Integrity, Ethics and Professional Conduct
Integrity, Ethics and Professional Conduct tests whether you can be trusted with authority in a closed environment. The questions are less about reciting the Code of Conduct and more about recognising the moment where a small compromise becomes a serious breach.
The framework
- NSW public sector values - integrity, trust, service and accountability - apply on and off duty.
- The CSNSW Code of Conduct requires you to act lawfully, fairly and honestly, declare conflicts of interest, and report suspected misconduct.
- Authority is borrowed, not owned. Force, search powers and detention are lawful only when used for a proper purpose, to the extent necessary.
- Confidentiality covers inmate information, operational security and staff matters. It does not cover a disclosure you are obliged to act on.
- Gifts and benefits - refuse anything from an inmate or their family. Declare anything offered by a contractor or supplier.
- Relationships - no personal, financial or romantic relationships with inmates or former inmates contrary to policy, and no business dealings that create an obligation.
- Contraband is an absolute line: never bring anything in, never pass anything on, never 'hold' something for a colleague.
Worked example
An inmate says he has arranged for a carton of cigarettes to be left for you near the staff car park as thanks for 'treating him like a person'. What do you do?
Refuse, do not go near the car park, and report the offer to your supervisor immediately, in writing. The offer itself is an attempt to create an obligation and may be a test. Doing nothing is not neutral - an unreported offer leaves you vulnerable to coercion later.
Traps
- Rationalising a 'small' gift or favour.
- Loyalty to a colleague overriding the duty to report misconduct.
- Using workplace systems (databases, cameras, radio) for personal reasons.
- Withholding information in an investigation 'to protect' someone.
- Signing a record you did not witness or know to be inaccurate.