Ethical Aspect of Social Control: Contemporary Discourse on Integrity of Institutions, Corruption, and Organised Crime

Sagledavanje etičkog aspekta zauzima centralno mesto u odlučivanju koje uključuje diskrecionu moć, silu i pravni postupak. U okviru savremenih krivično–pravnih sistema, etika je osnov odlučivanja i u pitanjima rukovođenja i u sferi politike kažnjavanja, odn. odlučivanja o prevenciji, kažnjavanju i rehabilitaciji. Uprkos tome što je savremeni pristup suzbijanju kriminala koncept koji obuhvata više domena javne politike, etika je i dalje fundamentalni aspekt krivičnog pravosuđa i društvene kontrole. Uvidi predstavljeni u ovom članku daju polaznu osnovu za razmatranje ključnih problema prevencije kriminaliteta danas, kao i za dizajn relevantne javne politike u Srbiji. Autorka analizira savremene trendove politike kontrole kriminaliteta predstavljene u strateškim inicijativama u oblastima kontrole kriminala, jačanja integriteta i unapređivanja etičke kompetencije koje su bile pokretane sa ciljem povećanja efikasnosti krivično–pravnog sistema. Ilustrovanjem načina na koje su savremena društvena kontrola i etika međusobno povezane i zavisne, autorka fokusira dobrobit koncipiranu u tradiciji društvenog konstruktivizma koji podrazumeva da je dobrobit proizvod specifičnog opšteg konteksta ljudskog života. Upućivanjem na već ustanovljenu praksu u najrazvijenijim državama (SAD, Kanada i EU) i najznačajnijim međunarodnim organizacijama (UN i OECD), u radu se ukazuje na potencijal razvijanja i procene javne politike sa stanovišta dobrobiti. Ethical considerations are central to decisions involving discretion, force, and due process. Within contemporary criminal justice systems, ethics is germane to most management and policy decisions relating to punishment and is the rationale used in making these decisions, such as whether to rehabilitate, deter, or impose just deserts. Despite that contemporary crime reduction approach is a concept which cuts across policy areas, ethics remains to be the fundamental aspect of criminal justice and social control. That said, the research outlined in this article provides a starting point to address the fundamental obstacles placed in the path of crime prevention and for future alternative constructions policies in this area, in Serbia. The paper offers an analysis of contemporary crime control policy trends as outlined in strategic initiatives aiming at crime control, integrity building, and advancement of ethical competencies have contributed to the effectiveness of the criminal justice system. By illustrating the ways in which contemporary social control and ethics are interconnected and interdependent, the author is focusing well–being as it is conceptualised in the tradition of the social constructionism that implies that well–being is a product of the specific overall context of one’s life. Finally, the author points out that in the most developed countries such as the USA, Canada and the EU, as well as the most influential international organisations such as the UN and the OECD, the development and evaluation of public policies on the basis of well–being monitoring is already an established practice