¶ … Fran
It is difficult to discern what the most egregious act of injustice was during the criminal case involving Frank Jude and the police department of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The brutal beating the young man incurred, which clearly transgressed the line from a mere drubbing to wanton, pernicious acts of torture, would appear to lead the unspeakable travesty that would befall him in the months and years following his initial 2004 encounter with this police department. However, the duplicity involved in the farce of the investigation that was filed, culminating in the state trial in which justice was made a mockery of, is equally if not more so insidious because it directly deceived not only Jude and his civil rights, but also those of all others who depend on the criminal justice system for some semblance of righteousness. Or, quite possibly the most disturbing if not outright criminal aspect of this case was the lenient sentencing handed down (Diedrich), which will certainly not dissuade other police officers from following in the footsteps of those charged during this case from committing similar acts of violence and abuses of authority. Regardless of which one of these perversions of justice is worse, this case makes it quite clear that ethical boundaries of the criminal justice system in America have once again been crossed resulting in a dearth of public trust in this system and its many constituents.
This dramatic event in the life of Jude all began in October of 2004 when Jude and a male associate, Lovell Harris, and two women attended a party hosted by Milwaukee police officer Jon Bartlett. The party was attended by a multitude of off-duty police officers, and the two young men quickly decided that they wanted to leave. Before they were able to do so, however, Bartlett claimed that his wallet and his police badge had been stolen. The foursome were promptly surrounded by as many as perhaps 10 off duty officers who threatened them with racial epithets in attempts to procure the missing items. Harris was cut in the face by the off duty officers, yet managed to evade them and avoid any further beating. Jude, however, was taken to the ground by one of the officers, hand-cuffed, and incurred a devastating amount of physical punishment. The savagery to describe the inflictions was almost unspeakable. Jude was lifted into the air so that his groin could be exposed and kick. Sharp objects (a pen) were placed in both of his ears and ripped apart (No author). Two of his fingers were bent out of shape until they were broken, and he was kicked and punched repeatedly in the head and in the body until he was grotesquely disfigured (No author). While the women with him had the presence of mind to call the police in attempts to stop the beating, one of the two officers that arrived joined in torturing the young man, while the other simply watched.
Photographs of Jude's disfigured face and body made the headlines throughout Milwaukee and around the nation, as did the news that the damage was suffered through wanton police brutality. The public outcry was most heartfelt in Milwaukee, which functioned as the epicenter for the public betrayal by the very servants of justice it depended on for. The graphic images of Jude's swollen head, eyes, broken fingers, and ruptured ears were adjudged even worse due to the racial overtones of the incident. All of the officers who participated in the acts of brutality are white; Harris is African-American while Jude is mulatto (Diedrich). The abuse of police authority was deservingly exacerbated by the fact that the victims were African-Americans. African-Americans have suffered a lengthy, ignoble history of repeated police brutality, torture, and acts of murder. The Jude incident was viewed as a continuation of this unjust tradition. From an individual perspective, as well, the anger and disgust at the fact that the young men had committed no vestige of a criminal act, and were simply accused of doing so largely on the basis of their race, caused an intense public fervor that lamented the lack of justice and disregard of the public's opinion.
However, the public's reaction would considerably worsen in the days to follow, largely due to the efforts of a number of Milwaukee police officials who never had any intentions of establishing a degree of parity in the enforcement of the law -- once it applied to them. Therein lies the crux of the ethical dilemma regarding the Jude's case. The Milwaukee police department, much like any other...
Torture has been a tool of coercion for nearly all of human history, whether to instill fear in a population or force people to convert, but almost all contemporary attempts to justify the use of torture revolve around torture as a means of extracting information from a victim. Used in this context, torture has a number of prominent advocates, despite the fact that ample historical and experimental evidence suggests that
Torture Debate Torture Is Unacceptable Under No Circumstances Argument: torture is unacceptable because it is counterproductive Argument: torture is unacceptable because it is illegal Argument: torture is unacceptable because it is immoral Is Torture Ever Acceptable in Any Way? Although torture has existed as long as human history, liberal democracies in the last two centuries began to argue against the use of torture in all occasions because they began to see torture as a barbaric practice
Torture The use of non-lethal torture in interrogating possible criminals has always been an area of debate. It wasn't hot topic when the terrorist activities were kept at a down low in the nineties. However, following nine eleven and the surge of terrorists, it became necessary to be aware of the activities they were up to. The major debate lies in the fact that whether a known terrorist should be subjected
Torture and the Ticking Time-Bomb The Definition of Torture In 1984, the United Nations General Assembly produced an advisory measure known as the United Nations Convention Against Torture. This document specifically addressed torture from the perspective of governments and states, while it also focuses on the use of torture by any individual acting in an official capacity for said state or government. The document also addressed other forms of 'cruel and inhumane
However, in truth, such incidences are rare and hence based on this pretext there is every danger that torture might become an administrative practice. There is every possibility that torture might become a systemic abuse tool. Thus only if morally permissible conditions prevail can torture be pursued. Another popular perspective is that bringing torture under a legal prism would make it a more effective tool as officials would only
These logistical problems are only one source of error in Levin's argument, however. The idea of establishing guilt with certainty before using torture fits the utilitarian ethic; it ensures that any reduction in happiness or good to the terrorist is more than compensated for by the increased happiness in the terrorist's would-be victims. The other part of Levin's argument, that torture should only be used as a preventative and not
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now