Slippery Slope and related Hypothesis - Essay Example

Slippery Slope and Related Hypothesis The slippery slope theory claims that a minor step that is taken at first is likely to result to a number of effects either immediately, with time or in future. However the strength of such an argument will depend mostly on the warrant and whether the warrant is capable of demonstrating a process that will bring with it an effect. A gratuity on the other hand a payment, discount or benefit that is voluntarily given to an individual by virtue of their profession (Kelley 78). The nature and amount of gratitude given to individuals often vary from a given service industry to another and depending also on the culture of the individuals in the society. Strictly speaking, receiving gratuities is a violation the code of ethics of different professions. This is related to the slippery slope which tends to be against the idea of gratuities as they consider it as a form of developing corruption. It is argued that the fact that gratuities are given in small amounts is likely to lead to those accepting them demanding for bigger shares. The police, for example, have been known over years to boost their income through by receiving gratuities which overtime become bribes. Eventually, the police officer may engage in worse criminal activities such as allowing criminals to peddle drugs (Lahe 27). Some police officers even coordinate wrong doers and their criminal activities by availing to them information that is useful to them. It is easier to know the intention of the recipient as they appear to be a violation of the ethical principles stated. The recipient fails in his/her responsibility as he or she is swept away by what he receives from the gratuity. Society at Large Theory The society at large hypothesis was postulated by O.W Wilson (Delattre 69). According to him, the society at large plays a significant role in making public officers such as policemen and policewomen to participate in corruption (Delattre 70). According to the theory, when a citizen offers a gratuity to a police officer for protection he/she virtually helps in the promotion of corruption. By such an action, the citizen opens doors for the police officer to accept even bigger gratuity offers from other citizens with the unyielding being accused of crimes in spite of their innocence (Delattre 26). Police officers are often considered to belong to a special category of public officers and seem to be above the law. As such their actions, according to the masses, cannot be questioned. Taking advantage of this situation, some police officers grant the same special attention to the criminals with whom they partake in crime. Structural Hypothesis According to the structural hypothesis theory, values trickle down from the top brass to individuals in lower ranks (Kaplan & Johnson 25). For example, officers become prone to doing certain activities by watching the activities that their seniors do. Most police officers do not start working as corrupt individuals but instead adopt the deviant behavior while in the field (Kelley 34). Given the fact that the veterans and superiors had learnt the behavior earlier, they do not hesitate to pass it on to the younger generation that comes after them. Secrecy is a vital factor in this theory where it is believed that it forms the breeding ground for the corrupt activities. As long as the departments are not open to each other, it is hard to understand what is going on in the departments. Secrecy becomes a norm that they have accepted and can therefore not ignore it meaning that they have to participate in the behavior. Rotten Apple Theory The rotten apple hypothesis claims that certain individuals are bad outright. The characters of such people are shaped by theirs peers or childhood experiences (Kaplan & Johnson 46). The rotten apple theory applies when it is claimed that some police officers are murderers, drug barons and corrupt individuals. These individuals already have set their minds that they have to prosper through corruption or other illegal acts. There is indiscriminate hiring of the police officers and the superiors tend to hire those they know well so that they can train them on how to succeed through corruption. After being hired the recruits are inadequately trained the issues of ethics at work being ignored by their trainers. Those who are trained at the end of the day do not find it relevant to serve the nation and it is people instead preferring to use corrupt means in order to advance their own interests. Poor supervision fills the police force with superiority complex making them believe that they have the freedom to do whatever they wish and however they wish. Such a situation tends to erode the characters of the police especially with reference to their performance standards as they are likely to be effective on condition that they are granted gratuities. In order to do away with such the rotten apples in the police force, it is necessary that strict measures be instituted to govern the conducts of police officers (Lahe 45). Conclusion Deviance in public service and policing can be attributed to various causes. While the rotten apple theory associates bad conduct to the individual and their past, the society at large hypothesis claims that the entire society is responsible for the bad behavior of public officers. Seniors are also to blame for the rot that eats public servants going by the structural hypothesis. The theory states that some of the bad behavior or criminal activities conducted in public offices are a direct result of what junior officers learn from their seniors, the chain being endless. Works Cited Delattre, Edwin. Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing. Toronto: American Enterprise Institute. 2002. Kaplan, Howard & Johnson, Robert. Social Deviance: Testing a General Theory. New York: Springer. 2001. Kelley, Jonathan. Australian Economy and Society, 2001: Education, Work and Welfare. Chicago: Federation Press. 2001. Lahe, Benjamin. Causes of conduct disorder and juvenile delinquency. New York: Guildford Press. 2003. Read More