NCJ Number
180340
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: December 1999 Pages: 871-895
Editor(s)
Finn-Aage Esbensen
Date Published
1999
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Public workers in general and criminal justice workers in particular tend to have a problem understanding the concept of loyalty in the workplace; despite the fact that rules and regulations almost never mention loyalty to superiors, this unexamined practice has been sacrosanct regardless of how unworthy, inefficient, or immoral superiors may be.
Abstract
Further, the obligation of loyalty to persons rather than principles can encourage corruption, promote mediocrity, and demoralize workers. Ironically, if both workers and superiors were loyal to departmental values, they would by natural association be loyal to one another. In criminal justice agencies, the selection of loyalty objects can be as intriguing as the fear of being accused of disloyalty is real. Arguments for and against personal loyalty to superiors are reviewed, as well as the risks to public service inherent in such relationships and the organizational dangers involved in such pacts. The author proposes as an alternative to personal loyalty to superiors, a professional model based on organizational identification and individual accountability in which dutiful supervision is strengthened while superiors are appreciated as role models and mentors. Social implications of personal loyalty to superiors in criminal justice agencies are discussed. 32 references