Justice and Ethical Standards in Healthcare and the Criminal Justice System

Ethical Standards and Human Behavior

Ethical standards are quite fundamental since they define the essence of human behavior. Societal norms form the basis for ethical guidelines and standards. Justice is an essential quality that must be applied in numerous sectors. Persons in positions of responsibility have an obligation to cater for those in their care. Although power can be corrupting, people are required to adhere to just and ethical principles. The paper will argue how justice and ethical standards must be applied concurrently in the healthcare industry and in the criminal justice system.

Application in the Healthcare System

In the healthcare system, medical practitioners are expected to apply ethical and just standards. All patients should be provided with an equal opportunity to benefit from quality healthcare. It would be unethical for medical professionals to favor certain patients and ignore others. Ethical standards should be respected whenever donated body organs are offered to recipients. It would be illegal to bypass individuals that were higher on the organ list. Medical professionals also display fairness in their decisions to report child abuse or other criminal activities. In many cases, doctors and nurses conceal unethical conduct on the part of patients. Drug abuse and abortion were to be reported to law enforcement agents.

Ethics and Justice in the Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is one of the most important social structures. Police officers must exercise justice when apprehending and interacting with suspected criminals. Justice requires the presumption of innocence even when the offense is well-established. All offenders must be provided with competent attorney to represent their interests before the court. Suspected offenders have the right to defend themselves from any allegations. Police officers would violate ethical standards if they used fictitious evidence to force convictions. Bribes to officers of the court are prohibited since they lead to a miscarriage of justice. In addition, jury members should avoid making prejudgments of arraigned persons. This would ensure that accused persons receive a fair trial through which their guilt or innocence can be freely established.

Injustice and Discrimination

In addition, justice and ethical standards were often violated during interactions with people of color. Police officers were frequently accused of discriminating against blacks and Hispanics. Racial discrimination and prejudice were prevalent in the rates of arrests and convictions. African Americans comprise the majority of inmates in federal prisons. Furthermore, blacks are likely to get longer sentences than whites even when both parties committed similar crimes. The percentage of blacks on death row is higher than that of whites although blacks are the minority of the population. Such biased outcomes create disillusionment with the federal government. Factions such as Black Lives Matter were formed in response to perceived lack of fairness. Riots and demonstrations have also been perpetrated due to injustice.

Conclusion

Indeed, ethical and just guidelines must applied in tandem in numerous settings. Healthcare professionals have an obligation to manifest justice in their actions and procedures. In this regard, all patients should be provided with medication. The criminal justice system should also reflect ethical principles to avoid discrimination and bias. Consequently, ethical and just standards should be respected in all spheres of human interaction.