The Corrupt Practices of the Police and Correctional Systems Assignment

The Corrupt Practices of the Police and Correctional Systems - Assignment Example IV. Correctional Facility Violence. A. Causes of Correctional Facility Violence. B. Types of Correctional Facility Violence. V. Recommendations. A. Recommendations on Police Corruption & Violence. B. Recommendations on Correctional Facility Violence. VI. Conclusion. The Corrupt Practices of the Police and Correctional Systems Abstract Despite many reported improvements that have been made in the past few years the American Police and Correctional System remains steeped in serious problems including violence, corruption and an endemic culture of brutality that unfortunately continues to unfairly target and harm especially minorities. Since the highly publicized brazen police brutality captured on film being meted out on Rodney King in Los Angeles more than a decade ago in 1992, there still continue to be many reports of instances of law enforcement officials using undue force on civilians either while arresting them, after they have been arrested and while being interrogated. The cult ure of violence continues into the correctional institutions where prison officials regularly brutalize inmates. The police forces in many states also continue to be in the midst of corruption and highly stressful work conditions that to a great degree also contribute to this violence. Introduction Working as a policeman has long been considered not only a noble and sacrificial vocation but one that brings with it a strenuous, high octane and sometimes highly dangerous occupation. It calls for a dedication that goes far beyond many non-public minded citizens and can be a thankless, never-ending task for which many officers receive little or no recognition, despite the fact they are usually out there putting their life and limb literally on the line of fire day in day out. There is a large number of police officers and correctional facility minders who perform their duties with a high degree of integrity, honesty and dedication. Unfortunately, there are still a number of police offic ers of all ranks in the police forces throughout the country who have succumbed to the pressures of their jobs and the stress it inflicts on them to resort to corrupt and violent behavior that continues to be reported (Carter, 2012). Corruption & Violence According to a typical police officer’s code of ethics that members of the police force are required by law to abide by, one of the key requirements is that they must out their duties with a high degree of integrity, a great deal of fairness and in a totally impartial way. They are also expected to ensure that they do not exceed their authority or violate the constitutional rights of any person (Florida Department of Law Enforcement, n.d.). Yet one needs only look at the daily press to see the constant news of police officers breaking each of these basic rules. In April, 2013, a former New York detective retired and sued the NYPD, claiming that the department’s internal affairs department – their own unit for p roviding over the workings of the department – for discrimination against her because of her race and for being unable or unwilling to tackle the corruption in the department (Marzulli, 2013). In October another NYPD officer, on being sentenced for felony charges of civil rights violation said in open court that the NYPD was the most corrupt police department in the world (Signore, 2012). Many police departments are plagued by an endemic corruption that has long persisted in many police departments such as the NYPD and the Chicago Police Department (CPD). The