‘A Man for All Seasons written by Robert Bolt is considered to be a prominent play, reflecting the atmosphere and life in England in the 16th century through parallelism to the modern era. The author managed to demonstrate the idea of legal and moral interaction, political and religious contradiction based on corruption, the central theme of the play. He reflected the rise and fall of his protagonist Thomas More showing strong social hierarchy and political pressure of the period he lived in. It is necessary to underline the fact that Bolt focused on the character’s experience disclosing spiritual, political, and mental corruption promoted in the society of that period.
Historical background
The 16th century was a period of political conflict and corruption in England; the theme is presented through the statesman Thomas More who is considered to participate in the struggle between the state and the church. Being a man of principles, it is necessary to suffer isolation from common opinion influence and general thought promotion. More’s complicated political campaign stands for truth as an inspiring light; nevertheless, the refusal to compromise the principles resulted in the struggle against the whole world. The author managed to underline the idea that Thomas More was eager to lose everything to reach wit and truth for English political development.
“Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world…. But for Wales!” (Bolt, p. 95).
The truth is presented against power based on political leaders’ desire to be at the head of the state and dictate their regulations and standards for society. Rich’s rise causing More’s fall is the phenomenon of wit and just dissolving for corruption prosperity. The author managed to show that the new leader never protested England’s corruption, though his power and Crown corrupted him (Innes, p. 115).
The play discloses mental corruption through Thomas More’s desire to make light of different threats and dangerous situations, though his disapproval of the king’s intentions, has always been oppressed and ignored. The author strived to represent the theme through the concept ‘silent’ underlining the fact, that expressing no opinion and personal considerations helped More to protect the family from US legal prosecution. Mental corruption was vividly expressed throughout the play, being overcome by listening to inner voice and conscience, connecting with the idea of the necessity to serve and listen to God, to avoid mental limitations and pressure on the part of social unity (Odell-Scott, p.114).
Pragmatic vision
Moral and spiritual approaches appeared to be described through pragmatic vision; More’s principles and moral standards were considerably contradicting for the 16th century. It is necessary to underline the fact that the author disclosed a considerable dilemma between the character’s loyalty to King, conscience, and religious scruples.
“And when we stand before God, and you are sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?” (Bolt, p. 78).
The pressure of moral and legal rights, as well as spiritual aesthetic about pragmatic one, was centralized based on political dominance and religious debates.
Conclusion
The analysis of the play ‘A Man for All Seasons, written by Robert Bolt managed to demonstrate the highlight of corruption theme through political, mental, moral, and spiritual aspects. The author disclosed state debates and inner contradictions developed by social order and norm regulations characterizing England in the 16th century.
References
Bolt, Robert. ‘A Man for All Seasons’. Vintage. 1990.
Innes, C. Modern British Drama: the twentieth century. Cambridge University Press. 2002.
Odell-Scott, D. Democracy and religion: free exercise and diverse visions. Kent State University Press, 2004.
Franz Kafka is one of the most reputable authors who have explored alienation and corruption in their literary works. Although human beings alienate themselves for their advantage, they can suffer from their actions. Meanwhile, totalitarianism and corruption are detrimental to social and economic development. Franz Kafka explores the two themes by narrating the stories of protagonists in his works. The themes are evident in his “The Metaphor” and “The Trial”. However, the latter gives a wider perspective of alienation and totalitarianism in contemporary society. Franz Kafka in “The Trial” argues that alienation and corruption can benefit specific individuals, they encumber personal and social development.
Plot Summary
Freedom and enjoyment of other human rights are anchored on the effectiveness of a country’s criminal justice system. Therefore, a compromised system can be hurtful to many powerless individuals. Franz Kafka was a visionary German-language writer with epic works including “The Trial” and “The Metaphor”. “The Trial” was posthumously published in 1925, and is regarded as the most pessimistic of his works. The novel explores the life of a young man, Joseph K., who is intertwined in the mindless bureaucracy. Consequently, he becomes synonymous with anxiety and a sense of alienation. “The Trial” is a replica of the biased contemporary criminal justice system.
The novel starts with the story of Joseph K., the protagonist who is under arrest during his thirtieth birthday. The opening sentence gives an overview of the main issue the novel discusses. Franz Kafka starts his novel by stating, “Somebody must have slandered Joseph K., for one morning, without having done anything wrong, he was arrested” (Kafka 2). The absurdity of K.’s situation is that the inspector, before whom he is summoned, does not know the charges put against him. The situation worsens when the protagonist is not informed of his hearing dates and is scolded by the judge. The novel ends with Joseph K. not knowing why he was arrested and the criminal justice system in which he found himself ensnared.
Literature Review and Thematic Analysis
Franz Kafka utilizes various themes, making his novel interesting and a true depiction of contemporary society. Alienation, corruption, power, sex, and totalitarianism are the most explored themes in the novel. The novel criticizes totalitarianism in which the government has absolute control of a citizen’s everyday life. Additionally, the author is scornful of the government that fails to be accountable to individual citizens. According to Franz Kafka, misuse of the power of lack of effective principles of governance. While exploring corruption in the criminal justice system, Franz Kafka presents how alienated and anxious the victims of such systems feel. Therefore, corruption and totalitarianism breed anxiety and loneliness in the society members.
Alienation
Alienation is a sociological and psychological issue that can be detrimental to a person’s relationship with other members of society. There is no clear-cut trajectory on the definition of alienation since it involves an individual’s emotions, friends, and society at large. However, the term can be described as a situation in which a person withdraws and becomes isolated from their social environment (Rotenstreich 32). Alienation is associated with various emotions which include a feeling of helplessness, meaningless of the world, and difficulty in speaking and associating with others. Therefore, alienation leads to disappointments and hopelessness in the systems that make up society.
Cultural, social, and self-estrangements are the common forms of alienation that affect an individual. According to Zhang and Lee, cultural estrangement involves a feeling of being removed from the established values of society. Social estrangement includes a belief that society does not value the dignity of a person. For instance, people feel undermined in a community that grants privileges to a specific race but is biased against others. Meanwhile, self-estrangement manifests as being out of touch with oneself in various ways, and inability to form a personal identity (Ioris). Although the three forms of alienation, as defined by various scholars, manifest differently, their effects are common.
Alienation in “The Trial”
Franz Kafka portrays his nightmarish stories to him and the whole human conditions’ acquittances. The novel presents the incompatibility of the “divine law” and human law, and the protagonist’s, Joseph K., inability to understand the discrepancy. Although Joseph K. tries to come to terms with his society’s reality, he is hopelessly caught in the mechanism of his contriving, and a series of accidents and incidents. In “The Trial”, the protagonist is intertwined between the good and evil of society, but can neither understand their scope nor resolve their contradiction. Consequently, it is difficult for Joseph K. to give a clear answer to his identity and personality in life. The protagonist’s anxiety and the feeling of loneliness are exacerbated by the compromised nature of the criminal justice system.
The author views society as all-compromising but indifferent, risking the enjoyment of freedoms and natural rights by the powerless. Joseph K. is one individual who is treated differently from the privileged members of society. The novel starts with a story of how Joseph K. was arbitrarily arrested. Joseph K. struggles to understand why he was arrested, and why the inspector tells him that he has done nothing wrong. Franz Kafka explores the theme of alienation through the trial of Joseph K. who is seemingly isolated by society.
Criminal justice systems are supposed to be unbiased, offering all the members of society an equal opportunity to defend themselves. However, in “The Trial” the defense is manifested paradoxically since some individuals are isolated from the set principles of the judicial process. Joseph K. is treated unequally and denied an opportunity to defend himself. While the guards insist that he has committed a punishable crime under the country’s laws, they fail to specify the crime committed. Failure to inform Joseph K. of his crime proves alienation within the police system in his society. The absence of a defending chance denies Joseph K. an opportunity to assert himself, and vocally raise his concerns. Consequently, the criminal justice system has alienated itself from the common citizens and wants them to just blend in.
Moreover, Franz Kafka explores alienation in “The Trial” by showing a lack of camaraderie within the social institutions. While the protagonist is subjected to various institutions that make up the justice system, each institution acts on its own to fulfill its desires. The guards arrest Joseph K. and are seemingly doing what is expected of them by society. Meanwhile, the inspector fails to collaborate with the guards to know why Joseph K. was arrested. Additionally, the lawyers in the novel have alienated themselves from their clients. The author states, “It looks as though the advocate aims to exploit the obtuseness and cowardice of his clients for his own self-aggrandizement” (Kafaka 142). The inspector did so to excuse himself from the case and continue staying in the neighbor’s bedroom. Furthermore, the courts act isolated by failing to work closely with the inspector, guards, and Joseph K. to expeditiously solve the underlying issue.
Although alienation is shown in the criminal justice system, Joseph K. is also presented as a person who does everything for his benefit. The protagonist takes strategic actions at his workplace to fulfill his desires. He is a rival with the bank’s deputy director and does anything possible to quash him. The consequences of his actions are seen when he kisses Fraulein Burstner and later distances himself from her. At the end of the novel, Franz Kafka states that Joseph K. cares so little about Fraulein Burstner. Joseph K.’s ability to control his life comes to an end when he finds himself at the mercy of the biased judiciary.
Totalitarianism and Corruption
While totalitarianism and corruption have different meanings, they are closely associated. In a strict sense, totalitarianism means a form of governance in which individuals are under the absolute control of the government. According to Feltran (98), a totalitarian government seeks to subordinate all aspects of an individual to state authority. Congleton agrees with Feltran’s argument since he states that in a totalitarian government, the citizens are denied an opportunity to express themselves and take part in key decision-making activities. Unlike dictatorship, totalitarianism supplants all political institutions with new ones and does away with legal, social, and political traditions. “The Trial” is a perfect example of how harmful totalitarianism can be.
Corruption is a common characteristic of totalitarianism and tends to benefit a few individuals in society. Corruption is defined as dishonest and fraudulent conduct by individuals with power and typically involves bribery (Li et al.). According to Hardiman, totalitarianism results from the failure of the government to intervene in corruption and its related activities. Hardiman further argues that totalitarianism and corruption are the same things since one cannot talk of totalitarianism without corruption. In his novel, “The Trial”, Franz Kafka depicts the court system as corrupt and one that is totalitarian. Therefore, individuals have no options when brought before the court but bend as low as the judge decides.
Totalitarianism and Corruption in “The Trial”
“The Trial” follows criticism of the judicial system as presented in the similar works of the ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles to Shakespeare. While the novelist’s narration presents him as an outstanding one, it shows how well-acquainted he was with the law. The author shows totalitarianism and corruption in various ways and incidents throughout the novel. Incomprehensible legal proceedings, court vagueness, and the absence of the right to self-defense are elements of totalitarianism and corruption in the novel. Joseph K.’s encounters sum up the court system as the one guided by the principle that accusation is equal to conviction. The blurry nature of the judicial system encumbers social and personal development among those who fall victim to its processes.
Franz Kafka is satirical against the pointless, corrupt, and incomprehensible nature of legal proceedings. Joseph K. is arrested on a fine morning without a proper explanation. Although he had managed to solve his problems including the one at the workplace, he finds himself between life and death. Franz Kafka states, “The proceedings were not only kept secret from the general public but from the accused as well” (Kafka 110). Keeping legal proceedings secretive is one of the most common elements of corruption since people with power can use it to their advantage. The author uses various symbols to present the vagueness of the courts in the novel. He associates the court with words such as “darkness”, “dust”, “staleness” and “suffocation”. Franz Kafka narrates that the court is constantly surrounded by fog, symbolizing the clouded judicial system’s vision.
Totalitarianism is depicted in the novel through the description of the trial process. The courts have absolute control of the accused and their representative. The author states, “filled with sludge and lawyers are strictly forbidden to improve their situation with any structural repair or alterations” (Kafka 100). Additionally, as observed in the novel Joseph K. is denied an opportunity to defend himself. Evidence and defense are useless in the court, and all that matters is one’s connection with higher court officials. The lawyers in the novel are pursued to build a connection with those in power. According to the author, “the most important thing was counsel’s connection with the officials of the court; in that lay the chief value of the defense” (Kafka 110). As the novel comes to a close, Joseph K. is left with only one option: accept the execution as directed by the court.
Effects of Alienation, Totalitarianism, and Corruption in “The Trial”
Scholars in sociology have broadly explored the effects of alienation, totalitarianism, and corruption in society. Alienation and totalitarianism lead to intergroup hostility, political withdrawal, status-seeking, and a sense of powerlessness. The argument is consistent with the observations made in “The Trial” as narrated by Franz Kafka. Intergroup hostility involves prejudice and negative opinions against specific individuals in society. In “The Trial” the hostility can be observed when Joseph K. was arbitrarily arrested and subjected to an unconducive environment. The hostile environment and actions taken against Joseph K. exacerbated his physical and psychological pain.
Political withdrawal is manifested in various forms, and it involves key players in social progress. In “The Trial”, the author targets professions in the criminal justice system. Lawyers have a moral duty and obligation to speak up against atrocities that humans are subjected to by a totalitarian government. Instead, Franz Kafka describes lawyers as professionals who are interested in exploiting their clients and not defending them. Therefore, it seems the lawyers are politically withdrawn. Additionally, the judges have conformed to the existing system, and no longer deliver their moral and professional duty. Furthermore, the guards and the inspector have failed to operate as expected by the law. Political withdrawal is the root cause of continued totalitarianism and corruption in a society.
Status-seeking and a sense of powerlessness can be caused by alienation and totalitarianism. Joseph K. seeks to be recognized as more powerful than the deputy director of the bank he is working at. However, his ambitions are brought to stoppage when he is arrested and subjected to the harsh criminal justice system. (Kafka 3) argues that status-seeking and corruption are associated. Meanwhile, a sense of powerlessness is felt by those whom society disfavors, including Joseph K. in “The Trial”. According to Cantón-Cortés et al. (212), a sense of powerlessness can lead to psychological disorders including anxiety and depression. Therefore, alienation, totalitarianism, and corruption are detrimental to social and personal growth.
Critique of the Themes as Presented
Although Franz Kafka has effectively explored alienation, totalitarianism, and corruption in his novel, his work is not perfect. The author is limited in what the reader knows about the protagonist and the criticized system. For instance, the novel throws the reader into a bewildering world of the first trial of the protagonist without giving some background information. Consequently, it is difficult for the reader to have sufficient knowledge of the novel’s happenings. Moreover, the novelist is highly biased against the system he presents. Throughout the novel, Franz Kafka fails to mention some of the steps taken to salvage the corrupt and incomprehensible courts. Therefore, it is upon the reader to understand and come up with solutions to the overacting social problems in the novel.
Conclusion
Franz Kafka’s “The Trial” is a classic example of an alienated and totalitarian society. The novel explores the story of Joseph K. who struggles to win social status but is later subjected to a corrupt criminal justice system. Franz Kafka uses various stylistic devices including symbolism to describe the unjust court system. Alienation and totalitarianism breed corruption in the novel, making it difficult for the protagonists to be served justice. While Joseph K. alienates himself at his workplace for personal advantage, he is isolated when brought to trial. Consequently, he is not informed of his crime and is denied an opportunity to defend himself. Although the author gives a true depiction of contemporary society, his work is biased and with limited knowledge for the audience.
Power in the hands of good people is useful because they use it to serve and improve the lives of others. On the contrary, bad people with power may abuse it to promote their own selfish interests. Furthermore, they abuse the power to oppress and cause violence and pain to their fellow human beings.
Many leaders abuse their power and oppress the people they rule. Many of Shakespeare’s plays portray how power corrupts people. The abuse of power is evident in some characters in Shakespeare’s plays namely, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Titus Andronicus and Richard III. Some of the characters in the plays change once they receive power or get a promise of acquiring power; they allow greed and blind ambition to corrupt them until they meet their downfall.
Macbeth
Macbeth is a good example of a person who becomes corrupt because he has been promised power. The play was written in England during the time when there was a threat to the king and his throne. The people loved the king and Shakespeare wrote the play in his honor just as other writers pen praise leaders they admire (Macbeth as Royal Play 1).
Macbeth first learns that he would become King in the future from the three witches. The once virtuous man starts to change and becomes a villain and wicked person full of evil, as the hunger for power begins to grow in him. The wife, Lady Macbeth, urges him to kill King Duncan and ascend to the throne and increases his ambition for power (Bloom 20).
Macbeth does not want to kill because he thinks sanely, and knows it is wrong to kill “Will great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/clean from my hand?” (Shakespeare a 2. 2.58-59). He overcomes his doubts and decides to kill Kind Duncan because he thinks he is the obstacle to the throne.
He has become an evil man ready to betray even a friend like he did to King Duncan thought Macbeth is a genuine friend. Thus, blind ambition leads to cruelty like the one shown to King Duncan by his friend Macbeth and his wife. Power corrupts and makes people forget their morals and commit unspeakable deeds.
Greed is a vice that causes people to commit evil. The vice occurs to people who get into power through underhand dealings. They desire to consolidate their illegitimate power and in order to do so, they unleash violence on the people who are perceived to be threats to their power.
Macbeth ascends to the throne, he is determined to hold on to the throne, and so he must get rid of Banquo and his family because the witches had predicted that the throne would go to his sons. He kills Banquo and his son hence adding more blood on his hands. On the other hand, his ascension to the throne drives him and Lady Macbeth apart and she later commits suicide. Macbeth becomes more violent as he desperately tries to keep his power. He plans to kill Macduff as well.
He does not feel any remorse about his evil way as illustrated by his words “I am in blood/stepped in so far that, should I wade no more/returning were as tedious as go o’er” (Shakespeare a 3.4.153-137). He plans to kills Macduff and his family as well and yet he is not a threat to him “Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o’ the sword /His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls/That trace him in his line (Shakespeare a 4.1.131-135).
His greed is so strong that he seeks an oracle from the three sisters and he is told that he is invincible and cannot be harmed by a mortal man. He believes the oracle, and goes to war but he is killed in the war. His greed for power drives him to his death the ultimate downfall.
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth is a strong willed character. She desires to become powerful, and once she learns about the prophecy concerning her husband ascension to the throne her hunger for power heightens.
She wants King Duncan dead for her husband to become a king. She wishes to kill him herself but she cannot and tells her husband to do it instead. Macbeth is tempted by the power to execute the evil plan but backs out,”We will proceed no further in this business:” (Shakespeare a 1.6.33).
However, Lady Macbeth mocks him out of anger because she is ambitious, and wants to become the Queen. She attacks his manhood by telling him “And live a coward in thine own esteem, /Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,” (Shakespeare a 1.6.46-47).
She is very ambitious and greedy for power. Her ambition makes her cruel, and shows no regard for the sanctity of human life. Eventually, Lady Macbeth becomes the queen but she does not enjoy the power that she fought so hard to gain.
She starts to think about her actions, and guilt consumes her. She keeps seeing the scenes from the murder of King Duncan ““Yet here’s a spot…/ Out, damned spot! Out, I say! – One; two; why, / then ‘tis time to dot. –Hell is murky. – Fie, my/ lord, fie! A soldier and afeard? What need we/ fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account? / Yet who would have thought the old man/ to have had so much blood in him?” (Shakespeare a 5.1.31-36).
In addition, the innocent death of Banquo disturbs her until the weight of her sins drive her crazy to commits suicides. Thus, the greed for power leads Lady Macbeth to her downfall.
Richard
The play Richard III was written during the Elizabethan era. During that time, Calvinism, the religion that believes God determines human actions, and rewards good human behavior with good and returns evil with evil was gaining root in England.
Thus, Richard got the reward he deserved of dying in the war for all the evil he had committed against innocent people. Shakespeare wrote the play and incorporated the people’s belief about God’s punishment in Richard III. Richard was an evil man who had risen to power illegitimately and killed many people during his brief reign, and he would be punished at the end for his behavior.
The playwright also incorporated the beliefs of the Protestant Reform believers who believed in common grace from God and justice. Richard is an evil man and Margaret calls him “”hell’s black intelligencer” (Shakespeare b 4.4.7) Therefore, the downfall of Richard in the pay was a punishment from God to England for the way he had treated Richard II and Richard would help to root out the evil in the society in readiness for a new King.
The new King who gave hope to England was Henry VII who signified a new beginning after the death of Richard III (Baldwin, P and Baldwin T 62). Richard III dies in the war “God and your arms be praised, victorious friends,/ The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead” (Shakespeare b 5.1.1-2). Richard dies as a dog and Richmond takes over the reign and ushers in a new dawn.
Richard is ambitious for power, and does everything in his power to become King. He is physically challenged as he says in the opening scene of the play “I, that am rudely stamp’d, and want love’s majesty/ To strut before a wanton ambling nymph; / I, that am curtail’d of this fair proportion,/ Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,/Deformed, unfinish’d, sent before my time” (Shakespeare b 1.1.16-20).
During the renaissance period, the deformity of the body was as a curse and people with the deformity did not stand a chance of succeeding. Richard knew his disadvantages but he was a shrew character or a very clever cunning man, and he used his deformity to ascend the throne (Schaap 26).
His stature is not attractive, and he says that even dogs bark at him but he is determined to attain power and he will ensure that his brothers Clarence and King Edward IV turn against each other by falsely accusing Clarence of planning to kill the King. He kills his brother Clarence who was in line to the throne. Thus, after the death of King Edward IV, he ascends to the throne.
However, before he climbs the throne he has to clear his way by removing any obstacle that might hinder his quest for power. He pretends he is a good man even though we know he is a villain or a wicked man because of his ambition for power.
He is acting in his evil ways “But then I sigh; and, with a piece of scripture,/Tell them that God bids us do good for evil:/And thus I clothe my naked villainy/With old odd ends stolen out of holy writ;/ And seem a saint, when most I play the devil” (Shakespeare b1.3.28). He plots against his brother Clarence to be killed because he is greedy for power, and the brother would be a hindrance. The ambition for power engulfs Richard and he kills all the people considered supporters of the princess. His greed has made him blind.
Once on the throne Richard kills innocent people. He orders the assassination of his nephews the young princes. Power can corrupt, and Richard was no exception he did not care even for people close to him such as his wife Ann whom he killed. Finally, he lost the support of people and even his mother cursed him. He died in the war because his greed for power blinded him, and brought his downfall on himself.
Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus a Roman general believes in Rome. He respects the Roman law, and follows it to the letter. He allows Sartininus to become King even though he had threatened him. Sartininus marries Queen of the Goth Tamora an enemy of Titus. Titus has power but he uses it wrongly first by killing Alarbus and his son Martius. The people in power kill his sons in jail and he swears to revenge their deaths.
Titus has suffered so much, he does not expect any justice for the wrongs committed against his loved ones, and he decides to take matters into his own hands. We see his gradual downfall from the war hero at the beginning of the play to a man who does not care much about his status when he puts on the uniform of a cook during the banquet (Escolà 72). Saturninus asks him why he is dressed as a cook and he says, “Because I would be sure to have all well / To entertain your highness and your Empress” (Shakespeare c 4.2.31-32).
However, his mission is not to serve but to seek revenge and he is able to disguise his intentions well. He later kills Tamora’s sons and bakes their remains in a pie that he serves Tamora and her husband. He decides to kill his daughter and put her out of her misery because she had become dependent on him for everything such as feeding her as he tells her during dinner “Come, let’s fall to, and, gentle girl, eat this (Shakespeare c 3.2.54).
Eventually he kills Tamora and Saturninus kills him. Lucius kills Saturninus to avenge his father’s death. Titus death is brought about by his abuse of power at the beginning of the play when he sacrifices Tamora’s son. The killing starts his downfall journey as revenge sets in and leaves many other people dead including him.
Oberon
Furthermore, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream uses power against people close to him. For instance, Oberon is jealous about his wife, and hence he becomes cruel to her. He reduces her sexuality to that of an animal when he uses magic to cause her cuckold an donkey, it means Oberon can use his power to get whatever he requires without regard for other people.
He does not care how his wife would feel about getting involved with a donkey. He is vengeful towards his wife, and uses his power to exercise power over his wife. It is important to note that during the Elizabethan era when the play was written the society was patriarchal. Men dominated over the women and marriage served as the ultimate way to tame women.
The women who got married would be under the authority of their husbands and before marriage, their fathers controlled them. A woman who got married was seen to have achieved in the society and thus marriages were very important to women in order to gain respect in the society (The Life and roles of Elizabethan Era Women 1).
Oberon, the king of the fairies is the husband of Queen Titania. His character changes from time to time. He can be compassionate especially when he sympathizes Helena because of her troubles with Demetrius. He uses his magic to help her get the love and attention of Demetrius. Furthermore, he ensures the Athenian lovers get suitable partners and blesses them to bear beautiful children.
On the contrary, he uses his power to get his way. His jealous and abuse of power is evident when his wife refuses to give her foster child to him whom he desires.
Puck tells us the reason for Oberon’s jealous towards the child “And jealous Oberon would have the child/ Knight of his train, to trace the forests wild; / But she perforce withholds the loved boy, / Crowns him with flowers and makes him all her joy (Shakespeare d 2.1.23-26). Oberon is power hungry and wants to take away the boy from Titania to make him his slave. He wants to show his wife how much power he wields over her.
Oberon is even abusive of his wife, and calls her “Tarry, rash wanton: am not I thy lord?” (Shakespeare d 2.1.63). The king of the fairies will use his power to control everyone he desires. Power has corrupted him, and he does not hesitate to abuse for his self-interests. He does not show his wife respect, and reminds her he is the lord hence she should obey his commands without questioning. Surely, power has made Oberon a ruthless man.
His ruthlessness is seen clearly, after he decides to make his wife fall in love with Bottom. He gives Bottom an ass head, and makes his wife fall for him using his magic. His greed for the Indian boy blinds him to an extent of not caring whether his wife falls for a beast. His ambition to get the boy for himself is very great and nothing will stand in his way.
Oberon uses magic juice upon his wife as he tells his servant Punk “I’ll watch Titania when she is asleep, /And drop the liquor of it in her eyes. /The next thing then she waking looks upon,/Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull,/On meddling monkey, or on busy ape,/She shall pursue it with the soul of love:” (Shakespeare d 2.1.). He turns Bottom’s head into an donkey’s and Titania falls for him. Her attention shifts from the boy as she pursues her lover and Oberon gets the boy he desires. Therefore, power and greed makes Oberon ruthless.
Furthermore, Oberon uses his power to conquer women. He has a big love for other women apart from his wife. She accuses him of having affairs with women outside their marriage. For example, Titania accuses him about his affair with Hippolyta.
She also accuses of involvement with Philida “To amorous Philida. Why at thou here” (Shakespeare d 2.1.68). the affairs he has with a string of women show that Oberon uses his power to win over women and leaves one for another. He is not concerned about his wife’s feelings because he feels he is her lord. Thus, he can do anything he wants without fear or shame because he has power, which he can use to maneuver his wife.
Oberon’s power not only affects people close to him, but every other person too. Titania tells him that their fights have been very violent and they have affected even the seasons “But with thy brawls thou hast disturb’d our sport. /Therefore the winds, piping to us in vain,” (Shakespeare d 2.1.87-88).
The interruptions of the seasons by their brawls make other people suffer such as farmers who plant in vain “The ploughman lost his sweat, and the green corn” (Shakespeare d 2.1.94). The people face danger of starvation because of crop failure “The fold stands empty in the drowned field,” (Shakespeare d 2.1.96). The power does not directly lead to Oberon’s downfall but the power he possesses causes disruptions in the universe
Conclusion
Lastly, power corrupts and some people use it wrongly for their own selfish gains. Many people admire power, try all means possible to attain it, and may kill some people to clear the way.
After killing and manipulating their way to power, they have to come up with ways of keeping the power and thus they continue the streak of evil ways that they used to acquire the power. Innocent people who appear as legitimate threats to power are eliminated because the leaders fear of losing it and become paranoid. Once in power leaders become greedy.
They cannot think of someone else ruling, and the desire to hold on to power intensifies. The more they try to hold on the more they become corrupt villains who hurt instead of protecting their subjects. Using the Machiavellian thinking, they do everything to remain in power. However, the greed and blind ambition for power leads to destruction of self and even society. The people corrupted by power end up in a downfall because they do not know when to stop committing evil and eventually it comes back to them and destroy them.
Works Cited
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Macbeth as a Royal Play. Web.
Schaap, Katherine. “Enabling Richard: the Rhetoric of Disability in Richard III.” Disability Studies Quartley, 29.4 (2009): 26.
White-collar crime has been an issue that has been affecting many governments and organizations. Since the inception of the term in 1939, the rate and diversity of the crime have increased. Fraud is one among the many forms of white-collar crimes that has found its way into public organizations. Its resultant impact is the reduction of the amount of revenue that is earned by public corporations as a result of shady deals between public officials and third parties. This essay therefore critically analyzes fraud, its impacts and the measures that can be put in place to minimize it.
Introduction
White-collar crime is a relatively new branch of criminology. The term was coined by Edwin Sutherland. He defined it as a form of crime that is committed by an individual who is highly respected and has earned a high social status in his/her occupation (Braithwaite, 1985). In the course of committing these crimes, such individuals usually go against the trust that has been vested to them. They usually abuse the power that the hold for their personal interests and benefits at the expense of the organization or corporation that they work for. According to Sutherland, the behaviour that leads to the commission of white-collar crime arises from collision with other individuals (p. 5). Due to this fact, white-collar crime is also associated with other offences such as corporate crime.
Initially, it was considered that crime came about because of poverty, psychopathic behaviour or sociopathic conditions that come about as a result of poverty (Sutherland, 2006). With regards to these facts, criminologist normally believed that people of the middle and lower classes in the society could only commit crime. This has however been proven to be false. It has been identified that individuals of the upper class also commit crime by the virtue of the positions that they hold and the trust and power that is vested to them. These individuals commit white-collar crimes. The nature of offences that individuals of these two classes commit is more or less the same. However, when these crimes are quantifies in monetary terms, the crime that is committed by people of the upper class is much more than that committed by the people of the lower class.
The number and extent to which white-collar crimes are being committed has increased with time (Sutherland, 2006). As stated earlier, it is the individuals who hold high positions in their occupation that mainly commit these crimes. This therefore includes people who are in the public and private sector. Due to the broad nature of this crime, this paper will concentrate on the white-collar crimes that are committed by officials in the public sector. It will focus on the nature of the crimes that can be committed by these individuals, their consequences and various measures that can be put in place to reduce the occurrence of the same offences in future.
Types of White-Collar Crime
There are several types of white-collar crime. They include fraud, bankruptcy, embezzlement, computer crime, money laundering, inside trading and so on (Sutherland, 2006). All these crimes are similar in application. They only differ in the nature and extent to which they are committed. All in all, these crimes are committed by individuals who take advantage of the trust that is vested in them and the positions that they hold.
Public officials, due to the positions that they hold, are capable of committing any one of these crimes. Such acts normally portray a bad image of state owned organizations (Shover, 1998). Due to the high preference of corruption and white-collar crimes, state owned organizations in many countries have lost the trust and respect from the public. People normally view public officials as corrupt individuals who work only to achieve their individual goals and objectives and not that of their respective corporations or the nation at large. Due to the high rates of white-collar crimes, the performance of state owned corporations in many states around the world has been mediocre. This has risen as a result of the poor performance that is neither effective nor efficient.
Fraud in Public Organizations
Due to the diverse nature of the different types of white collar crimes that can be committed by public officials, this paper will only concentrate on fraud. According to a study that was conducted by Rosoff and Pontell (2002), fraud is the most common white-collar crimes that are being committed by public officials (p. 4). Like any other form of white-collar crime, individuals commit fraud for personal gains. In many instances, the crime may go unnoticed if the organization does not have strong internal control systems that are effective and efficient (Rosoff and Pontell, 2002).
Fraud can be defined as an intentional deception that aims at gaining personal benefits or damaging the reputation of another individual (Anand et al, 2003). It is a criminal offence and a civil wrong at the same time. The main intention of a fraudulent activity is to take money or any other valuables from an individual or an organization on a manner that is not consistent with the law. Furthermore, these acts are normally committed without the consent of the victims.
On average, state owned organizations lose an average of 5% of their total revenue to fraudulent activities that have been conducted by their employees (Mary, 2005). In most cases, it is the employees who hold high offices that commit these crimes. Public officials commit fraud through financial misrepresentations, misappropriation of funds, giving false stock information, false advertisements, embezzlement, bank frauds and tax frauds (Sutherland, 2006). At the same time, fraud can be committed by using various methods and means. The most common methods include the use of telephone, mail and the internet. At the present moment, the internet is the most common means through which individuals use to commit these offences. This is because it is efficient in hiding their identity, location and legitimacy. Many organizations have incorporated the use of IT and ICT in their operations. This has made them to be vulnerable to fraud especially by their employees who have pass codes and other relevant information that gives them an easy access to the system network where they can manipulate files and information for their personal gains.
For an act committed by a public official to amount to fraud, the public official has to present some sort of information or facts to the plaintiff. This information or fact has to reflect to something that is in existence. In many instances, material information has to be presented to the plaintiff that will make him believe that the situation that is presented to him is actually true. However, for an act to amount to fraud, the information that is actually presented to the plaintiff should be false. On top of that, the plaintiff has to believe that such information is true and act in good faith. In addition, the public official has to be aware that the information that he/she is passing is false. This therefore amounts to false representation. He/she therefore dictates the actions and thoughts of the plaintiff. As a result, the plaintiff shall have no idea whatsoever that the information that is being presented to him/her is actually false. He/she will rely on the information by believing on its content. However, the plaintiff has to take utmost care to ensure that the information that is being presented to him is actually true. Finally, the plaintiff has to suffer the consequences of the resultant actions. However, it is the jurisdiction of the court to determine whether an act amounts to fraud or not.
The availability of legitimate rackets in state owned organizations contributes greatly to the white-collar crimes that are committed by public officials (Mary, 2005). These rackets create loopholes that give them the opportunity to be involved in shady deals that most of the times go unnoticed. With this respect, it is the public officials who work in business-based corporations that stand a high chance of committing fraud as compared to officials in other professions. However, this is not always the case. In the medical industry, for example, public officials are also involved in a lot of scandals despite the fact that this field is not that exposed to crime in nature. This may include the illegal sale of alcohol, narcotics, abortions, false accident reports, unqualified specialists, operating without valid licences and fee splitting (Hofstede, 2005). In all these examples, public officials in the medical sector take advantage of either their positions or the trust that is vested to them for their personal gains.
Fee splitting and presentation of false accident reports are perhaps the most common fraudulent acts that are committed by public officials in the medical sector (Braithwaite, 1985). Fee splitting occurs between the collusion of two or more officials in the medical sector. In most cases, it occurs between a physician and a surgeon. Here, a physician refers a patient to the most expensive surgeon rather than one who can provide the best services. Here, they share the excess fee paid by the patient. This act is a crime in many states in the United States. At the same time, this act goes against the ethics of the medical profession. On the other hand, presentation of false accident reports by physicians is also another common fraudulent act in the medical profession. Here, a physician is bribed to manipulate the accident report in favour of a specific party in a given case. Likewise, this act is also illegal and goes against the professional ethics of the medical profession.
Therefore, the fraudulent activities that are committed by public officials mainly occur due to the violation of trust that is vested to them. Strict measures therefore have to be put in place to minimize the occurrence of fraud in state owned corporations. To achieve this, the administration and the law of the state have to work hand in hand. First, the administration has to ensure that it has strong internal control systems that are effective and efficient in operations. Such systems create an environment that makes it difficult to commit any fraudulent activities. Due to their efficiency, they should detect any act of fraud at an early stage. The law on the other hand should be used to punish individuals who are found guilty of committing fraudulent activities. To be more effective, fraudulent cases and other white-collar crimes should not fall under the criminal court. Instead, independent commissions and tribunals should be set to conducts investigations, hear the cases and offer punishment to public officials that are found guilty (Sutherland, 2006). Strict punishment should be given to public officials who are found guilty of fraud and other white-collar crimes. Restitution, strict penalties and jail time should be some of the sentences given to such individuals. This will ensure that the same acts are not repeated in future.
Conclusion
White-Collar crime is a new field in criminology. This crime is mainly committed by individuals who hold high positions in their professions or by the virtue of trust that is vested on them. Fraud is one among the many acts of white-collar crimes that can be committed by public officials. The high intensity and frequency of these acts has created a bad picture in state owned organizations. Due to this fact therefore, strict measures should be put in place to minimize the occurrence of fraud or any other white-collar crime in state owned organizations.
References
Anand, V., Blake, A. and Mahendra, J. (2003). Business as usual: The acceptance and perpetuation of corruption in organizations. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Braithwaite, J. (1985). White Collar Crimes. Annual Review of Sociology, 4 (2), p. 1-25.
Hofstede, G. (2010). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Mary, J. (2005). The Stages of a Civil Lawsuit. Maryland: University of Maryland Press.
Corruption, which can be conceptualized as a form of moral impurity from a philosophical perspective, is one of the evils that plague many countries in the world. It assumes many forms, including bribery and abuse of power on the part of officials. It is one of the major forms of organized crime that affects America (Dreher, Kotsogiannis & McCorriston, 2005).
Institutional corruption is a form of crime that takes place within public and private organizations, either through the acts of single individuals or through collusions by groups within the organization (Seumas, 2011). Institutions such as the media, schools and hospitals have been affected by this form of crime (Rosoff, 2009).
Corruption in Religion
Religion has not been spared from institutional corruption. The media is rife with stories of evangelists and preachers who mislead their flocks into making contributions aimed at getting miracles and other forms of blessings. A case in point is Jim Bakker’s trial in 1989, where the televangelist was found guilty of fraud and conspiracy (Evans & Formica, 2002). This was one of the first prosecutions of a televangelist charged with abusing the trust and loyalty of his flock.
In defending Bakker, one of his lawyers, George Davis, made one of the statements that this author finds not only controversial, but also a slap on the face of the loyal Christians who were just seeking spiritual nourishment. Davis tried to exonerate Bakker from any form of wrongdoing, arguing that his client was just a “creative, religious genius” (Evans & Formica, 2002: Martz & Ginny, 1988).
Jim Bakker: A Creative, Religious Genius?
According to this author, describing Bakker as a creative religious genius is like describing Osama as one of the world’s greatest liberators. While the latter position may be debatable depending on one’s standing on the terrorism debate, the fact that Bakker is anything but a creative religious genius is beyond doubt. Like all other corrupt and evil preachers out there, Bakker and his Praise the Lord Club is nothing but an arrogant, greedy preacher.
This attribute of Bakker is captured in a quote credited to him in Martz & Ginny (1988), where he says that “why should I apologize (if) God throws in crystal chandeliers, mahogany floors…….and the best (buildings) in the world” (p.34). This was his reaction to queries raised about him and his wife’s opulent lifestyle, considering that between 1984 and 1987, they received more than $800,000 in salaries (Martz & Ginny, 1988).
It is important to note that corruption as a form of crime involves more than one party. For example, in the case of bribery, the crime is fuelled both by the person who asks for the bribe and the one who pays it out. This is not different in the case of religious corruption. The corrupt preacher rarely acts alone; rather, there are several parties who make his actions possible. On one part there are the aides and other trusted individuals who are aware of what the preacher is doing. Even though others like David Taggart, Bakker’s aide, are plagued by guilt and confess their wrongdoings, their silence when the actual crime is taking place makes it possible for the preacher to carry out their evil schemes.
On the other hand we have the gullible members of the congregation. It is their fear, their spiritual emptiness and blind loyalty that “creative, religious genius(es)” like Bakker thrives on. These members of the congregation will blindly donate anything that the preacher asks for.
Conclusion
Corruption in our religious institutions has several consequences on the society. The major one is loss of trust on the part of the public as far as religion is concerned. Citizens are confused, not knowing which televangelist to believe or which one to doubt. The government finds it hard to effectively deal with religious corruption given the fact that it may be accused of violating the citizen’s constitutional right of freedom of worship. In conclusion, it is important to note that every member of the society has a role to play in fighting corruption in our country.
References
Dreher, A., Kotsogiannis, C., & McCorriston, S. (2005). How do institutions affect corruption and the shadow economy? International Tax and Public Finance, 16(6): 773-796.
Evans, C., & Formica, R. (2002). Great American trials: Jim Bakker trial, 1989. Web.
Martz, L., & Ginny, C. (1988). Ministry of greed. New York: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Rosoff, S. (2009). Profit without honor. 5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Seumas, M. (2011). Corruption. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, spring 2011: 20-21.
The (1990) Case United States of America v. John Blondek, Vernon Tull, Donald Castle, and Darrell Lowry refers the legal hearing that was held at the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, on account of the mentioned individuals having been charged with conspiring to violate the provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which forbids the US subjects to bribe foreign governmental officials.
Specifically, the State (acting on behalf of the US Department of Justice) accused all four defendants of having acted contrary to the statute §78dd-1(a) of the Act. According to this specific statute, it represents a criminal offense, on the part of the US-based publicly-traded company, to “pay money or anything of value to a foreign official or a foreign political party… to influence the official to obtain, retain, or direct business to any person or to secure an improper advantage” (Leibold 228).
Hence, the description of the chain of events that has led to the indictment, as seen by the Judge: “Blondek and Tull were employees of Eagle Bus Company… they paid a $50,000 bribe to Defendants Castle and Lowry (Canadian citizens) to ensure that their bid to provide buses to the Saskatchewan provincial government would be accepted” (“United States v. Blondek” par. 2). Nevertheless, because Castle and Lowry were Canadian citizens, they could not be charged with violating the FCPA per se.
The reason for this is that before being amended in 1998; the Act used to apply only to US citizens/US-based public companies (Marshall 1291). However, because Castle and Lowry did play an active role in bringing about the concerned offense, the State decided to press criminal charges against them, as well, under the conspiracy statute (18 U.S.C. § 371): “It was part of the conspiracy that the defendant’s Lowry and Castle would and did request from Eagle the payment of money” (“United States v. Blondek” par. 12).
This meant that all four individuals had to be tried as a group, and the State’s failure to prove that the statue could be used extraterritorially would result in the defendants’ acquittal, on the ground that at least two of the conspiracy’s participants could not be considered as such, in the legal sense of this word. In its turn, this would automatically imply the absence of any organized group of conspirators, in the first place, and provide defendants with a good reason to ask for the Case to be dismissed.
What convinced the State that it would be indeed legally sound to proceed to press the charge of conspiracy against Blondek, Tull, Castle, and Lowry is that a few months earlier, another Canadian citizen George Morton (who represented Eagle Bus Company in Saskatchewan) pleaded guilty to the same charge. He also agreed to testify against the defendants, in exchange for being offered to sign a plea agreement with the DOJ.
During the trial, Castle and Lowry were quick to point out that as Canadian citizens, they were not covered by the FCPA, which in turn implied that they could not have had any malicious motivation to consider conspiring against the Act, in the first place. Blondek and Tull also claimed that, even though they did try to bribe the Canadian defendants, it did not account for the attempt to conspire against the provisions of the FCPA, on their part. The line of defense, chosen by the defendants, relied on the Court’s would-be willingness to resort to the principle of ‘legal precedent’ while addressing the Case. Such their decision did pay off.
After having deliberated the issue, the Court decreed that no act of conspiracy had taken place, within the context of how all four defendants went about breaking the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA. The Court’s stance, in this respect, reflected how it went about interpreting the original purpose of the FCPA’s enactment by Congress. As it was pointed out in the final ruling: “Congress was quite explicit about its reasons (to enact the FCPA), but none of these reasons have anything to do with foreign officials. Instead, the exclusive focus was on the U.S. companies and the effects of their conduct within and the United States” (“United States v. Blondek” par. 14).
Among the main legal arguments brought forward by the Court to justify its decision to acquit the defendants of any wrongdoing, concerning the conspiracy statute, was the fact that Congress intended for the FCPA to be used as a ‘thing in itself’. That is, without any attempts being made to indict the covered parties, because of their presumed willingness to undermine the legal power of the Act (Vanasco 170). Consequently, this suggests that while evoking the FCPA to address the act of bribery, the State may never cease paying close attention to what are the formal qualification-criteria, in this regard.
Because Castle and Lowry were Canadian nationals, it automatically exempted them from being considered the subjects of FCPA investigation: “Given that Congress included virtually every possible person connected to the payments except foreign officials, it is only logical to conclude that Congress affirmatively chose to exempt this small class of persons from prosecution” (“United States v. Blondek” par. 20). Therefore, trying to indict foreign nationals under the FCPA by accusing them of having attempted to conspire against the concerned legislation is inconsistent with the ‘letter’ of the law. Consequently, once the conspiracy charge no longer applies to the Canadian-based defenders, there can be very little rationale in persisting to press the same charge against Blondek and Tull, because the very notion of conspiracy presupposes the inter mutual nature of the activity in question.
To substantiate the discursive legitimacy of its decision to acquit the defenders, the Court referred to the outcome of the 1932 case Gebardi v. United States, as such that established a legal precedent for dealing with the situations that presuppose the possibility for the same law to be interpreted from several different perspectives. As this particular case indicates, it is legally inappropriate to go about enforcing a particular law by blaming those who refuse to obey it of having some secret agenda to undermine this law’s societal credibility. The reason for this is apparent – such a course of action derives out of the assumption that the ends justify the means, which in turn stands in a striking contradiction to the very idea that the law must be impartial (Smith 159).
Hence, the Court’s decision: “Defendants Castle and Lowry may not be prosecuted for conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the indictment against them is dismissed” (“United States v. Blondek” par. 28). Even though it did not take place during the same hearing, but the charges of conspiracy against Blondek and Tull were dropped, as well (Blondek par. 45).
The main consideration that prompted the Court to acquit the defenders is that the enforcement of those legislations that aim to prevent people from acting unethically (such as the FCPA) cannot be achieved by allowing them to be applied selectively, with very little consideration given to whether this practice is itself morally appropriate or not.
Therefore, it will only be logical to refer to the discussed Case as such that exemplifies the importance for plaintiffs and defendants to be fully aware of what accounts for the ‘letter’ and ‘spirit’ of the law, as the actual foundation upon which their line of legal argumentation should be built. Apparently, both of these notions are closely interrelated, which means that within the context of how one indulges in the legal reasoning, the former should not be prioritized (as the focus of one’s attention) above the latter and vice versa.
The Case’s other discursive implication is that one of the main preconditions for defendants/plaintiffs to be able to prevail during the court hearing is their understanding of what was the original purpose of enacting the law that they refer to while trying to substantiate the validity of their case-related claims. In light of what has been said earlier, the Court’s move to acquit the defendants appears fully justified. Thus, it indeed does make much sense referring to the discussed Case as highly educational. After all, in the aftermath of having been exposed to it, one will be able to gain a better understanding of how this country’s justice system operates.
Leibold, Annalisa. “Extraterritorial Application of The FCPA Under International Law.” Willamette Law Review 51.2 (2015): 225-267. Print.
Marshall, Garen. “Increasing Accountability for Demand-Side Bribery in International Business Transactions.” New York University Journal of International Law and Politics 46.4 (2014): 1283-1318. Print.
Smith, Richard. “Combating FCPA Charges: Is Resistance Futile.” Virginia Journal of International Law 54.1 (2013): 157-172. Print.
Police corruption is a severe crime that can lead to adverse consequences for the officer-criminals and society. The documentary “Seven Five” shows the story of one of the most criminal police officers Michael Dowd. His list of crimes includes such types of corruption as bribes, theft, and burglary. His crimes involved drugs – cover for dealers and personal use. Dowd’s actions were motivated by money and led to neglect of duty. Although officers must protect societies, the film showed that police culture could cause crime.
Looking at Dowd’s crimes, one can distinguish the severe consequences of corruption. This officer managed to create pervasive organized corruption through the involvement of colleagues, in particular his partner. Such behavior carries significant costs – undermining the professionalism of the police and public confidence in law enforcement agencies, spreading a crime, and punishing criminal officers. In Dowd’s case, it is remarkable that when the court asked the man about who he would protect – drug dealers or society – Dowd preferred first (NeilyD11, 2018). Such a choice of officer costs the lives of many civilians.
Applying various theories to the Michael Dowd case, one can distinguish several factors contributing to corruption. In particular, using neighborhood explanations, it is worth noting that officers worked in an area with high crime rates and did not feel appreciated for their work. The nature of police work provided significant opportunities for additional earnings, and the police organization could not give sufficient supervision. The most influential factor was the police subculture – officers formed unique connections and attachments. They viewed a good police officer as someone who could cover for a partner regardless of the circumstances, even in crime.
Preventing corruption is an important task, and there are several strategies to achieve the goal. It is necessary to provide strong leadership that does not support crimes, establish strict rules and regulations, establish a supervisor, and conduct investigations inside law enforcement agencies. It is vital to change the culture aimed not only at supporting partners but also at protecting society. Independent crime investigations are needed outside the system, and a political and social environment for honesty is maintained. Thus, corruption among the police is a crime with severe consequences, and it is essential to direct efforts to prevent it.
Public corruption involves the violation of public trust that occurs when government officials participate in illegal activities such as collecting bribes, which influence the execution of their official duties.
Main text
As far as it is concerned, I would like to disagree with the assertion that corruption is a “Western concept and; therefore, not applicable to local societies where corruption is assumed to have lesser negative meaning than in western countries. Corruption is in itself a very negative aspect that impedes the economic growth of the affected country, or organization irrespective of the status of development. Several studies have been conducted on the influence of corruption among various nations, and the results have indicated that the negative aspects of corruption outweigh the purported benefits that are associated with the vice.
Myint asserts that in most scenarios, corruption is rampant in the developing and third world countries where their current development has not reached a level that can help them fight the vice. High levels of corruption in such societies are linked to the fact that employee salaries are remarkably low; hence, people tend to accept rewards so as to undertake or speed up tasks that are indeed legal. On one side, this may seem like a benefit of corruption because it helps to speed up economic development, while on the other, it leads to unfairness and inequitable distribution of resources. In fact, wealth remains in the hands of the rich and well-connected, while ordinary people survive in poverty. Hence, it becomes impossible to realize significant economic growth levels that would improve the country’s per capita income, as well as the ability to fight corruption. Based on such effect, I would mention that corruption is not acceptable in any economy as it hinders the smooth economic development of the society.
In several undeveloped countries, however, corruption has taken another dimension where it is considered a cultural tradition. Corruption as a cultural tradition is assumed to be part of their virtues and is not seen as a negative practice. Countries like China and Malaysia have been in a similar situation, but have since managed to fight corruption to minimal levels. As a result, their economies are now flourishing due to the high levels of growth and development. According to the readings, corruption is considered unethical regardless of an individual’s tradition. Myint for instance asserts that high levels of corruption slow down the economic growth of a country. Hence, creating a cultural tradition that supports corruption is insensitive because there is no actual evidence that corruption is needed, or at least beneficial in any tradition.
India and other societies have a common tradition that calls for gifts and rewards before someone can offer otherwise legal service. This is usually considered as a normal practice and severally termed as grease money, but the truth is that it is not beneficial for the economy. Where such activities are accepted, corrupt officials could take advantage of the tradition to accept large sums of money at the expense of the common man. Examples may include the awarding of government contracts to organizations that are willing to give large sums of money to such officials. When this happens, the effect moves on to the lowest individual; hence, a substantial amount of money would be lost in such dealings. Another effect of the gift-giving traditions is that there would be an inequitable distribution of resources and wealth in the society; at the same time, the economic growth of the country will be slowed down.
Conclusion
In conclusion, corruption is ethically unacceptable, and should not be encouraged so as to create a sound economic growth plan.
References
Delattre, E. J., & Bores, D. R. (2011). Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing (6th ed.). AEI Press.
U Myint. (2000). Corruption: Causes, consequences and cures. Asia-Pacific Development Journal, Vol. 7, No. 2.
Corruption is a serious problem in various parts of the world, especially for the developing economies in Asia and African continents. According to Pielke, corruption is like cancer that eats away the potentials of a country’s economy.1 A few people enrich themselves unfairly at the expense of the masses. It is a global problem that affects almost every country, but to a varying degree.
Some of the countries ranked in the Transparency International’s list as the most corrupt countries in the world such as North Korea, Venezuela, Haiti, Iraq, and Sudan have experienced stagnated economic growth. Such countries cannot develop because of a culture where those trusted with the role of protecting public wealth are using it for their own financial gains. In such countries, mediocrity- especially when it comes to handling public projects- is the order of the day.
Companies without the capacity to undertake specific projects are awarded contracts to undertake infrastructural development because either those in power own them or the directors of such companies are willing to pay bribe.
Doing business in a corrupt environment is not easy. Other than the normal taxation, sometimes companies are forced to pay regular bribe to the government officials on a regular basis for purposes of protection against real or imagined threats. In fact, companies adapt to such environments by ignoring basic guidelines, especially those meant to protect the normal citizens, and instead focus on giving regular bribes to the relevant authorities.
Companies, which are ethical enough not to engage in such practices, find it almost impossible to operate in such countries. The victims in such settings are the innocent citizens. They are denied basic services such as quality education, healthcare, and well-paying jobs. Economic growth and infrastructural development stagnate or sometimes even experience a negative growth. Some people are forced to leave their home country in search of better opportunities elsewhere. As Mashamba simply puts it, corruption is a social evil that cannot be tolerated in a country that is keen on achieving economic growth.2 That is why it is necessary to fight this vice through any means possible. In this paper, the researcher will look at the role of arbitration when dealing with corruption.
Research Questions
Corruption is one of the worst economic crimes in any given country and rooting it out should be the focus of scholars, academicians, government officials, students, parents, and the general members of the public. As such, when conducting a research that focuses on corruption and how to deal with it, it is important to have a clearly guided approach of the study that can help in achieving the desired goals. The following are the research questions that will help in this investigation:
Do arbitrators have a role in combating corruption?
Do anti-corruption investigations influence or affect arbitrations?
Discussion
According to a report by Mashamba, North Korea has one of the worst public health systems in the world.3 Most of the public hospitals lack facilities they need to operate normally because of the massive corruption cases in the country. Doctors often consider leaving the country to practice abroad whenever they can get opportunity to do so. The problem is even worse in Somalia where patients would go to hospitals that lack both the medical facilities and qualified personnel to offer them medical assistance.
They end up dying of simple medical problems that could easily be addressed if the country had a functional public health system. It so happens that these two countries are the most corrupt nations in the world. It is possible to relate corruption with poor state of public health system. The problem is spread across many countries, especially in sub-Sahara Africa and parts of Asia where corruption is rampant. In some countries, people are keen on getting government posts because of the desire to engage in corrupt dealings as a means of getting rich within a very short time.
Corruption affects the education sector, health system, infrastructural development, and ethical behavior among government officers. In some countries, security is compromised because the law enforcers take bribe and ignore crime because the system allows them to do so. Sale and use of drugs become common, destroying the future of the youths, crimes such as rape, robbery, murder, grabbing of public or private property, and many others are rarely prosecuted as long as the accused has a stronger financial might than the victim has, and is willing to bribe the prosecutor, the judge, and investigative officers. Simply put, the rule of law often collapses in a system where corruption is allowed to reign.
Level of Corruption in the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is one of the fastest developing economies in the Arab world, according to a report that was released by Mashamba.4 The same report also indicated that the country is one of the least corrupt in the Arab world according to Transparency International, ranked 24th least corrupt country in the world. It is, therefore, possible to associate corruption with lack of proper development. However, it is important to appreciate the fact that the problem of corruption has not been completely eradicated.
For the country to be ranked 24th globally, it means that some elements of corruption are still common in the country despite the massive efforts that have been put in place by various stakeholders to address it. Recent studies show that although not rampant, cases where some government officials receive financial benefits to favor companies when handling contracts have not entirely been eliminated.5 It is not rampant, but it happens occasionally. The public sector is considered less corrupt in this country than the private sector. This is so because sometimes collusions in the private sector may go undetected because of lack of public accountability.
A report by Green, however, shows that the UAE is taking a leading role in the Middle East when it comes to combating corruption.6 This is specifically the case because of the desire by the government and the public to diversify the country’s economy. The best way of doing that is to attract both local and international investors. The investors need a conducive environment where they can do business without the fear of unfair government interference.7
Businesses can only thrive in an environment where there is the rule of law. In an effort to create such an enabling business environment, the government has heavily invested in anti-corruption programs to help promote public awareness about dangers of corruption and the need to report such cases once they are detected. The initiatives have helped in lowering the levels of corruption in the country to a bare minimum.
Corruption is still considered a problem in the country by the government, but it is managed as systems and structures are in place to combat it. It explains why the country has become one of the most preferred investment destinations for foreigners from Europe and North America. The infrastructural development has been impressive and issues about public health, education, and security are taken very seriously by the government.
It does not mean that the authorities and the members of the public should relax in the fight against corruption because the problem is less serious compared with how it affects other countries. As Ganesh notes, the temptation to engage in corruption is always there even in the countries classified as least corrupt in the world.8 It is human nature to try to use a short cut to gain wealth if opportunity arises.
The fight must continue and those in position of power must never be given opportunity to engage in corrupt dealings. Both the public and private sectors must realize that corruption is a vice that cannot be tolerated. This is important because if corruption is allowed to thrive in the private sector, then it may end up finding its way into the public sector. That is why this study is very important because it seeks to find alternative ways of fighting this vice other than through the court system.
Victims of Corruption
Depending on the nature of corruption, the victims of this vice may vary. In extreme cases witnessed in a number of impoverished countries in the world where government officials are only keen on enriching themselves, the victim is always the poor and helpless citizens. They cannot get basic healthcare services because the government officials have stolen the funds meant for equipping and staffing the hospitals. Education system is poor because the government do not see the sense of investing in that sector.
The infrastructure is poor, making it difficult to attract local and foreign investors. Joblessness become rampant in such countries and malnutrition become common. What is even more hurting is that these corrupt government officials invest their stolen money in foreign countries where systems are functional. It is an acknowledgement that they have run down their own country’s systems and structures to an extent that they cannot invest their wealth locally. According to Ganesh, when the victims of corrupt dealings are the innocent members of the public, then the problem is often considered dire, especially if they are helpless and incapable of defending themselves.9
When a tender is given to a less deserving company because the directors have paid a bribe to authorities responsible for making approvals, then there can be a number of victims. The public will be victims if the contracted company fails to deliver value for what they are paid or when they are paid more for a service that would have been done by another company for less. The companies involved in the bidding process will also be victims when they are denied a contract for which they are best qualified to undertake basically because they did not pay a bribe.
The government itself may be a victim if it has to pay more for such projects because it will be forced to source for more cash to fund such projects. When foreign investors avoid a country because of high levels of corruption, both the government and members of the public get affected. The revenues that would have been generated from such investors in form of tax will be lost. On the other hand, members of the public will miss job opportunities that would have been created by such foreign investors.
Understanding the Concept of Arbitration
According to Gomez, arbitration is an alternative dispute resolution technique where issues are addressed out of the court.10 It is a technique where an impartial third party, known as arbiter, is presented with the evidence about what causes the dispute and then he or she is expected to make a decision that is legally binding to both parties and can be enforced by the courts.
Arbitration is a common alternative conflict resolution mechanism when handling commercial disputes, especially among the multinational companies operating in jurisdictions where they believe the local legal system may be inapplicable in handling their case.11 For instance, a foreign firm operating in a country that is strictly governed by Shariah law may feel that the legal system cannot not fairly help in resolving the dispute. In such cases, arbitration becomes the best or even the only alternative of addressing the dispute.
The parties agree to settle the case as per the decision of the arbiter who they must both consider impartial in handling the case. In most of the cases, the decision of the impartial adjudicator is often final and the award they give to the parties aggrieved is enforceable by the courts, unless it is proven that the decision is in fundamental breach of the constitution within the country where it should be enforced. To a large extent, arbitration is often considered a less combative and less confrontational way of solving a dispute.
The aim of the arbiter may not be to offer a win-win deal, but the process is done in a way that makes both parties feel justice has been done. It also eliminates most of the expenses often incurred in a litigation process.
Arbitrators’ Role in Combating Corruption
In the war against corruption, any relevant tool that can yield the desired results is always welcome. Studies have suggested that to win the war against corruption, a nation should go beyond the legal system.12 The knowledge that corruption could lead to a jail term or any other punitive measures helps in deterring cases of corruption. However, it is always necessary to create a culture where people shun corruption because they understand and abhor its negative impact.
Those who give bribes and those who receive it must understand that the culture is dangerous and leads to long-term suffering not only to the public but also to the giver and receiver of the bribes. That is why in the United Arab Emirates, the concept of corruption and its negative impact on the nation and its people is often taught from a very early stage of education. It is meant to ensure that children grow up knowing the dangers of this vice and the need to shun it in all its forms.
Arbitration is one of the common ways of solving disputes in the United Arab Emirates and in any other country for that matter. Cases tried by the arbiters helps in reducing the backlog of cases in the country’s courts. It also helps in ensuring that cases are tried and solutions found without incurring massive costs both to the parties involved and to the government in terms of the need to hire more judges, prosecutors, court clerks, and other court officials.
Disputes solved through arbitration also helps in ensuring that the two parties involved can come out of the process in good terms, capable of engaging in business transactions in future. However, it is yet to be clear how arbitration can be used to address corruption cases. Extensive research exists on how corruption can be battled through the education system, empowering the public to understand its dangers and the need to avoid it.13
The studies also suggests that coming up with strict measures and serious punishments for the perpetrators, and ensuring that when the cases are brought to court they are expedited so that those found guilty can be sent to jail or given necessary punishment is important. However, little studies are available on how arbitration can be used as a tool to combat corruption. It seems to be a new concept in the fight against corruption because of the nature of the aggrieved and the aggressor in corruption cases. It is important to look at how this alternative conflict resolution technique can be used to solve corruption cases.
Views That Arbitration Can Combat Corruption
According to Moses, although not very common, arbitration can be used to address corruption cases in a more effective manner than the courts.14 In many cases, mega corruption scandals often involve those who are in power. Some dictators and political elites retain their power through corruption perpetuated by themselves and their senior officers. They end up stealing most of the public wealth for their own benefits.
When such leaders are ousted, they often have sympathizers who valued their corrupt ways because they benefited in one way or the other. When such leaders are taken to court to answer to their crimes, the lengthy court cases turn them from perpetrators to victims.
They end up winning public sympathy and such cases may not yield the positive energy needed in the society. The crimes they committed while in power become less significant even to those who were victims as their perceived suffering in the hands of the new rulers become exposed to the public. The new regime fails to be seen as being interested in giving justice to the people by punishing the corrupt. Instead, they are seen vengeful leaders keen on retaliating against those who aggrieved them.
This is specifically common in the Arab world and in many other Asian and African countries where communitariansm is common among the political class. When former leaders of one community is taken to court to answer to their corrupt dealings in the past, they appeal to their community, telling them that their trial is a trial of the entire community instead of being that of a single individual engaged in corrupt activities.
In a report by Moses, when trying powerful individuals who were once in the leadership, care should be taken to ensure that division among members of the public is avoided. The aim of any judicial process is to ensure that justice is served and that the just interest of the public is prioritized.15 When a leader engages in corrupt dealings, his actions go against the interest of the public. Their trial should be seen, therefore, as a move towards serving justice to the public that was aggrieved by the corrupt morals of such leaders.
However, in a highly polarized country where leaders can easily play the tribal card to win the sympathy of a section of the community, great care must be taken when handling the cases. Such corrupt leaders should not be left without making them face the law on the basis that their prosecution may lead to public disharmony. However, the process must be done in a way that will be as less disruptive as it possibly can be. The aim should remain to serve justice to the public using systems and structures that will convince both the public and the parties involved that fairness shall prevail.16 That is where arbitration comes in as the most appropriate way of addressing the issue.
When using arbitration in addressing such delicate situations, the government- through its representatives- will be the aggrieved party while the defendants will be the aggressor. The role of the arbiter will be to listen to the cases brought forth by those parties involved and to make a ruling that will fairly address the injustice. The aim of such proceedings is often to force such individuals to pay back all the resources they stole from the government while in power, and in some cases pay equivalent of the interest that such resources would have earned if they were in the banks. Although the proceedings may not result in jail term for the corrupt individuals, it will be a reminder for them that justice always prevails.
The public will be made to understand that corruption is a dangerous vice and those who embrace it may be forced to pay years after leaving power. Such processes may help the government recover part of the lost money, especially if they were kept in overseas banks. Forcing these people to pay or face a jail term will make them bring back the money hidden in foreign banks. It will also be a positive step towards creating a culture of intolerance towards corruption.
In the United Arab Emirates, cases of corruption are not very common. However, it is common to find cases where individuals use corrupt means to win a contract, especially in the private sector. Such cases are common when the applicants have almost the same qualifications and charge almost the same price to undertake a given project. Under such circumstances, it is possible for one of the applicants to look for a means that would make his or her application stand out among the rest.
One possible alternative may be to bribe the officers responsible for making the approvals. When such cases are revealed, it may be possible to solve the case through arbitration. An arbiter can bring together the other applicants and a mutual solution found. If it is a mega project, the arbiter may decide to divide the contact so that all the parties can share. It is also possible to direct the company that has benefited from such a deal to forego other potential deals for the sake of other companies that did not benefit. The goal of such arbitration will be to create a platform where all the parties involve gain something as a way of promoting justice. The arbiter may recommend some form of punitive measures against the officers who accepted the bribe to discourage such practices in the future.
Views That Arbitration Cannot Help Combat Corruption
According to Kulick, corruption may not sound as serious a crime as murder, rape, or robbery with violence but the truth is that it is worse than any of these crimes.17 A corrupt officer who steals money meant to equip and staff hospitals directly causes deaths of hundreds or even thousands of people who need basic healthcare services but cannot have access to it. When funds to build transport infrastructure are stolen, it means that the sick who needs emergency medical care may not make it because they cannot be taken to the medical facilities within the required time.
A corrupt police officer or prosecutor who accepts bribe and fails to protect the helpless and prosecute rapists only encourages such vices because the perpetrators know they can always get away with it as long as they have the financial power. A corrupt official robs the young children of a nation of their future by running down the education system and burdening the future generation with unbearable foreign debt. It is like cancer, eating the nation from within, and exposing it to a wide range of dangers. The nature of this crime, as Kulick notes, cannot be combated through arbitration.18 The following are some of the reasons that make it impossible to combat the vice effectively using arbitration:
The nature of the aggrieved and the aggressor in major corruption scandals makes it impossible to use arbitration. In almost all the cases, victims of corruption are the citizens who have entrusted their leaders to take care of their interest. When a corrupt official steals money meant to take care of the sick, and people end up dying because of poor medical system, it is not possible to put the perpetrators with their victims (some of whom may be dead) on a table to reach a consensus. It is not possible to compensate some of the victims of corruption. The number of people who may want their interests to be represented in such proceedings may be overwhelmingly many and their interest would vary. It is only through a court proceedings that true justice can be served to the victims.
According to Van, there is always the inability of the arbiter to compel the involved parties to release incriminating documents during the arbitration proceedings.19 The arbiter lack the powers that a judge would have. Sometimes the documents may be needed to show that indeed there was corruption. Without such documents, it is not possible for the arbiter to make a conclusive decision about the case.
It means that it is easy for the perpetrations to get away with a crime in arbitration processes because they can easily hide the incriminating documents. Combating corruption require a platform that will make it difficult for the perpetrators to escape the law. They should not have loopholes that can allow them to go away with such a serious crime. This major weakness of arbitration makes it very unreliable means of combating corruption.
Limited nature of punishment that an arbiter can hand down to the corrupt individuals once it is clear that they are guilty also makes it a less attractive means of combating corruption. Corruption is a crime worse than murder and terrorism because it facilitates all the other crimes and social evils in a community.20 People found guilty of this malpractice should receive maximum sentence depending on the nature of their crime. It is appropriate to send them to prison, besides forcing them to return the stolen funds and pay fines, so that it can be a reminder to every other person who may want to try to engage in corrupt dealings.
However, an arbiter cannot hand down a jail sentence to such criminals. It means that it is a weak system that should never be used when addressing a serious problem such as corruption. Arbiters mostly award damages to be paid to the aggrieved parties. However, it is not possible to compensate the dead who lost their lives because of corrupt police officers, government officers meant to improve the country’s infrastructure, or officers responsible for managing healthcare institutions.
Ease of manipulation and limited credibility before the eye of the public is another issue that makes arbitration a less desirable approach of managing corruption cases. Many people, including those who have post-secondary certificates, do not understand the concept of arbitration and how it works. They do not view it as a credible means of seeking justice against corrupt officials. They prefer a judicial system where the corrupt individuals are taken to court to answer to their charges.
As such, it may not be an appropriate system when trying high profile cases where members of the public are unified in their quest to see such people pay for their crimes. It is also easy to manipulate an arbiter. In a corrupt system, it is easy to bribe an arbiter or manipulate him through threats and blackmail to influence his or her final decision.21 The arbiter, who might have been impartial at the beginning of the case, may be compromised along the way, making it impossible to achieve justice in the process. The aggrieved may consider going to court, which means that the entire arbitration process will be considered a waste of time and resources.
Need for other agencies (the court) to enforce decision of the arbiters is also another problem that makes it a less desirable approach of combating corruption. After listening to the case presented, an arbiter may decide to award damages to the aggrieved victims, if that can possibly be done. However, it is possible for the offender to ignore the ruling until such a time that the decision is enforced by the law. No legal action can be taken against such a person for ignoring the decision of the arbiter until a directive of the court is issued for them to comply.
It may take a while to get that order and as Holmes notes, when justice is delayed, then one may consider it justice denied. In some cases, the courts may make its own independent analysis of the case and can overturn the decision of the arbiter.22 It means that sometimes the arbiters’ decision can just be a mere legal suggestion that may not have significant bearing on the parties.
How Anticorruption Investigations Influence Arbitration
The anti-corruption investigations may influence arbitration in a number of ways. According to Van, such investigations often involve gathering evidence from all possible sources, including getting a court order to search premises of the individuals believed to have been involved in the vice.23 That may have a negative influence on arbitration where the focus is to bring two or more willing parties together and find a solution in a non-confrontational manner.
Anticorruption investigation often involves using government instruments such as the police to investigate the issue, a practice that is not common during arbitration. An arbiter will rely on the evidence produced by the parties involved, without compelling any of them to deliver documents against their wish. It is a further demonstration of how unreliable arbitration is when it comes to combating corruption because it is incapable of conducting a thorough investigation.
Conclusion
Corruption is one of the most dangerous vices to a country’s socio-economic and political development. It affects infrastructural development, improvement of education sector, compromises law enforcement and the entire justice system, affects the health sector, scares away local and foreign investors, and affects almost every aspect of a country’s economy. The fight against corruption must be approached with seriousness that it deserves.
Arbitration may be a possible approach when addressing corruption cases that cannot be effectively addressed in the courts. However, it is clear from the above discussion that arbitration can only be used in supernormal cases, such as when handling leaders who may steal have significant influence in a section of the community. However, under normal conditions arbitration stands no chance in the war against corruption. As such, the study suggests that it should be used sparingly when it is clear that the court system cannot be used effectively.
Bibliography
Ganesh S, The Counterinsurgent’s Constitution: Law in the Age of Small Wars (Oxford University Press 2013).
Gomez N, Collapse of Dignity: The Story of a Mining Tragedy and the Fight against Greed and Corruption in Mexico (Ben Bella Books 2013).
Green V, Corruption in the Twenty-First Century: Combating Unethical Practices in Government, Commerce, and Society (Cengage Learning 2013).
Holmes L, Corruption: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press 2015).
Kulick A, Global Public Interest in International Investment Law (Cambridge University Press 2012).
Mashamba C, Alternative Dispute Resolution in Tanzania: Law and Practice (Mkuki na Nyoka 2014).
Moses M, The Principles and Practice of International Commercial Arbitration (Cambridge University Press 2012).
Margaret Moses, The Principles and Practice of International Commercial Arbitration (Cambridge University Press 2012) 71.
Ibid 12.
Ibid 16.
Andreas Kulick, Global Public Interest in International Investment Law (Cambridge University Press 2012) 13.
Ibid 67.
Harten Van, Sovereign Choices and Sovereign Constraints: Judicial Restraint in Investment Treaty Arbitration (Oxford University Press 2013) 84.
Ibid 70.
Vogl Frank, Waging War on Corruption: Inside the Movement Fighting the Abuse of Power (Springer 2016) 52.
Leslie Holmes, Corruption: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press 2015) 18.
Schoor Van, Fighting Corruption Collectively: How Successful Are Sector-Specific Coordinated Governance Initiatives in Curbing Corruption (Springer 2017) 90.
Nowadays, hardly anyone has any illusions concerning police and how police officers perform their duties. Certainly, police do provide the citizens with decent protection, offering enough security, investigating crimes, and even preventing ones. But saying that police is one hundred percent flawless and has no corruption among the officers would definitely be a lie. Despite the fact that legally, police are supposed to make sure that the law is being complied with, often, police appear on the other side of the barricade.
According to the recent records, police brutality and misconduct still exist, and its “legacy” seems to have been going on for years. A case study simply known as SOS takes the readers eight years back to 2005 and tells a story of police officers involved in “aggravated kidnapping, theft, burglary, home invasion, armed violence, and false arrest” (Hagedorn et al., 2013).
Another case study deals with a similar issue, yet approaches the problem from a slightly different angle. The case study notoriously known as Guerrero and Martinez reports about a group of policemen who were helping a gang steal from the residents of the city. As the report says, policemen were simply “using their authority to pull people over or enter houses” (Hagedorn et al., 2013). According to the case records, the two officers were accused of multiple thefts, multiple previous concerts with a group of persons, and covering up the latter. The given case study shows that the availability of “big money” often leads to officers breaking the law. As it is mentioned in the case, the corrupted policemen got what was coming to them: “Martinez pleaded guilty in December 2011 to charges of conspiracy and racketeering, and Guerrero pleaded guilty to similar charges in July 2012” (Hagedorn et al., 2013).
The given cases show that, sadly enough, power abuse among the members of the police department is still an issue, and it is probably going to be as long as the means to coordinate the actions of policemen are going to be provided. Alternatively, the means to enhance moral values among policemen should be provided. Despite the attempts to eliminate the possibility of police corruption, there will always be loopholes that will help avoid the rules.
It could also be argued that restricting policemen’s ability to use weapons or mere physical force can backfire greatly. For instance, during arrest, a criminal can possibly maintain armed resistance, which leaves no other choice than to use brutal force in response. However, in the cases described above, police officers were clearly abusing their power, which means that police corruption and misconduct have to be stopped.
Therefore, it cannot be denied that corruption rates remain just as high among the present-day police as they used to be several years ago. Although the situation does not seem as deplorable as it might have, the harm is still obvious, and the situation needs to be addressed. At present, it is clear that some regulatory measures must be undertaken by the government authorities in order to stop the arbitrary rule of police and make sure that even in the most tempting situations, police officers should follow the letter of the law. However, without the initiative from people, both the victims of the police injustice and all those concerned, corruption among police officers are unlikely to be tackled any time soon.
Reference List
Hagedorn, J. et al. (2013). Crime, corruption and cover-ups in the Chicago Police Department. Web.