Though the assets were seized without any promise or even expectation of individual officers gaining personal financial rewards, the ethical considerations of this problem are fairly obvious. It sets a dangerous precedent for future investigations involving large amounts of cash, expensive cars and homes, and other goods and property that is easily saleable at the completion of an investigation. The wide distribution of the money derived from the seized assets does something to alleviate the ethical problem that this situation clearly presents, but it does not solve the problem.
Journal 6: "RCPD say small percent of offenders produce large percent of crime," Riley County Kansas Channel 49 News
There is strong evidence that criminal offenders, especially those that commit certain types of crimes, have a high rate of recidivism. This article bears out that fact, and includes the rather controversial statement that "If you arrest the right people...the crime rate goes down." Again, the moral repugnance of such a perspective is quickly tempered by the practical results of such a view. The article details the case of a nineteen-year-old male who has been repeatedly charged with burglaries. Obviously, putting him in jail will stop him from committing more burglaries. Though targeting certain people for extra criminal scrutiny must always be done with extreme caution, ethically speaking, the use of past criminal behavior as a means for identifying future criminals is a practical means of protecting the greater population.
Journal 7: "Crime in black communities explored," Louisville Courier-Journal
Among the many issues explored in this article, the relationship between education and rates of criminality...
This impacts the effectiveness of ethics in criminal justice in general; it has been argued that no justice can truly occur when injustices -- especially racial ones -- are built into society itself. There is a great deal of truth to this belief, though there is little that law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners can do on a day-to-day basis to change the situation. Remaining wary of allowing bias to taint judgment is, as always, a necessary safeguard. But at the same time, no unfairness built into the system can be used to excuse individual acts of criminality -- each individual criminal was in possession of a free will at the time of their actions, and every victim was violated regardless of larger societal issues. According to Kantian deontology, what is wrong in one situation must be wrong in any situation, and this is the only fair way to apply the law.
Journal 8: "Hate crime charges filed in school attack," Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Four white teenage boys have been charged with a hate crime in the harassment of a black schoolmate and neighbor of one of the boys. Though the harassment was purely verbal, it was of a clearly racial nature. In addition, violence was threatened and perhaps attempted. Yet my earlier stance on hate crime enhancements being unethical still stands. The boys should be prosecuted for their actions, and harassment of another student should carry harsh consequences. Likewise, had any assault occurred, the boys should have been prosecuted for that. Kantian ethics can also apply here on an even finer level: what is wrong in one situation must be the same degree of wrong in another -- harassment is harassment, regardless of the motive.
