Level 3 Stage Of Moral Development

I would generally place police and correctional officers in the level 3, stage 5 of moral development. At this stage, known as the social contract/legalism phase, the officers should demonstrate an understanding of morality that not only emphasizes social good but the principles by which they are achieved (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). Simply meaning that when officers are in the field they will not only follow the rules of the department, they are also following the law because they understand the implications if they were to violate an individual’s constitutional rights. Additionally, there is also an understanding of why there are departmental procedures in place to make sure those rights are not violated in their quest to problem solve.

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In a society where public opinion and social media dominates, it is in an officer’s best interest to operate at the highest level of morality. The lack of trust from the public has put police departments under a microscope and any infraction can subsequently harm the reputation of their department. An example of this was the Justice Department’s investigation into the Ferguson Police Department, after the highly publicized shooting of Michael Brown. As a result of this investigation, it was revealed that the Ferguson police department routinely violated the fourth amendment rights of its citizens ("Justice Department Announces Findings of Two Civil Rights Investigations in Ferguson, Missouri", 2015). As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility”. This is true of correctional and law enforcement officers, more specifically law enforcement. Officers in both capacities have a responsibility to maintain integrity in both personal and professional areas (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). Those in positions to protect have to reflect morals worthy of