Ethical Ways and Unethical Decisions on a Case Assignment

Ethical Ways and Unethical Decisions on a Case - Assignment Example These include Autonomy promotes choice (Patterson & Patrick, 2000). However, while allowing the woman to make her own choices, the parole officer should still tell her about the parolee’s previous charges. This is because the parole officer has been trusted to offer protection. Pollock (2007), reports that while utilitarian ethics may tolerate actions (means) that ultimately have a good end, any â€Å"bad means† (such as not letting the woman know about the previous child molestation offences of the parolee) might lead to a bad outcome. In this case, not letting the woman know of the parolee’s previous child molestation charges would be going against the code of ethics established for rehabilitation counselors. This is because the woman’s three children aged 6, 9, and 14 would be at serious risk of being harmed by the offender (John). However, in keeping with the justice requirement cited in the rehabilitation counselors’ code of ethics, the probation officer should recognize that no crime has been committed against any of the woman’s children yet (Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors, 2009). An unethical decision would be to assume that the parolee has already committed a crime by being close to â€Å"potential victims.† Other options available in this situation include informing the woman to avoid John at all costs for the safety of the three children. The argument for this is that extreme shaming should be avoided. Pollock (2007) argues that â€Å"shaming† conditions only work towards making the offender feel abandoned and cast aside by the society and may work against the rehabilitation process. Since no offence had been committed to the woman or her children, avoiding â€Å"shaming† the parolee further would still be ethical and morally acceptable. Patterson, J., & Patrick, A. (2000). Choice: Ethical and Legal Rehabilitation Challenges.Rehabilitation Counseling