical Leadership in Administration of Justice: Racial Discrimination

Ethical Leadership
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Ethical Leadership
Some of the most important functions of administrators of justice are the prevention of crime, helping citizens in times of adversities, offering protection, and ensuring that justice is accorded to all. This shows that they play an integral part in the daily lives of citizens and are depended upon at all times. As such, officers charged with such responsibilities must observe ethical standards in order to win the trust and confidence of citizens. Some of the attributes that define ethical leadership among officers include discipline, integrity, accountability, fairness, and respect among others.
 Good officers must always be disciplined when executing their duties because indulging in any misconduct would erode the confidence entrusted to them by citizens. In this respect, officers must observe speech culture as opposed to the use of slurs and derogatory terms (Dewan, 2022). The police department, for instance, must emphasize discipline amongst officers. In this regard, they formulate ways to instill discipline in errant officers (Gonzales et al., 2005). Officers must also uphold integrity at all times and must therefore desist from engaging in any form of corruption however innocuous it might seem. They must not solicit for or expect kickbacks after offering their services (Gonzales et al., 2005). In addition, officers must also be ready to take responsibility for their actions. They must be ready to explain their decisions and conduct accordingly. It is also incumbent upon officers to perform their duties without discriminating against people based on race, social status, and age. All citizens must be accorded equal treatment and must be respected at all times.
Ethical Failure: Racial Discrimination in Policing
A key ethical failure that has occurred recently involves the Minneapolis Police Department that has engaged in racially discriminating policing. All police departments have a culture that entails a set of guidelines that define how officers must conduct themselves while on duty. Conventionally, police officers are expected to exhibit professionalism and fairness when going about their work. They must deal with situations without being guided by the race of the people involved. However, there has existed an age-old problem where the police have been more inclined to use excessive force against the colored minorities (U.S. Department of Justice, 2003). This has been a source of friction between the police and citizens and has elicited a lot of backlash from organizations such as human rights groups.
Many observers fail to understand why departments such as the Minneapolis Police Department have failed to hold to account officers found guilty of gross misconduct (Dewan, 2022). According to Dewan (2022), officers in this department have been us...