Police Discretion Essay Example for Free

Police Discretion Essay Police discretion is an unwritten law meaning it is not concretely represented in the constitution or any other rules or regulations governing law enforcement. However, it is a practical part of law enforcement because there are times when sound personal judgment and decision-making becomes necessary in the process. Police discretion is highly important in situations wherein the role of rules and laws are ambiguous or inapplicable. Although unwritten in documents presenting laws, it is valid because the police is an institution granted authority and power. Moreover, law enforcement agencies are expected to abide by ethics and morality at all times when practicing police discretion. Police discretion is valid because it is exercised by an authority or power, but then it becomes steadfast and trustworthy if it is practiced within the bounds of ethics and morality. (Atherton, 2001) Herein lay judgments and criticisms regarding police discretion. Police discretion is ideally utilized to determine whether to intercede with behavior and activities. This is supposed to be the primary purpose of police discretion. (Seri, 2008) For instance, a police man happens to chance upon a man shouting at his wife in a public place. Police discretion concerns making the decision of whether to intervene in the process with considerations to privacy issues since it is a private matter between husband and wife, but since it is in public, the situation’s relation to public disturbance is not something to be disregarded. At this point, police discretion addresses the matter of whether to intervene or not. (Kelling, 1999) The fabled and fictitious source aspect of police discretion is its relation to the philosophical foundations of ethics and morality. Conflicts in the practice of police work require discretion for its resolution. However, conflicts and ambiguities do not depend on just discretion, but count on morality to frame the judgment and decision-making process in order to uphold sound preferences when carrying out decisions. Morality talks about what is right from wrong – the right, based on the rules and commandments presented by God to man. Moreover, morality talks about intention as a primary factor in determining the goodness of an action, behavior or decision. This philosophical concept builds on what police discretion is about, guiding judgments and rationalizations in order to arrive at a morally good action. (Greenawalt, 1987) Perhaps it is rational to include the mythical concept of ethics and morality in framing police discretion guidelines and policies. Controlling philosophical concepts as a means to guide police discretion practices ensure that intentions are upright and the end action of the decision is morally good. This upholds accountability and values development in the field of law enforcement. Moreover, it addresses the matter of debate regarding the negative implications of allowing law enforcement agencies freedom to make decisions in their line of industry. It eliminates the abuse of power, and shifts it to the use of police discretion conscientiously. Another purpose of police discretion is making a decision of whether to label a particular action, behavior, or activity as criminal. (Seri, 2008) Juvenile crimes are primary targets of this issue since charging children with crimes is a sensitive concern. If for instance a police man catches a minor stealing from a grocery store, police discretion is practiced to make a decision on whether to charge the child with a criminal case. Other options include giving the child a chance by advising him to not repeat the act again and then letting him go, talking with the child’s parents directly to ensure that a the negative nature of the child does not go undisciplined, turning the child over to social welfare services, and charging the child with a criminal case. The decision of what to do in this particular scenario as well as similar situations, wherein there are opportunities of making sound judgments and decisions unguided by laws, is part of police discretion. Overall, police discretion is a power granted to members of the law enforcement as a means of raising the accountability of the institution by empowering them to learning and applying sound and moral concepts that promotes progress and development in the field of law enforcement. (Seri, 2008) To delineate further the concept of police discretion, five police actions will be discussed and analyzed in order to determine the expediency of practicing police discretion and identifying whether it is reasonable or an abuse of power. Harnessing the influence of the community as an effort to promote community policing is one task that law enforcement should work on. This is reasonable as the decision to formulate a neighborhood watch program to realize the goal of community policing sustains peace, order and security in the community. This action becomes an abuse of power if members of the community are forced to help in the process of enforcing laws. Community policing should be a voluntary effort. Minors are given light sanctions for criminal activities because of their inability to think rationally and independently without guidance from people in authority. Police discretion is acceptable when it comes to adjusting the enforcement of law to a particular situation where a minor is concerned. Police discretion becomes an abuse of power if minors who are caught committing crimes are directly charged with criminal cases without reviewing the need for social work intervention, counseling, and other lighter sanctions and disciplinary actions. When it comes to police interrogation, questioning techniques is part of police discretion. Policemen are given authority to subject suspects, witnesses, and victims to interrogations. Police discretion is acceptable if questions, in whatever form or manner executed, are relevant to the case and properly carried out in the process. It becomes abuse of power if people who are being interrogated are subject to threats and hostilities, forced to answer questions, and are asked personal matters. This goes the same with searching properties to look for evidence. Police discretion is deciding what areas within the properties to search, of course with the grant of a search warrant. It becomes an abuse of power if damage is inflicted to property as a means of hostile interaction with other people. Lastly, respecting the privacy of any individual should be maintained by law enforcement agencies. Although sustaining laws requires the obtainment of truth and factual information, police work should also consider privacy of other people in order to practice police discretion ideally and not abusively.

Lessons on Divorce :: essays research papers

Divorce, of Course, of Course Bridget Burke Ravizza wrote the article, â€Å"Selling Ourselves on the Marriage Market† and is an assistant professor of religious studies at St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI. After talking with an unnamed group of college students, she discovers that â€Å"These college students have grown up in a society in which nearly half of all marriages end in divorce.† She also reveals â€Å"they are fearful that their future marriages will go down that path, and some question whether lifelong commitment can—or should—be made at all.† Furthermore, Ravizza finds that â€Å"students are bombarded with messages about sexuality and relationships—indeed messages about themselves—that seem to undermine authentic relationships.† Simply put, culture has accepted divorce as a â€Å"normal† thing and has already begun to affect the next generations. The surveyed students are so fearful of divorce, they are, in essence, afraid of marriage a s well. They even go to the extreme of avoiding divorce by saying they may not get married at all to prevent the â€Å"undermining of an authentic relationship.† The fact of the matter is, as the polled students infer, that half (if not more) married couples do get a divorce in today’s society. Whether or not this unfortunate trend will continue down through the following generation is a theory yet to be proven, though it would make sense. The article is missing a few necessary citations, however. I noticed no reference given as to whom Rachel Greenwald is or what her expertise are in relation to the subject. She is simply referred to by her best-selling book, Find a Husband After 35: Using What I Learned at Harvard Business School. Likewise, the theologian Paul Wadell is referred to by nothing other than his book Becoming Friends: Worship, Justice and the Practice of Christian Friendship. Also, the poll discussion with the college students at the beginning of the article is not given a source or from what part of the country the college was located. I agree with the article’s thesis. Divorce has slowly seeped its way into the â€Å"normal† way of life and is running rampant through our country and Americans have become numb and desensitized to its abhorrence. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more prominent and society equates this as normal. The Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary defines divorce as the â€Å"Dissolution of a marriage bond by legal process or by accepted custom.

If I were the Finance Minister of India Essay

In the economy of a developing county like India, the role of the Finance Minister is a crucial one. This is more so in the case of the country which has chosen the path of planned development, as Indian has done. If ever I become the Finance Minister of the country, my first effort would be to root out the demon of back money. It is black money which leads to inflation and to the rise in prices, and this makes financial control almost impossible. Since black money is the money on which tax has not been paid, I will see to it that that evasion is reduced to a minimum. With this end in view, tax structure will be rationalized. The taxation rate will be brought down so as to provide relief to the salaried people as well as to the business community. With a more reasonable tax – structure, the temptation to evade taxes, would no longer be there. Those who still avoid payment of direct taxes, plugged, so that tax-evaders are not able to escape the clutches clutches of the law. Black-markets hoarders, ect, who run a kind of parallel economy, would also be severely dealt with Laws in this respect would also be made more stringent, and the concerned Government officials would be given more power to deal with such offenders. In this way, the inflation rate would be brought down, and relief provided to the people, groaning under the burden of rising prices and increasing taxation. I will also see to it that credit facilities are liberalized. Banking services will be extended to the rural areas. With this end in view, Banks will be encouraged to open their braches even in remote villages. Indian farmer is proverbially poor, and owning to his poverty and illiteracy he has always been exploited by the local money lenders. Instructions will be used to the banks (through the Reserve Bank of India) that the needy farmers be given loans on easy and liberal terms. This will enable them to purchase good quality seeds, fertilizers, tractors, etc. Agriculture would thus be modernized and this would lead to increase production. Construction of tube-wells would also be encouraged and villages would be rapidly electrified, so that agriculture production is no longer at the mercy of rains. While I will continue to encourage large scale industries, the growth of small industries would also be encouraged. They would also be provided with soft loans by the nationalized banks, and if need be more banks would be nationalized. Technicians, live T.V and Radio mechanics, Internet, professional people like Doctors and other self-employed people, would also be given financial help by the banks. Non-plan Government expenditure would be brought down whenever possible. Wastage would be reduced to a minimum by appropriate measures. I will see to it that, while the just demands of the employees are met with, they also work honestly and sincerely for the good of the nation. All these measures, I hope, would be brought down whenever possible. Wastage would be reduced to a minimum by appropriate measures. I will see to it that, while the just demands of the employees are met with, they also work honestly and sincerely for the good of the nation. All these measures, I hope, would go a long way toward revamping the Indian economy. Still, if considered necessary, I will not hesitate to accept foreign aid or to take loans from International Financial Institutions like the I.M.F Funds would also be raised through borrowings from the public. However, I am hopeful that such measures would not be necessary. Public sector undertakings are already showing large profits which are likely to be larger still in the next years. These earnings should be sufficient to fill any budgetary gaps. Those which are running in a loss will be wound up and replaced by private industrial concerns. In the interest of rapid, increased production even multinational concerns will be invited to set up industries in the country. The employees of the sick public sector undertakings would be absorbed in these private industries. Thus a massive programme of privatization would be undertaken to encourage competition and promote production. In short, as the Financial Minister of India, it would be my earnest endeavour to see that there is an overall increase in production, that the hardship of the people are reduced to a minimum, and through proper fiscal control Indian Economy becomes more and more self-reliant.

My Writing Style Of Writing - 905 Words

Throughout this class I have learn many different writing styles. We used APA form of writing to type our paper and essay. I have also learned that it’s good to take your time and spend more time thinking about what to write, other than just righting a paper right off back. I have learned that it’s not a good idea to write a paper on the day it’s done, that’s more like a ruff daft. My teacher have helped me understand different point of writing. Which all writing deal with an ethos, pathos and logos, either one or all of them will run through anything that tell you anything in writing. From what emotion are there to who have the rights to speak at the moment to what are the facts to agree with this person. As a class we have read articles, bio from many people to understand that it’s more then what the person is writing. Reading between lines and analyzing a part of the story can tell you more then what the writer is saying. Working together to unde rstand something and work better than being alone thinking about a situation you can’t understand. I have wrote many different kind of essay and paper. From a point of view of three person, first person, what you think this person is telling you, to writing how you feel, what changed your life to where do you see yourself in the next 10 years. I enjoyed this writing class and I know my teacher has enjoy my present. The only bad thing I can say is I HATE writing annotated bibliography and anything that have something to do with it,Show MoreRelatedMy Writing And Writing Style Essay1300 Words   |  6 Pagesbutterfly, my writing style transformed from something mediocre to something quite exceptional. In high school, even when I took advanced placement English and Literature courses, I was never good at writing. My writing would lack structure, reasoning, syntax, and a well-defined thesis statement. 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