The Parole Board Essay

The Parole Board

The Parole Board, a sovereign organization, is in charge of determining whether it is safe to release prisoners back into society by performing a risk assessment on each prisoner. I have the authority to release convicts on parole because I serve on the Parole Board. If I release a violent criminal rather than a property offender, the following moral dilemmas will arise.

Equity and Fairness

First, I’ll address the question of equity and fairness regarding how I chose the option that was given to me. I am expected to have given each person what he or she deserved on a standard of rightness and gave the decision without reference to any of the party’s feelings or interests.

The Common Good of the Community

Secondly, the aspect of the common good of the community shall be viewed in the manner in which I made the decision to release a violent offender and not a property offender. The decision is expected to be in line with the shared values and goals that exist in the affected community (Mooney & Daffern, 2013).

Ethical Issue of Moral Virtues

Similarly, the ethical issue of moral virtues shall be presented to establish whether the course of action that I undertook respected the moral rights of the affected parties.

Procedures for Ethical Decision Making

I shall implement the following procedures so as to avoid allegations of unethical decision making. Firstly, I shall recognize common characteristics of wrong decision making to help me comprehend the complexity of the issues. The aspect will help me not to let overconfidence lead to absurd rationalizations or overlooking the complex nature of certain matters. Secondly, I shall learn to repel appeals to act deceitfully by reading the moral procedures to certify that I understand the meaning of desirable and undesirable behavior. Lastly, I shall develop a trait of resisting pressure to execute immoral or illegitimate actions by following the core values and regulatory beliefs of the board.

Reference

Mooney, J., & Daffern, M. (2013). Elucidating the factors that influence parole decision-making and violent offenders’ performance on parole. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 21(3), 385-405.