-
476The Blue Wall of SilenceInternational Journal of Applied Philosophy 15 (1): 1-23. 2001.The “blue wall of silence” -- the rule that police officers will not testify against each other -- has its roots in an important associational virtue, loyalty, which, in the context of friendship and familial relations, is of central importance. This article seeks to distinguish the worthy roots of the “blue wall” from its frequent corruption in the covering up of serious criminality, and attempts to offer criteria for determining when to testify and when to respond in other ways to the flaws of…Read more
-
180The Ethics of Policing (edited book)Cambridge University Press. 1996.This book is the most systematic, comprehensive and philosophically sophisticated discussion of police ethics yet published. It offers an in-depth analysis of the ethical values that police, as servants of the community, should uphold as they go about their task. The book considers the foundations and purpose of police authority in broad terms but also tackles specific problems such as accountability, the use of force, deceptive stratagems used to gain information or trap the criminally intentio…Read more
-
113Legitimate and Illegitimate Uses of Police ForceCriminal Justice Ethics 33 (2): 83-103. 2014.Utilizing a contractualist framework for understanding the basis and limits for the use of force by police, this article offers five limiting principles—respect for status as moral agents, proportionality, minimum force necessary, ends likely to be accomplished, and appropriate motivation—and then discusses uses of force that violate or risk violating those principles. These include, but are not limited to, unseemly invasions, strip searches, perp walks, handcuffing practices, post-chase apprehe…Read more
-
112Human Flourishing, Human Dignity, and Human RightsLaw and Philosophy 32 (5): 539-564. 2013.Rather than treating them as discrete and incommensurable ideas, we sketch some connections between human flourishing and human dignity, and link them to human rights. We contend that the metaphor of flourishing provides an illuminating aspirational framework for thinking about human development and obligations, and that the idea of human dignity is a critical element within that discussion. We conclude with some suggestions as to how these conceptions of human dignity and human flourishing migh…Read more
-
93Judicial Corrosion: Outlines of a TheoryCriminal Justice Ethics 31 (1): 19-30. 2012.Abstract Even judiciaries that do not have histories of serious or pervasive corruption need to be watchful lest what I refer to as judicial corrosion occurs. Drawing on studies of institutional entropy, I identify some of the external and internal sources of such corrosion and comment briefly on challenges that face its prevention or repair within the judicial realm
-
79The Ethical Perils of Knowledge AcquisitionCriminal Justice Ethics 28 (2): 201-222. 2009.At first blush, there would seem to be few ethical problems with knowledge acquisition in a law enforcement context. For that context is one of public safety and criminal justice, both worthy ends,...
-
64Paternalism and Human DignityCriminal Law and Philosophy 11 (1): 19-36. 2017.This paper explores the possibility that some cases of criminal paternalism might include among their justifying reasons an appeal to human dignity.
-
54Trust and critical thinkingEducational Philosophy and Theory 50 (2): 133-143. 2018.This article discusses the tension between trust, as an expression of interpersonal commitment, and critical thinking, which includes a demand for reasons. It explores the importance of each for individual flourishing, and then seeks to establish some ways in which they intersect, drawing on ideas of authority and trustworthiness. It argues that despite the appearance of a deep tension between trust and critical thinking, they are importantly interdependent: if trust is to be warranted, critical…Read more
-
47Freewill and Determinism (review)Philosophical Studies (Dublin) 18 (n/a): 260-262. 1969.The distinctiveness of this addition to the already vast literature on the freewill controversy is shown by its subtitle. Professor Franklin believes that what is ultimately at stake in the debate is not conceptual clarification, but our fundamental values and conception of man. Paraphrasing Hare: to justify a position completely, we have to give a complete specification of the way of life of which it is a part.
-
47The Paternalistic PrincipleCriminal Law and Philosophy 10 (2): 315-327. 2016.In this paper, I critique one aspect of Simester and von Hirsch’s, Crimes, Harms, and Wrongs—their recognition of harm and offence principles, but failure to construct a paternalistic principle, despite their willingness to countenance some small measure of criminal paternalism. Construction of such a principle would have clarified the problems of as well as the limits to criminalising paternalism.
-
44Police Loyalties: A Refuge for Scoundrels?Professional Ethics, a Multidisciplinary Journal 5 (1): 29-42. 1996.
-
40Professional law enforcement codes: a documentary collection (edited book)Greenwood Press. 1993.This volume fills that gap and offers teachers in criminal justice ethics and law enforcement practitioners a rich selection of materials that have emerged in ...
-
37This volume explores at length the contours of an important and troubling virtue -- its cognates, contrasts, and perversions; its strengths and weaknesses; its awkward relations with universal morality; its oppositional form and limits; as well as the ways in which it functions invarious associative connections, such as friendship and familial relations, organizations and professions.
-
-
John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY)Retired faculty
New York City, New York, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Value Theory |
Areas of Interest
1 more
Applied Ethics |
Normative Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |
Philosophy of Law |
Meta-Ethics |
Value Theory |