Ethics and Accountability in Criminal Justice: Towards a Universal Standard

Tim Prenzler           

Unique in the criminology literature in Australia, well written, and accessible to a wide range of readers.

— Prof. Jenny Fleming, Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies

Presents a series of policy recommendations that are potentially controversial but practical and progressive.

— Prof. Rick Sarre, University of South Australia

Around the world, corruption continues to undermine the rule of law and the application of due process rights. Misconduct by criminal justice professionals challenges democratic authority and the equality and freedom of ordinary citizens. There is an urgent need for academics, advocates and policymakers to speak with one voice in articulating universal ethical standards and, most importantly, in prescribing systems and techniques that must be in place for criminal justice to be genuinely accountable and as free from misconduct as possible. This book boldly stakes a claim to that advance by using quality research and policy analysis to inform the raising of ethical standards in criminal justice practice. The focus of the book is on the core components of the criminal justice system — police, courts and corrections — and the core groups within this system: sworn police officers; judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers; and custodial and community correctional officers. The ethical challenges these groups face and the accountability standards that apply to them also apply broadly to the very wide range of associated occupations. The book begins by establishing general ethical standards and principles of accountability that apply to the criminal justice system as a component of the public sector. The emphasis is on democratic authority and the implications of democracy for the impartial execution of duty by politicians and public servants. The book then deals, in order, with the police, courts and corrections, systematically working through the topics of ethical issues, misconduct case studies and corruption prevention methods. A series of policy ‘solutions’ to ethical issues is proposed as well as a program for translating these positions into practice through comprehensive integrity systems. The result is a basic checklist that can be used to assess the ethical quality and accountability of the criminal justice system in any jurisdiction.

About the Author

Tim Prenzler is Chief Investigator in the Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security (CEPS)and manager of the centre’s ‘Integrity Systems’ Project, as well as a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Brisbane. He has developed and taught courses in situational crime prevention, security management, criminal justice ethics, social justice and police studies. He has also contributed to a number of textbooks and co-edited An Introduction to Crime and Criminology (Pearson, 2007, with Hennessey Hayes). Tim’s research focuses on the application of crime prevention principles to corruption and misconduct, especially misconduct amongst police and security providers. He is the co-author of The Law of Private Security in Australia (Thomson Lawbook, 2009, with Rick Sarre).

www.australianacademicpress.com.au

    RRP $34.95
    ISBN: 9781921513268
    AAP Item Number: 4-921513268
    196 pages softcover with Index
    First published 2009

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