Ethics and Accountability in Criminal Justice: Towards a Universal Standard - THIRD EDITION

Tim Prenzler

Apr 2021 · Australian Academic Press

About this ebook

This is a book of research and policy aimed at raising ethical standards in criminal justice practice. Around the world, corruption continues to undermine the rule of law and the application of due process rights. Misconduct by criminal justice professionals challenges democratic authority and the equality and freedom of ordinary citizens. There is an urgent need for academics, advocates and policymakers to speak with one voice in articulating universal ethical standards and, most importantly, in prescribing systems and techniques that must be in place for criminal justice to be genuinely accountable and as free from misconduct as possible. The focus of the book is on the core components of the criminal justice system — police, courts and corrections — and the core groups within this system: sworn police officers; judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers; and custodial and community correctional officers. By using quality research and policy analysis of these core components Professor Prenzler formulates a basic checklist that can be used to assess the ethical quality and accountability of the criminal justice system in any jurisdiction.

About the author

Tim Prenzler is Professor of Criminology at the University of the Sunshine Coast where he was the foundation Coordinator of the Bachelor of Criminology and Justice from 2015. From 2008 to 2014 he was a Chief Investigator in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security, based at Griffith University, where he managed the Integrity Systems Project and worked in the Frontline Policing Project. He was also a foundation member of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith, from 1991. His research interests include crime and corruption prevention, police and security officer safety, security industry regulation, and gender equity in policing. He has developed and taught courses in introductory criminology, policing, crime prevention, and criminal justice ethics and accountability.