18 Oct '06 13:42>
Originally posted by Bosse de NageNot sure what there is to discuss - it's mostly obvious stuff:
Let's do that.
Go ahead.
* Every organisation/institution depends on the health of its relationship with its stakeholders; in environments where that relationship depends on the stakeholders seeing that organisation/institution as impeccable, there will always be the temptation to cover up when a crime/mistake does occur.
* A second factor would be the social cohesion within the organisation/institution. People generally don't like to "rat" or expose their colleagues; even cops who are themselves honest may not actively expose colleagues who are corrupt.
* A third factor would be that organisations/institutions can sometimes feel "guilty" about recruiting or enrolling people who had a reasonable a priori risk of committing a crime. They can spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to "rehabilitate" the persons involved and turn a blind eye to their continued shortcomings and the risks they pose. This is quite similar to parents who deliberately or involuntarily turn a blind eye to the clear immoral behaviour of their children.
* A related factor is the nature of the relationships between the people who work in the institution/organisation. Where relationships are familial rather than formal, the parental "blind eye" that I mentioned above can come into play.