So if a cop gets an adresse wrong and is a bit too trigger happy and ends up killing innoscent people. Its their chief of police who should go to jail because they told them to go arrest a suspect? Unless we change the system to allow cops to just do whatever they want whenever with not leadership?
The idea that just because a programmer doesn’t have complete autonomy over their work that they suddenly become unaccountable for negligence and errors is ridicules.
Who actually works in a job like that? Do you seriously think you’re a slave to your boss, with no personal agency? Do you think your employer wants you to be feckless? Do you think that’s good for your career?
Your capacity to take responsibility is the differentiating factor between junior and senior engineers. Learn to step up. If nothing else, your pay check in 10 years time will thank you.
You position is a position of principle. When peopke lives are at risk (boeing, fukushima and yes even the post-office) pragmatism must prevail. Those in charge must pay the price, otherwise you incentivise financial results over everything else. People die? Oh that's because Greg in engineering is an idiot, burn him!