Blahism: Personal Code of Ethics

Foreword
I am not so proud of this assignment, I would have liked to write a lot more about my personal ethics. I got an "A" on the paper, but I think I could have done better if I had been allowed to write a longer paper. Also, this teacher really liked headlines; I don't usually use headlines, but it does kind of make for an easier read. And it does look a lot prettier in Word. Let me know what you think about it...

My Personal Ethical System
I genuinely care about people, and my actions are often based on the ethics of care. I am a good person, virtuous, and generous by nature. I am an individual, with my own agenda that sometimes has to come before others. I have faith in God, and I strive to live my life in a way that pleases Him. There are many sides to me, and many reasons why I do what I do in different situations. My ethics cannot be definitively classified solely as deontological or teleological because I am very well balanced between the two major ethical systems. Eventually, I would like to be a licensed psychologist, and have my own private practice. To start, I want to get involved with the corrections department; hopefully I could get a job as a correctional treatment specialist. I have been through trials and tribulations, and I have come through it all on top. I know that I have what it takes to really help people. My experiences have shaped my morals and values, and my strong ethics will help prepare me for my future in psychology.
I have learned a lot of new skills while pursuing my education, but I feel that I will learn the most valuable skills on the job. As a correctional treatment specialist, I will be working closely with offenders who are on probation, and help them work out individual treatment plans to rehabilitate them, and prevent them from repeating criminal behavior. Using basic psychological tests to evaluate clients will enable me to create the best individual treatment plans; which will also help to prepare me for my career in psychology (BLS, 2008). Teaching offender’s important life skills and helping them “with coping, anger management, and drug and sexual abuse counseling” will take a lot of patience (BLS, 2008). It is difficult to unlearn learned behavior, and so I must maintain an understanding of what each client is going through.
I do not really want to work inside the prisons; I would definitely feel more comfortable in an office environment. Of course, like with probation officers, I may need to see clients at their home or work. I would most prefer to work with children because I feel that they are the most misunderstood, and they have a real chance of healing and changing. Adults are set in their ways, and are difficult to rehabilitate, but I will not turn people away if they are asking for my help. I know I want to help people, to make a difference in people’s lives; I want to give them a reason to dream, and give them something to hope for. I rely heavily on my ethical standards, they help me to make good decisions, and they make me a better person. I know I will face challenges in my career, no matter where I start, or where I end up. I know I have a chosen a field that is difficult for weak, impatient, ethically challenged people.

Professional Ethics
Professional ethical standards are pretty basic on the grand scale. Be courteous, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and maintain honesty and integrity. Some unique ethical standards apply to law enforcement, and even more unique standards to a correctional treatment specialist. I would not be bound to the law enforcement sub-culture of ethics because I would not technically be an officer, and so I would not be bound by the officer loyalty code. It would be looked down upon, however, if I were to testify, or go up against a police officer, or a probation officer, or anyone else in the court system. I am after all, part of the law enforcement family, dealing in corrections. Of course, like a defense attorney is responsible for upholding the constitutional rights of his/her client, I am responsible for making sure my client is getting the treatment they need. I need to be able to help people deal with the damage that has been done from past trauma, and also from being abused by law enforcement, if applicable. Helping offenders adjust to life outside of prison, and still maintaining a respect for law enforcement will be a challenging feat. I will need to balance upholding and healing my clients’ psyche; and also respect, and work well with, other members of law enforcement.

Personal and Professional Code
There is always going to be corruption in law enforcement, and citizens are aware of this corruption. They hear about police brutality, and lying by the police to make their cases stronger. It is no secret that there are officers that have been busted for drugs, rape, larceny, murder, attempted murder, etc. These stories are so common that it is difficult for some people, especially minorities, to believe that the police are on their side. The code of ethics for the law enforcement subculture protects corrupt police officers because an officer would rather lie, or pretend not to notice or hear things, rather than turn against other officers. If one honest officer were to report, or testify against a corrupted coworker, that officer may end up being considered a rat and ostracized from the group. I would rather take the punishment than lie, personally, but I can see how other people might make a different choice. To me, it is not worth it to lie; if I have to lie about it, then I should not be involved in it. Just like a probation officer I must “strive to be objective” and “respect the inalienable rights” of offenders (Pollock, 2004). In that line, my personal and professional codes of ethics merge.
People trust in law enforcement when their complaints are heard and taken seriously; when disorderly officers are punished for unacceptable behavior; when women driving the highway at night are not afraid to pull over for the police. Actions speak louder than words. When the police are more open with the community, the community will reciprocate and put more trust into the police. A lot of citizens feel they cannot trust the police. They are more afraid of the police than they are of criminals, and therefore will often not report a crime, or give information about a crime when questioned. I want my clients to trust me. Professionally, I am able to take constructive criticism, and I can make changes so that I do a better job. I appreciate when people tell me I am not doing something correctly, so that I can fix the problem. My clients will never have to be afraid to tell me things. On the other hand, my clients will also understand that I do not condone illegal activities, and I will report them if I have to.

Resolving Dilemmas
Some potential ethical dilemmas I may face in my career include getting too close to a client, or being biased against certain clients. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and will usually trust someone until they give me a reason not to. If I were to get close to a client I might be tempted to overlook warning signs that he/she may be headed for danger. I would want to believe that they had learned their lessons, and would not go back to their old ways. This is dangerous because not only would I put the client at risk, but also the client’s family, friends, and the community. With drug offenders I have to be aware of the chance that they can relapse, regardless if I am counseling them or not; and people do dangerous things to get, or under the influence of, drugs. Also, for violent offenders, anything could trigger their temper, and if someone was just going through counseling because it was court ordered, then the willpower is not usually there to bring on real change. I cannot help someone who does not want to change. I have to balance caring for my clients, and keeping my professional distance by being aware of dangerous situations.
Another ethical dilemma I could face is being biased against one client or the other. I imagine that, for me, sometimes it might be difficult to be empathetic towards an offender, like a drug-dealing gang member who went to prison for accidentally shooting two toddlers during a drive-by shooting. I have to be careful to remember the purpose of my job, to help these people get the treatment they need to be more effective members of society. I need to give everyone the same chance to heal, the same chance to do better, to learn, and to change. Something else to keep in mind, as well, is that children are more fragile, vulnerable, and impressionable than adults are. So it is important for me to always remember that when I am working with kids. It is not fair to put so many demands and expectations on a child; I will need to work at a pace that the child can handle. If I am not careful, I could overload a child to the point where they could be in a more serious mental state than when they came to me. Speaking from experience, just because someone has the credentials does not make them a good counselor.

Conclusion
My personal code of ethics matches very well with the ethical standards required for the career I am interested in. As a correctional treatment specialist I am equipped to develop individual treatment plans for offenders. I am empathetic and understanding, patient and caring. I am callused with experience, and there is not a whole lot that surprises me so I can handle dealing with criminals. There may be times when I am disgusted by the actions of one of my clients, but that will not stand in the way of doing my job. My code of ethics is strong, and I am not afraid to report illegal or dangerous behavior to an offender’s parole officer or to a judge. As a future psychologist, I am well prepared by my own life experiences which I am backing up with a good education. I believe that my personality and characteristics will take me very far professionally; I know I will be successful.
Ethical formalism frames my caring nature, and my deontological religious values guide my decisions. My ethics of virtue hold strong and I do good things because I am a good person. My teleological virtues help keep my ego in check. I am selfish in such a way as everyone else is; I make decisions in my best interest, and am ultimately looking out for myself in most situations. My deontological ethical system balances out my teleological ethics, and vice versa. I have worked hard to be who I am, and I am always looking to better myself. My caring nature makes me easy to get along with, but I am not a pushover and I will stand up for what is right. This personal code of ethics will help me to excel professionally, and to remain intact emotionally and mentally in my personal life as well.



References
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008). Occupational outlook handbook, 2008-2009 edition,
Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists. Department of Labor.
Retrieved on November 23, 2008 from Website:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos265.htm
Pollock, J.M. (2004). Ethics in crime and justice: Dilemmas and decisions (4th ed).
Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.