The course emphasizes that people, regardless of race, color, creed, sex, country, or social status are all human beings who have an inherent right to respect, fair treatment, and personal dignity. Treatment that the public receives from police officers must reflect these values. The goal of the program is to contribute to the larger effort to help various developing countries achieve their democratic objectives. The course looks at the role that values play in people's lives and in their work. For the most part, these values are learned from intimate relationships with families and friends. The challenge of the course is to explore these values that shape decision making processes. The next step is to reaffirm their centrality in daily life and work. The course affords an opportunity for participants to reflect on their experiences and behavior in terms of whether they are consistent with or conflict with a deeper sense of right or wrong. Discussions focus on the importance of opening a dialog with the community, articulating the value system of the police organization, implementing a clearly defined code of conduct for police, and developing a training program to ensure compliance with policies and procedures designed to protect the dignity of both citizens and police. Individual and group participation are key components of the teaching method. Because of the success of the human dignity training course, John Jay College has been invited to join in the new International Law Enforcement training initiative based in Budapest, Hungary.
Police Training in Human Dignity (From Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Comparing Firsthand Knowledge With Experience From the West, P 41-43, 1996, Milan Pagon, ed. -- See NCJ-170291)
NCJ Number
170295
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City has created an instructional program called "Human Dignity and the Police"; over a 4-year period it has been offered to police officers from 31 countries that range from the regions of Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Abstract