The Pros And Cons Of Police Corruption In Thailand

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).

Police corruption contributes to the misuse of police powers because it involves the use of favoritism, bribery, shakedown, and perjury. Police corruption can be caused from discretion, low managerial visibility, low public visibility, and politics. Police officers are given a wide range of discretion on how to handle situations and that often leads to the abuse of power. Also, managers are not always watching over the officer’s shoulder to ensure that the right thing is being done, and the public does not often see the actions of the police. Which means they can get away with a lot of wrongful actions. Politics can create corruption in policing because politics can affect hiring standards, promotions, discipline, and adequate budget. There have been instances where a political leader would tell management who they want to be promoted. That is wrong because promotions should be dependent on your work ability, not because of political influence. There is also external corruption that will convince the officer to engage in payoffs and gratuities. For example: drug dealers would give police officers a percentage of their profit so that they can continue to sell and not go to jail. (Locke, 1996)

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

Police corruption: An ethical issue in criminal justice CCJS 380 6980 Ethical Behavior in Criminal Justice Krystle Ellis September 27, 2015   Part One Police corruption is a form of misconduct when a police officer uses legitimate authority illegally for personal gain. Police have a duty to protect the citizens and create a sense of law and order (Beigel, 1974). To protect citizens police are supposed to curb crime and investigate it to bring the offenders to justice. Corruption is a crime that has become rampant today. Therefore, corrupt police forces cannot create a sense of order and legitimacy.

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.

One of the issues that are affecting the future of policing is corruption. Corruption is generally defined as fraudulent and dishonest actions by public officials with power. This is the same for law enforcement as their corruption is an abuse of their authority for private gain while under duty. This improper conduct usually begins as police deviance. Law enforcement officers with such behaviors are not socially accepted yet has led other officers, especially rookies, into engaging in criminal activities.

Protection of illegal activity is when a drug dealer or someone running a brothel house will pay the officer off so they can keep there illegal business running and to protect them from other law enforcement. Opportunistic theft is yet another typical crooked act many police officers execute everyday. This is when police officers steal from arrestees, victims of crimes, or dead bodies. Furthermore, it is very rare to hear about police corruption. This is because most police departments want to keep known police corruption in-house since these acts are displaying a disservice to the community they are suppose to serve and protect. Additionally, the main aspect of police corruption that makes it difficult to solve and stop is the Blue Code of Silence. The code is an unwritten law or rule that pronounces if a police officer witnesses a fellow police officer preforming a corrupt act he will not report him and keep his mouth shut. Most police departments have an us-against the world mentality, which means if a officer reports another officer he is going against the whole departments. Whistleblowing or reporting misconduct is looked down upon and often times these police officers get suspended and mistreated from their colleagues. The forms of police corruption, relevance, and the Blue Code of Silence are major features that make police corruption into what it is today.

When police officers choose a path that is immoral or unethical, they are labeled as being corrupt. The media can play a significant role in the public’s opinion of police officers and this idea was supported by Gallagher, Maguire, Mastrofski, and Reisig in a 2001 report on the public image of police when they stated “In the final analysis, it is not unreasonable to suppose that people exposed to negative mass media images will have lower evaluations of the police” (p. 37). There is a lack of state and federal laws that specifically address police corruption as a whole and Neild (2007) addressed this by saying “It is important that national laws and institutional norms governing policing address issues of corruption explicitly, and make it clear that

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.

Corruption happens everywhere but there are some countries that really struggle with their law enforcement agents being corrupt. For example, in countries with high poverty it is not a surprise to see law enforcement associated with criminals. They allow criminals to transport their drugs or sell them to get a cut of the profits. In Mexico it is very common that a cop who stops someone for a traffic infraction would let them go without a ticket if they give them “a mordida” which basically is slipping the cop some money and they will let you go on with your day. It is very sad that such things happen. In order to fix that there would have to be a strong government in place, and higher sanctions for officers that get caught being involved in corrupt activities.

In simple terms, corruption in policing is usually viewed as the misuse of authority by a police officer acting to fulfill personal needs or wants. For a corrupt act to occur, three distinct elements of police corruption must be present simultaneously:

The term paper attempts to examine the problem of Police Corruption. Police force is the only body in the society who are given authority to use the force towards citizens, any malpractice in the police

The cases that are mostly seen worldwide with police corruption are due to drugs and drug trafficking. Police officers get involved with the “easy money” and believe the theory of “I will not get caught”; it is miserable and emotional to see the United States law enforcement get caught up in these cases. “In 2012, two corrupt cops joined forces with drug dealers and are now facing jail time; they put dozens of criminal cases in jeopardy. Officers Diaz and Patrick Mara admitted to ripping off drug dealers of their methamphetamine during traffic stops. This was the beginning to police corruption in Kern County.”(Richard Winton) The two police officers were corrupt since a while back. “They both pleaded guilty to their charge and got punished for it. Officer Diaz would not fully report the drugs they would find and instead would keep more than half. Officer Mara was caught selling methamphetamine to other individuals.” (Diaz and Mara admitted) Other cases they were involved in are now put under jeopardy and could possibly be missed charged. Cops should not allow such horrific thing to occur. If they know about a corrupt cop they should immediately report it. People and younger

Police corruption has negative consequences on the society, thus, it is important to investigate the factors that cause police corruption. The present essay aims to explore the factors that cause police corruption and its intervention. Police corruption is believed to be an organisational deviance rather than an individual misbehaviour. Police officers are considered ‘clean’ when they join the police organisation and their deviant behaviours might be induced by police culture. The employment of slack management with low control and norms of secrecy of police corruption in police organisations are factors that lead to police corruption. In addition, recruits follow the informal rules in the organisation due to peer pressure and are initiated

Corruption is a complex political, social, and economic anomaly that negatively affects developing and developed countries. It weakens democratic institutions, holds economic development, widening the rich-poor gap and certainly leads to governmental instability. The World Bank definition of corruption states that “…the abuse of public office for private gain”.