DEKALB COUNTY– Circuit Judge Shaunathan Bell recently spoke with Extended Family Leadership Academy students about the role ethics plays in everyday decisions.
Bell presented the lesson at the DeKalb Youth Services Center. He serves as a circuit judge for Cherokee and DeKalb counties.
His lesson was titled “Ethics: What Is It? Why Do We Need It?”
Bell opened the discussion with a scenario involving someone taking another student’s shoes without permission. The students agreed the action would be wrong.
The example helped introduce the need for moral and ethical standards. Bell also explained how those standards relate to the laws that govern society.
He later discussed basic ethical principles and professions that follow a code of ethics.
Students considered how ethics applies to daily interactions. The discussion included telling the truth despite possible consequences and helping people who have acted unkindly in the past.
Bell concluded the lesson with three central points. He encouraged students to apply the same moral standards in every situation.
He also warned that drug and alcohol use can weaken ethical judgment. Finally, he reminded students that doing the right thing can be difficult, but it remains the right choice.
Extended Family Leadership Academy programs are designed to prevent children from entering the juvenile justice system. The programs also seek to reduce repeat offenses and break generational cycles of incarceration.
Extended Family officials say those efforts can help create safer communities.
Additional information about Extended Family programs is available through the organization’s social media accounts under @extendedfamilyhelp and at extendedfamilyhelp.org.
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