WV Wesleyan Center for Ethical Professional Development in Criminal Justice

This project will support the establishment of a Center for Ethical Professional Development in Criminal Justice at West Virginia Wesleyan College, which will design the curriculum and delivery systems for a professional development certificate program to train criminal justice professionals using the educational framework of Role Morality. In much the same way that medical professionals train to align their professional behaviors with the Hippocratic Oath regardless of their private beliefs, we propose to create a Role Morality framework for criminal justice professionals that will circumvent the shortcomings of Implicit Bias training. Rather than try to reconstruct the personal beliefs of criminal justice professionals, Role Morality training will focus on aligning the actions and behaviors of criminal justice job requirements with the institutional values of a criminal justice system in a democratic society to enhance the ethical application of justice. The training will include a 15-credit-hour certificate program offered through West Virginia Wesleyan College's Center for Ethical Professional Development in Criminal Justice. The goals of this training program are to enhance the professional development and effectiveness of law enforcement and corrections personnel in West Virginia and to improve public confidence and trust in the West Virginia criminal justice system by engaging with the public to identify the values expected from the community that integrate into the curriculum. Funding for this project will support the startup costs of establishing the center, including purchasing simulation and virtual reality technology for scenario-based training, as well as subject matter and curriculum experts who will design, implement, and evaluate the program's effectiveness during its pilot phase. The design of this certificate program will be adaptable to public safety professionals in a wide variety of settings, guided by a shared values framework that guides public safety decision-making at all levels. The team is still working through the final development of the program, but this document serves as a fluid narrative of the current plan. Further reporting will be provided as the project progresses, including but not limited to relationship cultivation with local police departments and other subject matter experts as needed.