NCJ Number
174876
Journal
Journal of Financial Crime Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: August 1997 Pages: 55-58
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article examines the consequences when the law and its execution are perceived as unjust.
Abstract
The Simpson case demonstrates the fragility of the law. If agents of the criminal justice process are perceived as beholden to certain special interests, cultural biases or prejudicial attitudes, the rule of law is threatened. In this case, the fact that two innocent human beings were viciously murdered took a back seat to a slick defense that raised many unanswered questions about the character of the Los Angeles Police Department and its members. If agents (police, prosecutors, judges) of the criminal justice system are seen as corrupt in the larger generic sense, a central thesis of government is challenged: government of, by, and for the best interest of all the people, not just majority, elite or privileged segment. Public service demands a level of integrity exceeding that expected of any other segment of society. Reference