Probable causes for police corruption: Some theories

Theories and explanations of police corruption presented in recent social science literature are reviewed to develop a conceptual framework for future study of the problem. Theories of corruption due to individual failings, organizational deviance, cynicism, lack of deterrence, and the lack of consensus on victimless crimes and their effects, are discussed.     

Internal strategies against corruption: Guidelines for preventing and combating corruption in police authorities

While corruption is not an entirely new phenomenon in Germany, the number of cases suggests that proactive measures should be taken to strengthen prevention and detection. This article proposes a number of measures which, used separately and in combination, aid prevention and detection. It then proposes a wider management approach to dealing with corruption which ranges from general to specific strategies and actions that are intended to prevent corruption, to design out the circumstances in which it may occur and to provide means of detecting areas of risk and vulnerability. The article particularly focuses on police organisations but has applied relevance to all public sector organisations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Organized crime: Changing concepts and realities for the police

This brief presentation notes how the lack of clarity of what exactly is meant by “organized crime” as it is evolving, and particularly its transnational dimensions, can create problems and confusion for police and community alike. The role of the media is of particular significance in determining how both police and citizens perceive the scope and impact of organized crime. This in turn has implications for operations, priorities, and so on. The need to address a number of important areas that limit police effectiveness in countering organized crime, such as cooperation and sharing, appropriate resources, and measures of effectiveness, is also noted.     

Race, gender, and motivation for becoming a police officer: Implications for building a representative police department

Police departments have come under increasing pressure from community groups, professional organizations, and their constituents to hire more female and minority officers. Although prior research suggested that there might be both gender and racial differences in the factors influencing the decision to enter police work, much of the work was dated and findings were mixed. The current research, conducted in spring 2002, examined motivations for entering police work among a sample of 278 academy recruits in the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Findings indicated that motivations for becoming a police officer were similar regardless of race or gender, and the most influential factors were altruistic and practical, specifically the opportunity to help others, job benefits, and security. Minor differences did emerge among male and female recruits, as well as among Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans, but the practical implications of those differences seemed limited. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for recruitment efforts as police departments seek to draw more diverse applicant pools and build more representative law enforcement agencies.     

The police psychologist on the silver screen: Reviewing the roles on the reels

This article examines the portrayal of police psychologists in the cinema. A comparison is made between motion picture and television depiction of “cop shrinks.” Through content analysis of video segments from recent films, the case is made that a skewed picture is provided to the viewing public about the actual roles and functions of professional psychologists employed by law enforcement agencies. The value of entertainment is discussed in terms of the importance of accuracy. An argument is made for the need for professional organizations such as the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology (SPCP) to lobby film makers to more completely present the realistic contributions of psychology to law enforcement personnel and organizations. Stereotypes and type casting are revealed as media perpetuation of myth and misinformation.     

A social psychological approach to the study of police corruption

Police corruption is herein defined as a mode of behavior that is chosen because it will lead to money or other personally desirable rewards and involves a misuse of the authority of a police officer's occupational role. In recognition of the importance of explanation to the development of effective control techniques, a clearly explicated theoretical model is offered. Elaboration of this model involves an inclusion of the propositions of theories of social learning, role theory, and anomie in an attempt to provide a more thorough understanding of the various processes involved in police corruption. The model suggests that corruption arises through a process of interaction during which the individual police officer learns such behavior in accordance with the responses of others. Role theory is used to account for the motivating forces behind corrupt behavior. Following a discussion of the proposed theoretical basis for corruption, various research suggestions are offered.     

The role of the I/O psychologist in police psychology

This article explains the role of the industrial/organizational psychologist for students interested in a career in police psychology. The article describes what I/O psychologits do and the education and training necessary to enter this career field.     

Factors associated with college crimes: Implications for campus police

A considerable amount of attention is now being paid to the serious nature of campus crime. However, little information is available with regard to those factors that might be closely associated with such incidents. This paper discusses security features and demographic characteristics of a select number of colleges throughout the country. It also describes the extent to which these factors are related to campus crimes. Conclusions and recommendations for campus police officials are discussed.     

关于公安文化软实力研究的探讨——兼谈传统文化对当代公安文化建设的启示

当前价值多元化的社会环境对警察素质和道德提出严峻考验。面对此形式,有必要重新审视自身传统文化资源和国外警察文化资源,古为今用,洋为中用,批判地继承和吸收,以促进当代公安文化的建设,增强公安文化软实力。传统文化中的"忠"、"仁"、"勇"、"公廉"这四种传统文化精神完全可以对接当代公安文化的建设。     

Institutions and the culture dimension of corruption in Nigeria

Mention Nigeria to most people in the world and the retort is likely to be some reference to how corrupt the country is. Institutions, rules, and norms of behaviour have adapted toward the ultimate goal of predatory gain. When corruption becomes institutionalised in a society, it infiltrates the value-system, and it becomes a norm, part and parcel of culture. Nonetheless, one complicating and seemingly contradictory factor in this notion of the culture of corruption is that the majority of people in Nigeria do not internalise corruption as something morally acceptable. On the contrary, even if they have to take part in corrupt practices to get by or even to survive, they usually consider the practices as morally wrong. This work identifies, discusses, and analyses the weakness of institutions and the use and abuse of cultural norms as the primary reasons for endemic corruption in Nigeria.     

Constraints in the police use of force: Implications of the just war tradition

The “just war” philosophy of Cicero, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas has had momentous and provocative implications for modern political theory. The use of force by police is one theme through which the just war tradition can be utilized to demonstrate the extent of infusion for the concept in the Western political archetype. As police become constrained in their use of force, they are bound by the concepts inherent in the philosophy of the just war doctrine. The Supreme Court, likewise, has been influenced by the philosophy of the just war tradition in many of its decisions regarding the proper use of force by police.     

From rank-seeking to rent-seeking: Changing administrative ethos and corruption in reform China

There are two contrasting images of the contemporaryChinese bureaucracy: the first is one of stiffrevolutionary cadres working under a marginallyreformed mobilization regime; the second is one ofrationalization of administrative institutions withthe transformation of cadres into modern rule-orientedbureaucrats. By examining some prevailing informalbehaviors of Chinese public officials, this articleoffers an alternative image: a neotraditionalistofficialdom with a reconfiguration of somepatrimonial, revolutionary, and legal-rationalinstitutions, ethos, and modes of operation.     

Promoting a culture of fairness: police training,procedural justice,and compliance

Objectives

Academics and practitioners alike are concerned about the potential “double-edged sword” of procedural justice. In the organizational context, procedural justice is expected to increase compliance with supervisors. However, blind, unthinking, or “hard” compliance with supervisors, may lead to anti-organizational behavior and misconduct. The present study examines the moderating effect of a police recruit cultural training program on the relationship between procedural justice and compliance with police supervisors. We expect that providing cultural training will moderate the relationship between procedural justice and “hard” compliance.

Methods

Participants were police recruits at the Queensland Police Academy who were randomly assigned to an experimental (Voice 4 Values) or control condition (business-as-usual training) upon entry into the academy. Recruits in both groups were surveyed pre- and post- training to capture perceptions of procedural justice and compliance with supervisors.

Results

Results suggest that procedural justice mattered less for predicting “hard” or unthinking compliance among the recruits who received the Voice 4 Values cultural training package, compared to those who did not receive the training.

Conclusions

We conclude that while procedural justice may be of interest to policing organizations, it is important that it is not used as a tool to encourage unthinking compliance. We find cultural training reduces the effect of procedural justice on unthinking or “hard” compliance.

     

From corruption to extortion: Conceptualization of post-communist corruption

Moral outrage and lack of comparison distorts the understanding of the natureand politically determined functions of governmental corruption in post-communist transition. As post-communist societies move towards open market systems and corruption is no longer limited to the public sector, politics is transformed into a potent tool for illegal transactions. The political structureitself creates corrupt practices that become a structural feature of transition societies. This article offers first a critical discussion of both moral theories of corruption and the thesis that posits a link between corruption and democracy deficit in post-communist countries. Subsequently, it sketches a neo-functionalist approach that puts corruption in a specific social context.With respect to East/Central Europe, corruption is presented as a betrayal ofpublic trust that serves specific requirements of an emerging ``extortioniststate.' These requirements relate to the expansion of extortion opportunitiesand their institutionalization into a semblance of a Tule of law system.