Overview
In this assignment, you will explain the role of discretion in criminal
Overview
In this assignment, you will explain the role of discretion in criminal justice. You will also describe the roles integrity, authority, discretionary power, and morality play in discretionary decision making.
Prompt
In Modules One and Two, you learned about discretion in criminal justice decision making, and about the relationship between integrity, authority, and discretionary power. In this module, you learned about the role morality plays in the decision-making process. You will now apply this knowledge to an instance of discretionary decision making you have seen in the media, which was the focus of the Module One discussion. This application of knowledge will help you prepare for Project One in Module Five, in which you will be creating a written internal justification statement for a discretionary decision you make in response to a scenario.
First, explain the role of discretion in criminal justice.
Next, describe the instance from the Module One discussion in detail, providing background information surrounding the discretionary decision. (You may use your initial post from the Module One discussion board to help you with this.)
Then, choose one element and describe the role it plays in the discretionary decision-making process in general:
Integrity
Authority
Discretionary power
Morality
Last, explain how that same element chosen above (integrity, authority, discretionary power, or morality) may have affected the discretionary decision made in the instance provided.
Specifically, the following rubric criteria must be addressed:
Explain the role of discretion in criminal justice.
Describe an instance of discretionary decision making you have seen in the media.
Describe the role one element (integrity, authority, discretionary power, or morality) plays in discretionary decision making in general.
Explain how one element (integrity, authority, discretionary power, or morality) may have affected the discretionary decision made in the instance provided.
What to Submit
This assignment should be 300–400 words in length. Any references should be cited in APA style.
Discussion 1 Post for reference:
I recently saw an example of a discretionary decision made by an officer while watching an episode of LivePD. The incident took place in Pinal County and involved Sheriff Lamb. In this particular case, Sheriff Lamb had pulled over a driver for speeding. However, after assessing the situation, Sheriff Lamb decided to reduce the speeding ticket down to a traffic infraction, essentially cutting the driver a break.
Sheriff Lamb’s actions demonstrate the power of discretion in policing. As Maartje van der Woude defines it, discretion refers to “the freedom, power, authority, decision or leeway of an official, organization or individual to decide, discern or determine to make a judgment, choice or decision, about alternative courses of action or inaction” (2016). In this instance, Sheriff Lamb used his discretionary authority to choose a more lenient course of action for the driver.
While the driver was still penalized for their traffic violation, Sheriff Lamb’s decision to reduce the severity of the ticket shows that discretion allows officers to consider individual circumstances and apply the law in a more flexible manner.
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