Scenario: Working in the criminal justice system, every decision requires balancing concerns such as prosecuting the guilty, respecting the rights of the accused, protecting victims, and creating a safe community.
In this scenario, you are a police detective, and, along with your partner, you handle the majority of homicide cases in your town. A woman in your city was seen walking alone at night and was later found brutally raped, beaten and left for dead. She is now in a coma.
Earlier that evening, a gang of young men was seen in the area, assaulting and threatening passersby. The responding officers picked up two members of the gang, 14 years of age, near the location of the crime after they fled questioning by the police. Your partner has just finished interviewing both of the suspects in separate interrogation rooms. Both youths have records for robbery and assault. While entitled to having their parents present, no significant effort was made to find them. While it is department policy to videotape important interviews, your partner did not tape either interview. Your partner comes to your desk and tells you that they both have confessed to the attack. When you ask your partner about the missing parents and the lack of videotape, he says, "don't worry about it. They are both guilty as sin. We can close the case." You are fairly certain that your partner probably crossed the line on his interview, which is why he conducted the interview alone. However, you are convinced that they are both guilty. What are you going to do?
The criminal investigation has been underway for several months and has received a great deal of publicity. The case has risen to national prominence as an example of how today’s youth no longer respects fundamental social values, television and video game violence has desensitized young men to the consequences of crimes such as assault