Corruption in the police field. Meanings built by preventive police in Mexico

Corruption is a complex phenomenon present in police corporations. Mexicans qualify their preventive police as corrupt (INEGI, 2018) and Mexico's positions on the international scale of corruption are the worst (Transparency International, 2018). These data do not consider the perceptions of th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Yam-Chalé, Hugo Alberto, Clairgue Caizero, Erika Nayeli
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO
Repositorio:Revista Digital Internacional de Psicología y Ciencia Social
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.172.17.0.1:article/226
Acceso en línea:https://cuved.unam.mx/revistas/index.php/rdpcs/article/view/226
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Law enforcement, Police corruption, social constructionism, Mexican police, police officers.
Law enforcement
Police corruption
Social constructionism
Mexican police
Police officers
Policías
Corrupción policial
Construccionismo social
Policía mexicana
Descripción
Sumario:Corruption is a complex phenomenon present in police corporations. Mexicans qualify their preventive police as corrupt (INEGI, 2018) and Mexico's positions on the international scale of corruption are the worst (Transparency International, 2018). These data do not consider the perceptions of the police. The objective of this study was to identify, from social constructionism, the meanings that the preventive police of Mexico give to police corruption and its effects. This study was qualitative, using the phenomenological method with police focus groups from Tijuana and the Mexico City; and semi-structured interviews with police officers in Merida. According to the narratives, corruption occurs in two areas: (1) within the police institution, due to influence and arbitrary disciplinary arrests; and (2) in interaction with citizens because of normalization, rationalization, and low wages. Corruption effects are also perceived such as insufficient elements, poor equipment and economic problems. The meanings that policemen build around corruption favor the corruption practice; although they are not the sole factor, it is important to understand them in order to deconstruct them and favor their reduction.