NCJ Number
128445
Journal
Current Issues in Criminal Justice Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1990) Pages: 118-128
Date Published
1990
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper compares the experience of the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with that of the New South Wales ICAC regarding their relations with the community.
Abstract
Both the Hong Kong and New South Wales ICAC's were established to prevent the corruption of public officials through informative investigations designed to identify the root causes of such corruption and to reorient community values and structures to combat public corruption. The ICAC's influence on the community is thus crucial to its mission. The Hong Kong ICAC has been effective in marshaling community support for and response to the ICAC mission. The Community Relations Section of the ICAC focuses on the enhancement of public awareness of the evils of corruption and the harnessing of community support for the ICAC's efforts. Largely due to ICAC efforts in Hong Kong during the past 15 years, a society that tolerated and adapted to public corruption has undergone a value change that gives high priority to the integrity of public officials and institutions. This community nexus has not been a feature of the New South Wales ICAC thus far. Unlike the Hong Kong ICAC, the New South Wales ICAC operates within the structural limitations of a quasi-court and extra-policing paradigm that isolates it from the community. Although lipservice is paid to community education and corruption prevention, these foci have not been featured in New South Wales ICAC operations.