Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development in the Justice System - Essay Example

Kohlberg defined the three-level of moral development, such as conventional, post-conventional, and conventional levels (Peters, 2015). However, each level has two distinct stages in child development. Preconventional scale, a child's sense of morality is externally controlled. In the conventional standard of an individual understanding, morality is tied to personal and societal relationships. The post-conventional stage, a distinct sense of morality, is defined by abstract principles and values. The paper will analyze Kohlberg's stages of moral development and their impact on social behavior's ethical standards.

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Q1. Preconventional Stage

The preconventional stage is the level in which a child's senses of morality is externally controlled. The child complies with the rules and authorities from his or her surroundings. The child in this stage focuses on the consequences that they may incur while disobeying the laws (Peters, 2015). As a chief, I will ensure that all the officials under my authority comply with the rules and regulations that govern my administration. The laws and regulations will then be passed to the members of the society, where all the members are expected to respect and follow the rules effectively.

Conventional Stage

The convectional level of the child's sense of morality is basically connected to personal and community relationships (Peters, 2015). The child in this stage accepts to trust the rules of authority due to their belief for effective positive relationships and social orders. As a chief, I will ensure that my members tend to accept to follow the rules but with an open mind of giving varied opinions and views on the laws. The members of the public should also follow the laws effectively without hesitating.

Postconventional Stages

The post-conventional level determines a personal sense of morality and values. In this stage, members of society have understood that some laws should be developed and changed or eliminated in society (Thoma, & Dong, 2014). The following stage states that individuals are separated entities from other communities, and this may disobey. As a chief, I will ensure that all the laws are followed, and members of the public provide their opinions and ideas based on the transformations required.

Q2

My officers will be trained to react to a criminal offense in the community by using the three Kohlberg's stages in moral development in society. The conventional stage will be tested by asking the suspect whether they accept and believe in the laws. The suspect's obedience and tolerance will be measured through their desire to obey the community's code. The officers also will follow the suspect's previous history on moral behavior and instill a final ruling. The suspect opinion will be measured by analyzing the following factors in society.

The officials also will use the conventional level by understanding whether the suspect accepts the rules of authority by ensuring that they have a belief in the necessary for the positive reaction. The conventional stage will help the officials in analyzing the criminal conduct on the respect and relationship with the society rules in society. The conventional stage will be used in examining the suspect's willingness to become the best-respected member of the public. The officials will analyze the suspect's adherence to the rules before concluding.

In the Post-conventional stage, my officials will be able to understand the suspect's willingness to accept to follow the laws and provide the opinions and ideas in changing his wicked ways (Thoma, & Dong, 2014). In the post-conventional stage, the officers will be able to negotiate with the suspect and determine whether the accused is right. The police officials also will be able to understand the opinions of different suspects in society.

Q3

Police corruption is the number one challenge in the effective operation of service delivery in the society. As a chief, I will ensure that any official reported for corruption misconduct will be demoted of his positions and presented to criminal courts. The action will allow all the police officials to be vigilant and obedient while undertaking their mandates to the members of the society. The second method is to avail the police officials to courts to be tried, and when found guilty, they will serve a particular jail term. As a chief, I will continuously monitor the officials and examine how my officials undertake their mandates in the society. The police officials will be able to cope and comply with the rules in the police department like any other member of the public.

Q4

The three prima facie duties that our law enforcers should fulfill include, act as a role model to the public, being authoritative, and obedient (Thoma, & Dong, 2014). Police officials should be role models to other members of the people by following the laws effectively in society. The members of the public should be viewing the police as the best example of various operations that takes place in the community. The authoritative element will help the police members to instill law and policies to members of the public in the society. The police definitive rule will help them in initiating the plans in the social structure. The obedience element will help the police officials to carry out their duties effectively by respecting the rule of law. The obedient police official attracts views and perceptions of people, a factor that determines their respect in society. As a chief officer, the following qualities play a huge role in selecting the best police officer who is qualified for a particular job opportunity. Therefore, all the officials should follow these techniques in order to strengthen their relationships with the members of the public.

References

Peters, R. S. (2015). Moral development and moral education (Routledge revivals). Routledge. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=3mvbCQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=kohlberg+moral+development&ots=yigwjb1kpA&sig=F06dFzec9GpJzCNeC_EKm0u7AtQ

Thoma, S. J., & Dong, Y. (2014). The Defining Issues Test of moral judgment development. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 19(3), 55. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-55726-010