Research, select, and describe an incident involving a real ethical concern or event related to criminal justice (e.g., corruption in a police department, judicial bribery, smuggling contraband into prisons by correctional officers, etc.). Students must utilize the Library Subject Guide for Criminal Justice (See Content) to conduct independent and unique research.
Organization:
Part One: An opening paragraph describing your topic and ultimate conclusion
Part Two: Brief description of the selected event and the ethical issues involved you choose to write about
Part Three: Conclusions based on your research and class readings as to the consequences of unethical behavior to the system, the society, and the individual. The following issues must be covered within the report:
Cultural issues, (may include all areas of diversity including race, gender, sexual orientation and occupational culture)
Historical context, include your theories on why the situation occurred
Moral courage, (For example, – was there a particularly courageous individual involved?)
Politics (Note, in this context "politics" referrers to the personal and/or group dynamics within a particular organization, community or similar setting. It does NOT relate to political parties or affiliation with any political party.)
Description of the Selected Event and Ethical Issues
The Rampart Scandal Event
The Rampart scandal centered on the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) anti-gang unit operating out of the Rampart Division of the LAPD in the mid-to-late 1990s. The full scale of misconduct began to unravel in 1999 when Officer Rafael Perez, facing drug theft charges, agreed to cooperate with investigators in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Perez's testimony revealed endemic corruption within the CRASH unit. The misconduct included:
Fabricating Evidence: Routinely planting weapons and drugs on suspects.
False Arrests and Testimonies: Filing false police reports and committing perjury in court to secure convictions.
Unprovoked Violence: Unjustified beatings and shootings of suspects.
Internal Criminal Activity: Drug trafficking, bank robbery, and covering up officer-involved shootings.
Ethical Issues Involved
The scandal violated virtually every principle of criminal justice ethics:
Violation of Due Process: The systematic use of perjury and planted evidence fundamentally undermined the judicial system's ability to determine guilt or innocence, leading to the wrongful conviction of dozens of individuals.
Abuse of Authority: Officers used their legally sanctioned authority (power of arrest and use of force) for criminal ends and personal gain, demonstrating a complete abandonment of the public trust doctrine.
Malfeasance and Nonfeasance: Officers actively engaged in illegal acts (malfeasance) and concurrently failed to perform their duty to investigate and report crimes committed by their colleagues (nonfeasance), protecting the internal culture of corruption
Sample Answer
Ethical Breakdown: The Rampart Scandal and Corruption in Policing
This paper will examine the Rampart Scandal involving the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) anti-gang unit in the late 1990s. This incident represents a profound ethical breach characterized by widespread police misconduct, including planting evidence, false testimony, and unprovoked shootings. The ultimate conclusion is that systemic corruption, fostered by a paramilitary occupational culture and a lack of moral courage among rank-and-file officers, severely damaged public trust, led to mass injustice for marginalized communities, and necessitated extensive judicial and administrative reform across the entire criminal justice system.