Policing, undercover policing and ‘dirty hands’
The case of state entrapment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21370940 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniel J Hill (0000-0001-5492-3925, University of Liverpool), Stephen K McLeod (0000-0003-1457-2942, University of Liverpool), Attila Tanyi (0000-0002-2027-9446, Corvinus University of Budapest, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 181 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 689-714 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophical Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8116 • E-ISSN: 1573-0883 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11098-024-02110-0 |
| OpenAlex | W4392656416 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 42 |
Under a ‘dirty hands’ model of undercover policing, it inevitably involves situations where whatever the state agent does is morally problematic. Christopher Nathan argues against this model. Nathan’s criticism of the model is predicated on the contention that it entails the view, which he considers objectionable, that morally wrongful acts are central to undercover policing. We address this criticism, and some other aspects of Nathan’s discussion of the ‘dirty hands’ model, specifically in relation to state entrapment to commit a crime. Using János Kis’s work on political morality, we explain three dilemmatic versions of the ‘dirty hands’ model. We show that, while two of these are inapplicable to state entrapment, the third has better prospects. We then pursue our main aim, which is to argue that, since the third model precludes Nathan’s criticism, a viable ‘dirty hands’ model of state entrapment remains an open possibility. Finally, we generalize this result, showing that the case of state entrapment is not special: the result holds good for policing practices more generally, including such routine practices as arrest, detention and restraint
Commit · Criminology · Criticism · Entrapment · Epistemology · Law and economics · Metaphysics · Morality · Philosophy of language · Philosophy of mind · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science) · Computer Science · Free Will and Agency · Law · Philosophy · Torture, Ethics, and Law · War, Ethics, and Justification
Politics as a Moral Problem
Ethical Consistency
Are ‘Dirty Hands’ Possible
In defense of exclusionary reasons
Entrapment, temptation and virtue testing
The Profession and Vocation of Politics
The Ethics of Undercover Policing
What Is the Incoherence Objection to Legal Entrapment
Practical Reason and Norms
Essence and Modality
Bellamy on Dirty Hands and Lesser Evils
Noble cause corruption as a consequence of role conflict in the police organisation
Moral Subversion and Structural Entrapment
In Defence of Democratic Dirty Hands
To Punish or to Forgive
Dirty Hands and Suffering
Everyone was questioning everything’
Plural and Conflicting Values
Moral Dimensions
Normalizing covert surveillance
Dirty hands and clean gloves
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |