Police Corruption In America

Police Corruption In America

Your Name (First M. Last)

School or Institution Name (University at Place or Town, State)

.

Police Corruption In America

Introduction

Corruption is a social, economic and political threat that has gained significance in the past twenty years. There are different shapes and various effects of corruption. History of corruption can be traced back to the beginning of creation of law and state, where earliest record is found in the thirteenth century. One of the major forms of corruption can be found in legal framework. Police corruption is a type of corruption, accompanied by police misconduct in which law enforcing bodies does not abide by the political contract and abuse their power. It may involve single police official or a group of police executives, where both the conditions are a challenge to human rights, public trust and the cohesion of police department with policies. Bribery is one of the forms of police corruption.

Discussion

Police corruption is a major challenge in peacebuilding because it wastes resources, slows down the economic development, undermines justice and security as well as it alienates citizens from the ruling bodies. The faith of general public in the criminal justice system is dependent on the knowledge that rules are the code of conduct. There are a number of police officers who made significant efforts to operate within the legal framework but unfortunately, police corruption persist. It is argued that the efforts to curb police corruption are actually hopeless because it attacks the balance of legal authorities and hampers public trust. (Morris, et, al. 2019).

There are a number of causes of police corruption. In accordance with the ideology presented in rotten apple theory, it is asserted that corruption is the action of those executives who try to abuse power given to them. Police officers try to make illegal and unethical use of power in order to achieve certain personal aims or adhere to the racist ideology. It has been observed and a number of cases are registered that assert that police officers try to favor people of their communities and punish those who belong other communities. Side by side, sometimes there is no evident cause and a police officer misuses his power in order to show hatred for the other community. Moreover, police corruption occurs when there is no check and balance on the actions of police officers; they are not asked about their misconduct and are given the freedom of practice. One of the leading causes of police corruption is easy access to larger sums of money. Illegal liquor trade and other briberies are a major source of earning more money. (Morris, et, al. 2019).

There are a number of consequences of police corruption, ranging from social distortion to political instability. One of the major consequences is the lack of public trust. Issues of police corruption pave the way for distance between police and general public; police are viewed more as a nuisance than protection. The overall stance of law enforcement is hampered because the global approach towards peace and harmony is lost. Police department lacks integrity because one executive is not considered loyal to the other. It is significant to note that the overall crux of law and authority is mitigated because everyone strives for its own benefit. There is an increased ratio of crime in society because it is easy to bribe police executives and they no longer believe in adherence to peace and prosperity. Side by side, there is an increased ratio of cases of violence and conflict between public and law enforcement bodies because there is no fear of administration and accountability. (Baker, et, al. 2019).

Conclusion

It can be concluded that police bribery is one of the significant issues that can hamper the timeline of social economic and political overview of America because people no longer feel safe and there is a stress on public interest rather than political interest.

References

Baker, P., Berry, M., Czitrom, D., Hahn, B., Kloppenberg, J., Lamoreaux, N., & Witwer, D. (2019). Interchange: Corruption Has a History. Journal of American History, 105(4), 912-938.

Morris, S. D. (2019). Linking crime and corruption: The case of Mexico. In Corruption in Latin America (pp. 207-233). Springer, Cham.