1
Rotten apples and the barrel
Research Question: To what extent can police misconduct be caused
by peer influence in police organizations?
Subject: Psychology
Word Count: 3888 words
, 2
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3
Social transmission of deviance .................................................................................................. 4
Characteristics of police peer groups .......................................................................................... 5
Evidence regarding peer influence on police misconduct........................................................... 6
Akers’ Social Learning Theory ................................................................................................... 9
Evidence regarding Akers’ Social Learning Theory and police misconduct ............................ 10
Methodological Issues............................................................................................................... 13
Evaluation.................................................................................................................................. 14
Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 15
Works Cited............................................................................................................................... 17
, 3
Introduction
In 2019, Indian police officers forcefully entered a Delhi college and attacked students
for protesting the Citizenship Amendment Bill, injuring around 200 people. The Hong Kong
police force, formerly known as "Asia's Finest" (Sinclair), has been accused of excessive
violence, sexual assault of detainees, and falsification of evidence following the pro-democracy
movements of the 2010s. American citizens are pressing for nationwide police reform due to the
disproportionate killings of African Americans by police officers in the US in recent years, such
as the recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020. Many such prominent
incidents demonstrating police abuse of authority in today’s society have sparked debates about
the integrity of police organizations that are supposed to serve as gatekeepers of the justice
system, built to protect the public and preserve law and order within societies.
Including the harm inflicted on the public that they are sworn to protect, police
misconduct can also lead to huge political and economic losses (Mauro). It is one of the biggest
barriers preventing progress in modern societies today and can significantly deteriorate public
trust in law and order due to the very nature of the institution – police organizations are built to
serve as protectors of the law and are a symbol of legitimate governmental authority (Ivkovic).
Police misconduct can be defined as any “inappropriate behavior on the part of any police officer
that violates police policy, morality, or/and the law, and may also entail some type of personal
benefit for the police officer involved” (Papazoglou), and can take on many forms such as
bribery, opportunistic theft, buying and selling of drugs, unwarranted brutality, protection of
illegal activities, insubordination and neglect of duty (Chappell & Piquero).
From the psychological perspective, it is often attempted to explain police misconduct
through the proverbial ‘rotten apple’ theory; an individualistic approach claiming that only select
Rotten apples and the barrel
Research Question: To what extent can police misconduct be caused
by peer influence in police organizations?
Subject: Psychology
Word Count: 3888 words
, 2
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3
Social transmission of deviance .................................................................................................. 4
Characteristics of police peer groups .......................................................................................... 5
Evidence regarding peer influence on police misconduct........................................................... 6
Akers’ Social Learning Theory ................................................................................................... 9
Evidence regarding Akers’ Social Learning Theory and police misconduct ............................ 10
Methodological Issues............................................................................................................... 13
Evaluation.................................................................................................................................. 14
Conclusion................................................................................................................................. 15
Works Cited............................................................................................................................... 17
, 3
Introduction
In 2019, Indian police officers forcefully entered a Delhi college and attacked students
for protesting the Citizenship Amendment Bill, injuring around 200 people. The Hong Kong
police force, formerly known as "Asia's Finest" (Sinclair), has been accused of excessive
violence, sexual assault of detainees, and falsification of evidence following the pro-democracy
movements of the 2010s. American citizens are pressing for nationwide police reform due to the
disproportionate killings of African Americans by police officers in the US in recent years, such
as the recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020. Many such prominent
incidents demonstrating police abuse of authority in today’s society have sparked debates about
the integrity of police organizations that are supposed to serve as gatekeepers of the justice
system, built to protect the public and preserve law and order within societies.
Including the harm inflicted on the public that they are sworn to protect, police
misconduct can also lead to huge political and economic losses (Mauro). It is one of the biggest
barriers preventing progress in modern societies today and can significantly deteriorate public
trust in law and order due to the very nature of the institution – police organizations are built to
serve as protectors of the law and are a symbol of legitimate governmental authority (Ivkovic).
Police misconduct can be defined as any “inappropriate behavior on the part of any police officer
that violates police policy, morality, or/and the law, and may also entail some type of personal
benefit for the police officer involved” (Papazoglou), and can take on many forms such as
bribery, opportunistic theft, buying and selling of drugs, unwarranted brutality, protection of
illegal activities, insubordination and neglect of duty (Chappell & Piquero).
From the psychological perspective, it is often attempted to explain police misconduct
through the proverbial ‘rotten apple’ theory; an individualistic approach claiming that only select
