Police informers and professional ethics
Journal article
Harfield, Clive. (2012). Police informers and professional ethics. Criminal Justice Ethics. 31(2), pp. 73-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/0731129X.2012.696960
Authors | Harfield, Clive |
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Abstract | The use of informers is morally problematic for police institutions, for investigation managers, and for those individuals either who act as informers or who have daily responsibility for handling informers. This paper examines the moral issues concerning informers at each of these levels. Recourse to informers can be accommodated within Miller and Blackler's moral theory of policing. Within this context, criteria for the morally justifiable deployment of informers are proposed and supplemented with further proposed criteria for morally justifiable informer participation in crime. Morally justifiable recruitment of informers is also considered. Despite directly serving the purpose of policing, informers do not incur police professional obligations. |
Keywords | informers; informer recruitment; entrapment; deception; undercover policing; covert investigation; moral theory of policing |
Year | 2012 |
Journal | Criminal Justice Ethics |
Journal citation | 31 (2), pp. 73-95 |
Publisher | Routledge |
ISSN | 0731-129X |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/0731129X.2012.696960 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-84865519015 |
Open access | Published as green open access |
Page range | 73-95 |
Author's accepted manuscript | License File Access Level Open |
Publisher's version | License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 19 Jun 2012 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 14 Nov 2023 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8zz02/police-informers-and-professional-ethics
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Author's accepted manuscript
AM_Harfield_2012_Police_informers_and_professional_ethics.pdf | |
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
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