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Running head: Leadership Skills for the Criminal Justice Professional 1 Leadership Skills for the Criminal Justice Professional Krystal September 11, 2011 Ethics & Leadership in Criminal Justice Prof. Denton Leadership Skills for the Criminal Justice Professional 2 Leadership is the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. Criminal justice professionals should develop and maintain leadership skills in their professional and personal lives because it’s what they do.
To some, they are role models, but to all they are the ones who make and/or carry out the laws. Leadership involves the commitment, dedication, and risk taking attitude of the individual Some leadership skills that they should obtain is (1) Quick thinking. This means that those working in criminal justice must be of sharp and sound mind, able to adapt to situations quickly and make snap decisions with good judgment. (2) Strong ethical sensibility. You should be ethical, act fairly and always in the best interest of the people. (3) People skills.
You need to be able to communicate with others. Communication and people skills are critical in everything from directing traffic to conducting an interview to testifying in court. (4) Knowledgeable of laws. If you work in the criminal field you should be familiar and know the laws of the state and national. Especially officers, they should always be familiar with laws and how to enforce them. (5) Ability to handle stress. Most criminal justice jobs, even office jobs, can be emotionally and/or physically demanding. They should maintain these because it’s what can help them and others.
Ethics is a system of moral principles. Ethics applies to professional responsibilities. Where do ethics play a role in criminal justice? It would be where the people working the field are not supposed to be corrupt, or dishonest, but are allowed to lie to suspects as an interrogation technique. Ethics is when you can be trustworthy and responsible. Anyone can depend on you for the right decision. Leadership Skills for the Criminal Justice Professional 3 Virtue is conformity of one’s life and conduct to moral and ethical principles.
The concept of a virtue is the concept of something that makes its possessor good: a virtuous person is a morally good, excellent or admirable person who acts and feels well, rightly, as she should. These are all the reasons why leadership skills, ethics and, virtue are important in the criminal justice field. Without some of the things listed above, the criminal justice system would probably be unfair. Leadership Skills for the Criminal Justice Professional 4 References Ethics, morality, and virtue: A foundation for modern training. (2011, January 201). Retrieved September 11, 2011, from Corrections Training Article: http://www. orrectionsone. com/corrections-training/articles/3225913-Ethics-morality-and-virtue-A-foundation-for-modern-training/ http://www. criminaljusticedegree. org/criminal-justice-resources/CriminalJusticeDegrees-top10. html. (2011, June 13). Retrieved September 11, 2011, from Criminal justice degree: http://www. criminaljusticedegree. org/criminal-justice-resources/CriminalJusticeDegrees-top10. html Virtue, practical wisdom and eudaimonia. (2007, July 18). Retrieved September 11, 2011, from stanford encyclopedia of philosophy: http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/ethics-virtue/#2