Question

You are a rookie correctional officer at a state prison. The day is coming to an end and the inmates are in their cells. As you make your rounds to count heads, one of the inmates asks you if you’d bring him a piece of dental floss. He says he has an uncooked grain of rice from dinner stuck in his back teeth and it is very painful. He only needs a small piece, surely not enough to pose any problem. According to prison rules, dental floss may only be used in the shower area, under observation. It is apparent to you that the inmate is in discomfort, and you know this inmate to be well-behaved. To decide how you will act, you consider the ethical systems that might apply to the situation. If you decide to provide the dental floss because you believe it will alleviate the inmates suffering, even though it means breaking the rules, which ethical system would this illustrate?

Answer 1

Answer: Reciprocity

Explanation: Reciprocity is an act of kindness towards someone that is done with a belief that if I do good to you , you are likely to return the favour and do good to me.

If someone has been good to you it is likely that you will want to be good to them too, such as this inmate who has been well behaved and who has not caused problems for the officer.

Since he has been good the officer wants to be good to him . That is reciprocity.