NCJ Number
192297
Date Published
2002
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This chapter explores the effects of the War on Drugs on drug-related police corruption.
Abstract
Police narcotics units are characteristically composed of a small, cohesive group of individuals who are under great pressure, both external and internal, to produce results. Individuals assigned to the narcotics unit are often socially and professionally isolated from other officers, especially when working undercover. Narcotics officers are immersed in a world marked by large amounts of cash, drugs that are tempting both for use and easy sale, and the deviant lifestyles of informants as well as users and dealers targeted for arrest and prosecution. Ultimately, the internal and external pressure to produce results, coupled with a growing dissatisfaction with the criminal justice system to effectively follow through on the arrest with punishment and incapacitation, can lead the officer down a number of paths. The officer may continue to make arrests under the realization that the most probable punishment is the process itself; the officer may refuse to make arrests; or the officer may turn to more deviant means. This may involve taking steps to ensure that a drug offender is punished, or in some cases adopting the ideology that "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." This chapter explores in detail a number of types of drug-related police deviance in the areas of drug-related corruption, abuse of authority, asset forfeiture, and racial profiling. A theoretical framework for understanding the causes of drug-related police misconduct focuses on social learning, differential association, role models, and differential reinforcement. Recommendations for solutions to drug-related police misconduct focus on improved recruiting and screening procedures for hiring, as well as procedures for detection and discipline. 42 references