Terms like police misconduct and corruption are used to describe the situation when police officers abuse their authority, driven by greed, desire for personal gain, ignorance, prejudice, and malicious intent. These terms are often used interchangeably. They refer to a large number of violations of procedural, criminal, and civil nature. The word “Misconduct” is used to describe the broadest category of police violations. Common examples of misconduct are (Police corruption and misconduct, 2016):
- Excessive use of physical or deadly force when handling or apprehending a suspect.
- Discriminatory arrest based on race, gender, age, and social group.
- Harassment, whether of physical or verbal nature
- Selective enforcement of the law based on personal preferences and prejudices.
- Police brutality.
- False arrest and detention.
- Malicious prosecution.
- Wrongful death.
Police corruption, on the other hand, refers only to crimes and abuse committed by the officers with the intention of personal gain. The most common examples of police corruption are bribery, extortion, purchasing and selling stolen goods and illegal merchandise, and drug dealing (Police corruption and misconduct, 2016).
In prisons, corruption and misconduct occur in a variety of forms. Due to the closed-system nature of prisons in the US, the correctional facilities provide plenty of opportunities for abuse of authority. Prison guards and officials are known for accepting bribes and sexual favors in return for weapons, drugs, mobile phones, and other commodities prohibited in prisons (Prison corruption, 2016). Other, more complicated examples of corruption are related to high-level prison officials. These include organ and blood trafficking (The right to bleed, 2013), patronized drug dealing, covering up crimes and human rights abuses, and other violations. Many of these incidents are associated with the notorious lack of transparency in the American prison system, particularly in the private sector (Prison corruption, 2016).
Key Recommendations to Address the Corruption Occurring in the Police and Correctional Systems
Corruption and abuse of authority are impossible to eliminate. Humans are not without flaws, and these flaws help generate corruption and crime. However, there are numerous ways of curbing the growth of corruption, particularly in our small city. The society must see that the police are not above the law. In order to achieve this honorable goal and clear the ranks of corrupt officers and officials, several measures must be taken. These are:
- The FBI should conduct a thorough investigation on all levels, from the ground level and straight to the top, in order to find and punish all members of the police force guilty of corruption and misconduct. This act will reinforce public opinion in the long run, and serve as a warning for any future misconduct.
- Recruitment standards for police officers and prison guards must be increased. As it stands, current hiring standards are low, especially in private prisons (Fuchs, 2015). In order to minimize corruption, all candidates must be held up to the highest moral standards.
- Increase payment and training level of the prison guards. As it stands, the role of the prison guard is considered the lowest tier role in the justice system. They are undertrained, underpaid, and disrespected by fellow officers (Fuchs, 2015). This situation only promotes corruption and abuse of authority. In order to change the situation, prison guards must be made equal members of the justice system.
- Keep constant vigilance by conducting frequent sting operations, reviews, and checkups on the situation (Messick, 2015). Corruption and misconduct bloom in places where there is a lack of vigilance.
- Adopt a new ethical philosophy. As it stands, the police philosophy is self-centered – it focuses on the well-being of the police officer over the well-being of a suspect or a civilian (White, 2009). This makes police officers more prone to corruption.
References
Fuchs, E. (2015). America’s prison guards are the ‘ugly stepchildren’ of the criminal justice system. The Business Insider. Web.
Messick, R. (2015). Rooting corruption out of the courts: the use of undercover sting operations. Web.
Police corruption and misconduct – history, contemporary problems, further readings. (2016). Web.
Prison corruption. The problem and some potential solutions. (2016). Web.
The right to bleed. (2013). Web.
White, S.A. (2009). Controlling police corruption. Web