Police Officer Discretion, Corruption And Discrimination

There are many forms of police and correctional officer corruption, that affects not only the effectiveness of our criminal justice system; but also society. Police corruption can be best explained as actions which “exploit the powers of law enforcement in return for considerations of private-regarding benefit and that violate formal standards governing his or her conduct” (Arrigo & Williams, 2012). Corrupt acts can consist of: corruption of authority, kickbacks, opportunistic theft, shakedowns, fixes, protection of illegal activities and direct criminal activities. In any order or fashion, all of the above mentioned is unethical and in many cases illegal (Arrigo & Williams, 2012). As for correctional officer corruption, it can share many of the same characteristics as for policing. Instead of external, correctional officer corruption is in most cases internal; which is notable difference between the two (Arrigo & Williams, 2012).

Today’s justice professionals are in the public eye more than ever. There are a multitude of devices out there that allow civilians to capture every move a street officer makes. It is more crucial now than ever that these officers arm themselves with the knowledge of ethics along with the items on their utility belt. The wrong choice in any decision a justice professional makes will have the public ready and willing to lash out. These difficult ethical decisions are all part of the job that they have taken. Taking the time to learn about what is right and wrong is essential to their positions in society.

In order for a Police agency to prevent and deter Police misconduct, there must be a definition to what actions and behaviors that the term will encompass. The term ‘police corruption’ has been used to describe many activities: bribery; violence and brutality; fabrication and destruction of evidence; racism; favoritism or nepotism. Many different scholars differ in their own examples of the definition. Before attempting to the question of whether a precise definition is possible, it is worth examining the range of activities that might be included within a broad discussion of corruption. In (Bayley and Perito, 2011), it is defined as police corruption is a contested phrase with narrow and broad meanings. Narrowly

“Ethical issues regarding corruption and off-duty behavior have become an increasing challenge in criminal justice” (Writing, 1999-2013). Within the criminal justice system, ethics can be complicated by the moral implications of actions. Differences in cultures and different circumstances can affect the individual moral compass. However, all departments of criminal justice operate by a certain code of ethics and by certain standards. But those standards and ethics often become challenged due to issues relating to police brutality, off duty conduct and corruption that we hear about all of the time through the media.

The implicit bias of law enforcement officers to perceive White Americans as innocent, and non-White Americans as criminals, has lead law enforcement officers to profile non-White Americans. This is an example of white privilege because white offenders are virtually immune to being suspected of drug use. And because law enforcement officers do not suspect white people of drug use in proportion to the number of them that actually use drugs, they do not arrest white drug users accordingly. Moreover, court officials do not charge white offenders proportionately. Thus, disproportion in incarceration rates is a form of racial inequity. If white people used their privilege to advocate for non-white people we could eliminate this racial inequity. But first, we must take steps to educate white children on white privilege. Only then can white children use their privilege to advocate for non-white people. How then, specifically, does educating white children on white privilege work?

High standards and ethics are essential to many positions in the criminal justice system (CJS). Often coupled together, ethics and standards ensure that officers and other criminal justice (CJ) practitioners adhere to regulations and law, including moral codes of behavior and conduct (Fagin, 2017). This document will explore the impact of ethics and standards on the roles of a police officer, prison guard, and probation officer. The influence of a particular court case on a practitioner in court will also be discussed. Lastly, research will be reviewed to determine the most appropriate career path based on the student’s alignment concerning CJ ethics and standards.

There are still various issues relating to gender, race, and class that exists in our Police departments. Many times, there have been a lot of campaigns in the country whose aim is to reduce discrimination in workplaces in the matter of race, class and gender. In the recent times, there have been debates on whether these campaigns matter or whether they will have an impact on the police department because of the issues that involve gender, race, and class. These issues have been experienced for a long time now and it is becoming a standard. Therefore, this essay will evaluate on practices that relate to race, class, and gender in the police department. The paper will also analyze how these issues will affect me while I work as

Police corruption has been an issue that has left a lasting blemish on communities and society. Police corruption usually derives a lack of respect officer(s) feel that either the city does not care about them or they are not paid enough for their duties. Throughout this essay I will give you a better understanding on the issue that is police corruption by using terminology from the book such as the “rotten apple theory”, “blue wall of silence” and “deviant subculture”. With corruption this affects the view we have on police and it is up to us not fall into the trap of negativity and create a better society for the future.

It is not for debate whether blacks are discriminated against in the workplace. Even after the civil rights act of 1964, which states banned on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin in the workplace, black people continually still face racism. The problem is why is this a problem? Some might argue it’s because racism still exists, and some white people can’t accept the idea of a black person holding the same job title as them. To resolve discrimination against black police officers from fellow Caucasian co-workers and supervisors, the International Association of Chief of Police should impose stricter punishments such as suspension for 6 months with no pay, a dishonorable discharge, and mandatory yearly psychological evaluations.

In numberless events where a law enforcement officer is accused of acting violent against an innocent suspect, the officer is accused of using a weapon, either lethal or nonlethal. An officer’s code of conduct/ethics is normally the determining factor for an officer when deciding how to react to a situation. Although the majority of people believe that all officers have the same codes of conduct/ethics, countless departments set their own in place (Dwyer 1). The majority of the departments have a separate code of conduct/ethics than what the officers learned in the academy.

Police are what is known as street-level bureaucrats. This basically means that police are civil servants working on the “street level” in direct contact with the general public enforcing the laws of the local, state and federal law. Police officers work alone or with a partner patrolling the streets within their beat, therefor they are given a lot of discretion with their title. Discretionary judgment is necessary for a well functioning police department, but it must be demonstrated properly in order to have positive outcomes. A police officers ability to use discretion properly can help build the relationship between law enforcement and the community, but if officers abuse their discretionary judgment then it can lead to decisional influences / biases (Dempsey pg. 144, 2018). A few solutions have been implemented in order to counteract / remove these discretionary negatives.

“Between you and me, Los Angeles is the most overrated, lousiest, countriest, phoniest city I’ve ever been in.” (Himes, 1945). While it ranges from adolescents to senior citizens, people of color are not safe in the United States. The United States is supposedly the land of the free, home of the brave. But who are the free? Who are the brave? In school, it’s indoctrinated into students that we are all free, and we should look up to those that serve and protect us, those are the brave. What if the people that are supposed protect us aren’t? Instead they are cowards hiding behind a wall of nonfactual fear.

In Edwin J. Deltarres' book Character and Cops he explores three hypotheses for police corruption in the United States. Some are somewhat historical, but they are still relevant to the problem of corruption today. The first hypothesis is called "the society at-large" theory by former Chicago Police Superintendent O. W. Wilson. Wilson was superintendent of the Chicago Police Department during the early nineteen sixties. The second hypothesis is called the "structural" theory. The third is called "the rotten apple theory." I will provide a brief analysis of the three hypotheses in this essay and examine which one(s) is valid today.

Pollack, J.M. (2017), Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice (9th ed). Boston, MA, Cengage Learning.

Law enforcement officers tend to abuse their power due to the fact that a stronger deviant motivation often give rise to greater deviant opportunity and weaker social control. Grabiner (2016) stated, “Corruption in policing, generally aims towards the poor and working individual and has specific racial dimension” (para. 3). Citizen involvement in policing needs to take a different turn and become more noticeable. The biggest issue is undoubtedly corruption of the law enforcement process. The amelioration of community relations requires not only instituting programs and changing procedure and practices, but re-examining fundamental attitudes. Law enforcement officers have to listen patiently and understandingly to people who are openly critical