The Corrections Officers Of Corcoran State Prison - 954 Words

â€Å"Objectively public administrators are accountable to both their superiors and the citizenry— proximately and routinely to the former but ultimately and more importantly to the latter† (Cooper, 2012, p. 198). A situation at Corcoran State Prison was challenged with a situation wherein dual obligations conflicted. Corcoran State Prison became the center of a serious ethical scandal that consisted of illegality, injustice, endangerment, corruption, and conspiracy. Two corrections officers of Corcoran, Steve Rigg and Richard Caruso, were faced with the question of where their loyalty lies— with their superior or with the citizens they serve? The corrections officers of Corcoran State Prison participated in unyielding instances of prison†¦show more content†¦Also, in some cases, records were falsified to justify the actions of the corrections officers. Another example was the misuse of the prisons’ integration policy. Within an isolated location known as the security housing unit, this policy was supposedly established to bring unity among rival inmates in effort that they could ultimately transfer to the prisons’ general population. As of a result of these unethical actions the civil rights of the inmates were violated. (Dryburgh, 2009, pp.164-165). Steve Rigg and Richard Caruso were two corrections officers that discovered the unethical practices in Corcoran State Prison. In spite of the risk of being terminated and other retaliation, Rigg and Caruso made a decision to come to the defense of the prisoners by becoming whistle blowers. â€Å"Whistle blowing may be defined as the attempt by an employee or former employee of an organization to disclose what he or she believes to be wrong doing in or by the organization† (Callahan, 1988, p. 315). According to Dryburgh (2009) â€Å"the motives of a whistle blower can be classified as rational, normal based or affective† (p. 158). Rigg and Caruso’s motives for becoming whistle blowers are more in accordance with normal based motives as they â€Å"encompass a desire to serve the public interest and advance social equity while preserving an individual level of loyalty to the responsibilities of the position as well as a commitment to government† (Drybur gh, 2009, p. 158). A